Marlon Moraes is wasting no time returning to the cage after his recent loss to Cory Sandhagen.
A former UFC bantamweight title challenger, Moraes (23-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will attempt to get back into the win column against Rob Font on Dec. 19 at an event expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Multiple sources confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA reporter Mike Russell first reported the matchup as being targeted in a tweet Tuesday.
Moraes competed against Sandhagen earlier this month at UFC on ESPN+ 37. He was finished with a spinning wheel kick and punches in Round 2. The loss was Moraes’ second in as many fights but the first time he’s been finished since 2011.
Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will compete in his first fight since tearing his ACL in a December 2019 unanimous decision win over Ricky Simon. Coming into the matchup, Font rides a two-fight winning streak and has lost only once since late 2017.
With the addition, the Dec. 19 lineup includes:
- Sean Brady vs. Belal Muhammad
- Antonio Braga Neto vs. Deron Winn
- Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jamie Pickett
- Rob Font vs. Marlon Moraes