5 fighters with a major point to prove at UFC 266 this weekend

#4. Marlon Moraes – UFC bantamweight contender

Marlon Moraes' UFC career might come to an end if he loses this weekend

Few fighters on the UFC roster have seen as dramatic a fall down the rankings as bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes.

‘Magic’ was once the most feared 135lber on the UFC roster, as he destroyed the likes of Aljamain Sterling and Jimmie Rivera with his brutal strikes. But after falling to Henry Cejudo in a UFC bantamweight title fight in 2019, he’s struggled greatly.

He picked up a controversial win over Jose Aldo to end that year. But since then he’s suffered two bad knockout losses at the hands of Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font.

At the age of 33, there’s every chance that the Brazilian could be a shot fighter, which is something that those knockout losses definitely suggested. With that in mind, UFC 266 could be the last chance saloon for him.

Moraes is fighting a beatable opponent in the form of Merab Dvalishvili, who is more of a grappler than a striker, but it definitely won’t be easy for ‘Magic’. ‘The Machine’ is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC bantamweight division and will almost certainly test Moraes’ takedown defense.

So Moraes needs to get back to his best to prove that he still belongs in the UFC this weekend. If he can’t do that, it could be curtains for his career with the promotion.

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#3. Lauren Murphy – UFC flyweight title challenger

Lauren Murphy is probably the biggest underdog competing at UFC 266

The biggest underdog on the card at UFC 266 is definitely Lauren Murphy. ‘Lucky’ is set to challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC flyweight title, and literally nobody expects her to beat one of the most dominant fighters in the promotion’s history.

However, even if she can’t beat Shevchenko, Murphy will be gunning to prove that she at least belongs in the octagon with ‘The Bullet’. Unfortunately, plenty of doubters have already suggested that isn’t the case.

Murphy got her title shot by defeating five opponents in a row. But she was only able to finish two of them – one was a late replacement – and two of those wins came via split decision.

Therefore, there have been some suggestions that she’s simply filling a role as the “challenger of the month” for a champion who has largely cleaned out her weight class.

How can Murphy prove those doubters wrong? Perhaps she isn’t capable of beating Shevchenko. But if she can at least go the distance with ‘The Bullet’ and maybe even win a round, she’d definitely be able to leave with her pride intact.

Even that won’t be easy, but ‘Lucky’ definitely has a point to prove and will be hoping to do just that at UFC 266.