Introduction
John Anthony Moraga (born March 20, 1984) is a Mexican American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes as a flyweight and featherweight in MMA and boxing, respectively. He is best known for his lengthy career Ultimate Fighting Championship which saw him challenge for the UFC Flyweight Championship in 2013.
Biography
Early life
Moraga was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Maryvale High School and then chose to go to Arizona State University where he was a two-time University Freestyle All-American wrestler for the Sun Devils.
Early mixed martial arts career
Moraga started his professional career at 2009 in Arizona for the local organization Rage in the Cage. There he achieved an undefeated record of 6–0, until his fight against John Dodson at 2010, in which he lost by unanimous decision. After this setback he won five straight bouts to make his way into the UFC. He is of Mexican heritage.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Moraga was expected his promotional debut against Ian McCall on August 4, 2012 at UFC on Fox 4. However, McCall was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Ulysses Gomez. Moraga won the fight via KO in the first round.
Moraga next faced Chris Cariaso on December 29, 2012 at UFC 155. Moraga was victorious with a third round guillotine choke submission. His victory also earned him Submission of the Night honors.
Moraga was expected to face UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on April 13, 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.However, Johnson was forced out of the bout with an injury and Moraga was removed from the event as well.
Moraga eventually faced UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC on Fox 8 on July 27, 2013. Moraga showed promise in the first round as he landed some good strikes standing. However, the champion began to wear him down with his wrestling. Despite hurting Johnson in the fourth round with a punch, he lost the fight via submission in the fifth round.
Moraga was expected to face Darren Uyenoyama on December 14, 2013 at UFC on Fox 9.However, Moraga pulled out of the bout with an undisclosed injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Alptekin Ozkilic.
Moraga faced Dustin Ortiz on January 15, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 35. He won the fight via split decision.
A rematch with John Dodson took place on June 7, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42. He lost the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage between rounds two and three after a knee Dodson threw late in the second round broke Moraga's nose.
Moraga faced Justin Scoggins on September 5, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 50.Moraga defeated Scoggins via submission in the second round, securing a guillotine choke after being taken down.
Moraga was expected to face Jussier Formiga on December 13, 2014 at UFC on Fox 13.However, Formiga pulled out of the fight on November 21 and was replaced by Willie Gates. Moraga won the fight via submission in the third round.
Moraga faced Joseph Benavidez on May 23, 2015 at UFC 187.Moraga lost the back and forth fight via unanimous decision.
Moraga faced Matheus Nicolau on July 8, 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale He lost the fight via split decision.
Moraga was expected to face Zach Makovsky on December 10, 2016 at UFC 206. However, Moraga pulled out of the fight in early November citing injury and was replaced by Dustin Ortiz.
Moraga next faced Sergio Pettis on January 15, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 103. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Moraga faced promotional newcomer Ashkan Mokhtarian on June 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 110. He won the one-sided fight by unanimous decision.
Moraga faced Magomed Bibulatov on October 7, 2017 at UFC 216. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Moraga faced Wilson Reis on April 14, 2018 at UFC on Fox 29. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Moraga faced Deiveson Figueiredo on August 25, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 135. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.
On February 7, 2019, it was reported that Moraga was released from UFC.
Post-UFC career
Moraga is expected to face Hector Sandoval at ARES 2 on April 3, 2020. However, due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, the event was postponed until October 30, 2020.
Professional boxing career
Just before joining ranks of the UFC, Moraga made his professional boxing debut against Jose Marrufo, losing the bout via unanimous decision.
After he was released from the UFC in 2019, he continued with his boxing career by defeating Brandon Foss via technical knockout in the second round.
