(This story appeared in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) When it comes to his name recognition among MMA fans, John Moraga isn’t kidding himself. The flyweight has fought twice in the UFC, finishing his opponents inside the distance both times, but “only the hardcore fans really know who I am or have seen me fight,” Moraga told USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). Maybe that’s because Moraga (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a two-time All-America wrestler at Arizona State, has yet to appear on the main card of a UFC event. Instead he’s been relegated to the prelims, kicking off the show in the middle of the afternoon, when most fight fans are more concerned with gathering snacks for that evening’s festivities than they are with one no-name undercard fighter facing another on the UFC’s Facebook stream. Moraga also is a member of the UFC’s smallest weight class, which has had trouble gaining traction with fans
BAD MMA Trending Cloud
UFC • Bellator • Conor Mcgregor • PFL • Jon Jones • Daniel Cormier • Dustin Poirier • Khabib Nurmagomedov • Dana White • Francis Ngannou • Jorge Masvidal • Nate Diaz • Max Holloway • Anderson Silva • WSOF • Michael Chandler • Ronda Rousey • Alex Pereira • Michael Bisping • Amanda Nunes • Alexander Volkanovski • Donald Cerrone • Kamaru Usman • islam makhachev • Tony Ferguson • Henry Cejudo • Jake Paul • Charles Oliveira • Demetrious Johnson • sean o'malley • Jose Aldo • One Championship • Aljamain Sterling • Derrick Lewis • Stipe Miocic • sean strickland • Tyron Woodley • Georges St Pierre • Robert Whittaker • Chael Sonnen
- MMA News (115613)
- Ben Askren remains hospitalized, provides latest health update
- UFC 318 Results: Poirier vs. Holloway 3
- Vinicius Oliveira will call out Sean O’Malley after UFC 318—but advises him to turn it down
- UFC 318 Paths to Victory: Can Dustin Poirier win the trilogy against Max Holloway for a fairytale ending?
- ‘I’m going to play spoiler tomorrow’: Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway share final faceoff before UFC 318
- Pacquiao vs. Barrios weigh-in results | Manny Pacquiao officially set for return fight: ‘I’m back’
- UFC 318 Preview Show | Can Dustin Poirier beat Max Holloway and sail off into the sunset?
- Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios weigh-in video
- ‘Getting belts and checks’: Corey Anderson down to fight Francis Ngannou next if the money’s right
- Dan Ige admits ‘it sucks’ when UFC commentary team drives a certain narrative during a fight but he understands that’s their job