John Moraga comes home to meet fellow contender Jussier Formiga in Phoenix
John Moraga has earned himself a little home Octagon advantage.
The former flyweight No. 1 contender will meet Jussier Formiga at UFC Fight Night on FOX: Dos Santos vs. Miocic on Dec. 13 in Phoenix, Ariz., the UFC announced Monday night via its Latin American Twitter account. Moraga was born and raised in Phoenix and wrestled in college at Arizona State. He currently trains at The MMA Lab in nearby Glendale.
Moraga (15-3) is coming off a second-round submission win (guillotine) over Justin Scoggins earlier this month in Connecticut. He's ranked No. 5 among flyweight contenders. The 30-year-old only has three losses in his career and they have come to two men: flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and top contender John Dodson (twice). He's a handful for anyone in the 125-pound division.
Formiga (17-3) will have his work cut out for him. But the Brazilian has looked great recently, finishing Scott Jorgensen by submission in March and dominating Zach Makovsky in August. The 29-year-old has risen to No. 4 among flyweight contenders. A win here could very well earn Formiga a title shot.
UFC Fight Night on FOX is headlined by a heavyweight contender bout between Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic. Another two heavyweight contests are also on the docket at the U.S. Airways Center -- Alistair Overeem vs. Stefan Struve and Matt Mitrione vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. This will be the UFC's first trip to Arizona.
