Maryvale’s John Moraga set to face Jusier Formiga in front of home crowd at UFC on FOX 13
Sep 23, 2014, 11:02 PM | Updated: 11:03 pm
It looks like John Moraga finally got his wish.
On Monday night, the UFC announced Maryvale’s proudest son will get to step into the octagon in front of his home crowd at the U.S. Airways Center in downtown Phoenix to face fellow flyweight contender Jussier ‘Formiga’ da Silva at UFC on FOX 13.
Moraga (15-3), a former wrestler out of Arizona State University, is coming off a very impressive second round submission victory over the highly touted Justin Scoggins at UFC Fight Night 50 earlier this month. After having his hand raised he made it known he was looking to find a spot on his hometown card.
“I fight hard, I rep hard for my city. That’s my pride,” said Moraga in his post fight interview. “I love my city. [The UFC is] coming to my hometown in three months. I’m ready for whoever. Just let me fight on my hometown. I’m ready to put on a show for Phoenix.”
Prior to this win, he suffered TKO loss to Jon Dodson at UFC Fight Night 42 in June. He enters this bout with a UFC record of 4-2, with three of them ending in stoppage.
Formiga (17-3), a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, is coming off a unanimous decision over Zach Mackovsky at UFC Fight Night 47 in August. Prior to this win, he earned a controversial submission win over MMA veteran Scott Jorgenson back in March.
UFC on FOX 13 is currently scheduled to take place on Dec. 13 at US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix. A heavyweight matchup between former champion Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic is currently set to headline the event.
Here’s how the UFC on FOX 13 card is shaping up:
- Junior dos Santos (16-3) vs. Stipe Miocic (12-1)
- Alistair Overeem (37-14) vs.Stefan Struve (25-6)
- Matt Mitrione (8-3) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (16-8)
- Jamie Varner (21-10-1) vs. Drew Dober (14-6)
- John Moraga (15-3) vs. Jussier Formiga (17-3)
- Derek Brunson (12-3) vs. Ed Herman (22-10)
- Joe Ellenberger (15-1) vs. Bryan Barberena (9-2)