Thiago Moises was all class in the wake of his main event loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC on ESPN 26.
Moises (15-5 MMA, 4-3 UFC) came into Saturday’s lightweight headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a big opportunity to derail one of the hottest names in the weight class in Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC).
The Brazilian was pegged as a massive betting underdog but entered the contest confident he had answers to Makhachev’s skillset. It didn’t play out that way, however, because Moises was caught a fight-ending rear-naked choke in Round 4.
Moises was having trouble finding effective offense prior to the finish, but he walked away from the octagon with his head held high. In a statement posted on social media, Moises wrote he had “no excuses” for the outcome and vowed to come back stronger (via Instagram):
I accepted the challenge and if I didn’t take the victory, I have a thousand more reasons to go on and seek the top!
Thank you all SO much for the incredible support. I’m proof we could put on a show for you tonight.
Islam is an amazing fighter, and he was the best guy tonight. No excuses, we keep improving. I’m only 26 years old, I have a lot of time to be in my prime, but fighting is in my blood and I won’t stop.
I’m still a winner because I have a great family, a great team, great fansand I’m able to do what I love.
I’m the proof that: if you work hard and follow your dreams, everything is possible.
Thank you UFC, I’ll see you all soon!
Moises’ loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for him, which came against some reputable names at 155 pounds in Alexander Hernandez, Bobby Green and Michael Johnson.
Makhachev proved to be on a different level to those men, though, because he wore Moises down over the first three rounds and created the opening to finish the job in the fourth.
With a hard lesson learned, Moises appears eager to return to American Top Team in Florida and resume training toward a bounce back performance in his next outing.
Thiago Moises makes no excuses for UFC on ESPN 26 loss: ‘Islam is an amazing fighter’
