Saturday is Moises’ tenth appearance inside the Octagon, and it feels like we still haven’t seen the best of the Brazilian lightweight.
Although he’s just 5-4 through his first nine starts, the 27-year-old already owns wins over Michael Johnson, Bobby Green, and Alexander Hernandez, while his setbacks have all come against quality competition, including current champ Islam Makhachev, top contender Beneil Dariush, Damir Ismagulov, and Joel Alvarez.
Last time out, Moises snapped a two-fight skid with a first-round submission win over Christos Giagos, climbing onto his back and locking up a rear-naked choke. It was a reminder of the deft grappling skills the American Top Team representative brings to the table, which gives him the potential to be a dark horse in the talent-rich 155-pound weight class.
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Originally scheduled to face Guram Kutateladze, Moises instead faces Melquizael Costa after Kutateladze was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons. The newcomer is 19-5 overall, riding a two-fight winning streak and has won seven of his last eight appearances, albeit against less seasoned competition.
This could very well turn into a showcase outing for Moises, who has crept into the rankings before and has the talent to do so again in the not-too-distant future. He’s a menace when he can dictate the terms of engagement and create grappling situations, and he should show that in Rio on Saturday night.
