The former champion isn’t happy with the loss, believing that he won all three rounds against Moraes.
“He had some good 30 seconds in the beginning of the first round, a great start, and after that I dominated him,” Aldo told MMA Fighting. “I almost knocked him out with two combos, he got dizzy and closed the distance, I lost balance and ended up on bottom on the ground, but he only had 10 seconds left and did nothing. Everybody thinks he won the first round, but I can’t see that. Rounds two and three were clear for me. I was the only one landing in the second, and walked forward the entire time in the third, landing jabs and answering everything he tried to do. I don’t know how I lost this fight. I don’t know how anyone saw him winning. I think I won all rounds. I respect Marlon, but I can’t see this result.”
One judge scored the bout 29-28 for Aldo, but the remaining two judges saw it 29-28 for Moraes.
Aldo spent fifteen minutes in the Octagon with Moraes and the one thing the defeated Aldo knew was that Moraes was scared the whole time.
“We celebrated it as a win as soon as the third round was over,” Aldo said. “It’s so frustrating. You go on a diet, you do everything you have to do and this happens. You think about giving up, you think a million things. I knew I would win before it was over. When someone yelled there was a minute left I thought, ‘I won.’ (Moraes) has his history, but he ran from the fight. I could hear Anderson (Franca, Moraes’ muay thai coach) asking him to throw combinations, kicks, punches, to do something, and he did nothing. He just tried to throw something to keep me away from him, you know? He was scared, his eyes were different. The guy didn’t want to fight. Fans were booing and I was putting pressure the entire time. I don’t know how they came up with that result. I’m the most honest guy in the world. If I think I lost, like the (Alexander) Volkanovski fight, I’ll say I lost. But I don’t think I lost this fight.”
Everything may not be that bad for Aldo though, as UFC Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo says Aldo could be next in line for a title shot.
