Sergio Moraes

Sergio Moraes is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and decorated jiu-jitsu technician who made his mark in the UFC as a submission specialist. Born in 1982 in Sao Paulo, Moraes earned renown as a 4-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, notably defeating Kron Gracie at the 2008 Worlds, and brought that grappling pedigree into the Octagon. After turning pro in 2006 and building a solid record in Brazil and Bellator, he competed on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil in 2012, advancing through the tournament with submission victories before facing former Muay Thai champion Thiago Rela and TUF alumnus Delson Heleno. Moraes made his UFC debut in June 2012 against Cezar Ferreira at UFC 147, stepping in as an injury replacement, but lost that bout via unanimous decision after being knocked down twice.

Throughout his UFC tenure, Moraes established himself as a reliable mid-card fighter whose strength lay in ground control and submission finishing. His signature moment came at UFC 163 in August 2013, when he caught Neil Magny in a triangle choke just 49 seconds into the first round, earning his Submission of the Night bonus. He added a second-round arm-triangle submission over Ben Saunders in 2018, reaffirming his technical prowess on the mat. Moraes collected split-decision wins over Zak Ottow and Tim Means and a unanimous decision over Davi Ramos, showing the ability to grind out decisions when submissions weren't available, though he also faced a high-level prospect in Kamaru Usman in 2017, getting knocked out in the first round as Usman rose through the ranks.

By 2019, Moraes hit a difficult stretch. He lost by unanimous decision to Anthony Rocco Martin in March, then fell to Warlley Alves via knockout in the third round at UFC 237 in May, and concluded his UFC run with a third-round knockout loss to James Krause in November 2019, which led to his release from the promotion. A fighter defined by his jiu-jitsu lineage and submission acumen rather than striking prowess, Moraes represented the technical grappler archetype in an increasingly well-rounded UFC welterweight division. After leaving the UFC, he continued competing in smaller promotions and remained active as a jiu-jitsu instructor at Evolucao Thai in Curitiba, Brazil.