Marlon Moraes Replaces Rani Yahya, Meets Aljamain Sterling at UFC Fight Night 123

Marlon Moraes will make a quick turnaround for his third Octagon appearance, as he has will step in for the injured Rani Yahya against Aljamain Sterling at UFC Fight Night 123.

Sterling announced the new matchup via social media and the bantamweight pairing has since been confirmed by multiple outlets. UFC Fight Night 123 takes place at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., on Dec. 9 and is headlined by a featherweight duel between Cub Swanson and Brian Ortega.

Moraes is coming off a split-decision win over John Dodson at UFC Fight Night 120 on Nov. 11. The former World Series of Fighting champion had a closely contested bout in his Octagon debut as well, falling to Raphael Assuncao via split decision. That defeat ended a 13-fight winning streak for the 29-year-old Brazilian.

Sterling, meanwhile, has posted back-to-back decision triumphs over Renan Barao and Augusto Mendes to improve to 6-2 during his UFC tenure.

The only Marlon that matters is a Wayans’ Brother and no “Magic” is gonna change that!
•#FUCKJIMMY #UFCFresno #PIWCO #FunkJitsu #StrongIsland pic.twitter.com/7wQ4SEAG69

— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) November 17, 2017