Championships and accomplishments
Amateur wrestling
- USA Wrestling
- University Freestyle All-American(2006–07)
- University Freestyle National Championship 133 lb: 6th place(2006–07)
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- Pac-10 Conference 125 lb: 4th place(2007)
- Pac-10 Conference 133 lb: 6th place(2004)
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Submission of the Night (one time)
- Performance of the Night (one time) vs. Magomed Bibulatov
- Rage in the Cage
- Rage in the Cage Bantamweight Crown (2012)
- Trilogy Championship Fighting
- Trilogy Championship Fighting Bantamweight Champion (2011)
- Sherdog
- 2013 All-Violence First Team
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 26 matches | 19 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 3 | 2 |
| By submission | 8 | 1 |
| By decision | 8 | 4 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 19–7 | Deiveson Figueiredo | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick | August 25, 2018 | 2 | 3:08 | Lincoln, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 19–6 | Wilson Reis | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje | April 14, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 18–6 | Magomed Bibulatov | KO (punch) | UFC 216 | October 7, 2017 | 1 | 1:38 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 17–6 | Ashkan Mokhtarian | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Hunt | June 11, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Loss | 16–6 | Sergio Pettis | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Penn | January 17, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 16–5 | Matheus Nicolau | Decision (split) | The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Cláudia Finale | July 8, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–4 | Joseph Benavidez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 187 | May 23, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 16–3 | Willie Gates | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on Fox: dos Santos vs. Miocic | December 13, 2014 | 3 | 4:06 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 15–3 | Justin Scoggins | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Jacare vs. Mousasi | September 5, 2014 | 2 | 0:47 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | |
| Loss | 14–3 | John Dodson | TKO (doctor stoppage) | UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov | June 7, 2014 | 2 | 5:00 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | |
| Win | 14–2 | Dustin Ortiz | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou | January 15, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Duluth, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 13–2 | Demetrious Johnson | Submission (armbar) | UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Moraga | July 27, 2013 | 5 | 3:43 | Seattle, Washington, United States | For the UFC Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–1 | Chris Cariaso | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 155 | December 29, 2012 | 3 | 1:11 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Submission of the Night. |
| Win | 12–1 | Ulysses Gomez | KO (elbows and punches) | UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera | August 4, 2012 | 1 | 3:46 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Flyweight debut. |
| Win | 11–1 | Jose Carbajal | Decision (unanimous) | Cage Rage: On the River 2 | July 7, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Parker, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 10–1 | Maurice Senters | Decision (unanimous) | Rage in the Cage 160 | June 22, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | Won the RITC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–1 | Matthew Garcia | Submission (armbar) | Coalition of Combat: The Bangers Ball | February 25, 2012 | 1 | 3:10 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Freddie Lux | Submission (guillotine choke) | Trilogy Championship Fighting: Rumble at the Ranch 2 | November 5, 2011 | 1 | 0:49 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Won the TCF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–1 | Nathaniel Baker | Submission (armbar) | Martinez Brothers Production: Sun City Battle | July 9, 2011 | 3 | 2:27 | El Paso, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 6–1 | John Dodson | Decision (unanimous) | Nemesis Fighting: MMA Global Invasion | December 11, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | |
| Win | 6–0 | Aldo Escudero | Decision (unanimous) | Rage in the Cage 143 | July 31, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Travis Halverson | Submission (guillotine choke) | Rage in the Cage 142 | June 26, 2010 | 1 | 1:17 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Pat Donovan | Submission (triangle choke) | Rage in the Cage 140 | March 20, 2010 | 2 | 1:12 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Evan Morton | Decision (unanimous) | Rage in the Cage 139 | February 13, 2010 | 3 | 3:00 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Al Decastro | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 138 | December 4, 2009 | 1 | 1:15 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Sam Shapiro | Decision (unanimous) | Rage in the Cage 136 | November 7, 2009 | 3 | 3:00 | Prescott Valley, Arizona, United States |
Professional boxing record
| Professional record summary | ||
| 2 fights | 1 win | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Win | 1–1 | Brandon Foss | TKO | 4 | 12 October 2019 | Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, Chandler, Arizona, US | ||
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Jose Marrufo | UD | 4 | 12 April 2012 | El Zaribah Shriners Auditorium, Phoenix, Arizona, US |