Quickly approaching the seven-year anniversary of his professional debut, Moises got a difficult assignment for his first foray into the UFC cage, jumping in on short notice to take on former Top 10 lightweight Beneil Dariush.
While he came away on the wrong side of the results, Moises impressed with his ability to hang with Dariush on the ground and go all three rounds with the Kings MMA product. Now the 24-year-old heads to Rio for a full camp assignment against Kurt Holobaugh in a bout that is a legitimate Fight of the Night candidate.
Moises went 6-1 over the seven bouts prior to his UFC debut, scoring victories over Jamall Emmers and Zach Freeman, as well as registering an impressive first-round stoppage win over Gleidson Cutis on the all-Brazilian incarnation of the Contender Series last summer to secure entry into the Octagon. He is an outstanding grappler and a tough guy to put away, which makes him a dangerous matchup for just about anyone looking to climb the lightweight ladder at his expense.
Holobaugh comes in on a two-fight skid, but has shown flashes of brilliance in both contests. He was neck-and-neck with Raoni Barcelos in his return to the Octagon last summer and floored Shane Burgos in the early stages of their clash at UFC 230 before getting subbed out by the ascending featherweight.
Moises will need to mind his Ps and Qs against the dangerous veteran who surely feels backed into a corner, but this should be a much more favorable matchup than facing Dariush on short notice and a prime opportunity to get a more complete look at what the Brazilian grappler brings to the table going forward.
