This Month’s MMA Birthdays: Marlon Moraes Turns 30

Brian KnappApr 03, 2018

It has not taken long for Marlon Moraes to make his presence known in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s bantamweight division. The former World Series of Fighting champion will celebrate his 30th birthday on April 26.

Moraes has gone 2-1 since joining the UFC roster in 2017 and become a clear-and-present danger to the rest of the 135-pound weight class. He followed a controversial decision loss to Raphael Assuncao by outpointing John Lineker across three rounds and then vaporizing Aljamain Sterling in a devastating knee-strike knockout. Moraes’ next assignment carries with it probable title implications, as he collides with Jimmie Rivera -- he of the 20-fight winning streak -- in the UFC Fight Night 131 main event on June 1 at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. Whoever emerges victorious will stake his claim as a potential No. 1 contender for the bantamweight championship.

Others in MMA celebrating a birthday during the month of April:

APRIL 1

Vitor Belfort (41), Jeremy Spoon (33), Derek Campos (30), Ramsey Nijem (30)

APRIL 2

Luiz Cane (37), Cole Konrad (34), Yi Sak Kim (32), Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (28), Benedict Ang (22)

APRIL 3

Chael Sonnen (41), Kazunori Yokota (40), Travis Reddinger (36), Su Noto (33)

APRIL 4

Ray Mercer (57), Stephan Bonnar (41), Rafael Cavalcante (38), Brian Foster (34), Riku Shibuya (33), Ruben Esparza (30)

APRIL 5

James Wilks (40), Benji Radach (39), Nicholas Musoke (32), Jianbing Yang (34)

APRIL 6

Marcus Brimage (33), Geje Eustaquio (29), Doo Ho Choi (27), Benito Lopez (24)

APRIL 7

Paul Creighton (48), David Baggett (38), Russ Miura (37), Michael Page (31), A.J. McKee (23)

APRIL 8

Ovince St. Preux (35), Andrew Sanchez (30), Milana Dudieva (29), Manny Lozoya (29), Taylor Lapilus (26)

APRIL 9

Bernard Ackah (46), Phil Harris (35), Andrew McInnes (33), Katharina Lehner (28)

APRIL 10

Luis Alberto Nogueira (36), Sakae Kasuya (35), Michal Materla (34), Shinji Maeguchi (33), James Moontasri (30)

APRIL 11

Gary Quan (47), Arlene Blencowe (35), Krasimir Mladenov (32), Kailin Curran (27)

APRIL 12

Nobuhiko Takada (56), Roman Savochka (40), Gilbert Melendez (36), Robert Whiteford (35), Brent Primus (33), Tiago dos Santos e Silva (31), Rick Glenn (29)

APRIL 13

Emi Tomimatsu (36), Ben Saunders (35), Mehdi Baghdad (33), Yuko Oya (31), Justine Kish (30)

APRIL 14

Ebenezer Fontes Braga (49), Anderson Silva (43), Jessica Rakoczy (41), Anthony Hamilton (38), Jussier da Silva (33)

APRIL 15

Enson Inoue (51), Kenichi Hattori (40), Leonardo Guimaraes (36), Magomed Saadulaev (34), Gabrielle Holloway (28)

APRIL 16

Jason Norwood (34), Nate Diaz (33), Pat Audinwood (32), Alexandre Pantoja (28), April Osenio (24)

APRIL 17

Benjamin Smith (38), Martin Kampmann (36), Tyron Woodley (36), Siyar Bahadurzada (34)

APRIL 18

Jan Finney (38), Ion Pascu (36), Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (34), Yanan Wu (22)

APRIL 19

Thomas Denny (47), Dokonjonosuke Mishima (46), Zach Makovsky (35), Farkhad Sharipov (34), Kelli Gottardo (31), Pascal Krauss (31)

APRIL 20

Dean Storey (50), Sheila Bird (42), Moise Rimbon (41), Daiju Takase (41), Nate Marquardt (39), Tyson Griffin (34)

APRIL 21

Kajan Johnson (34), Ronny Markes (30), Alex Oliveira (30), Adriano Moraes (29)

APRIL 22

Eric Schambari (40), Alonzo Martinez (34), Lena Ovchynnikova (31), Jerome Rivera (23)

APRIL 23

Josh Bryant (38), Diego Saraiva (36), Sam Stout (34), Khonry Gracie (21)

APRIL 24

Marcio Cruz (40), Achmed Labasanov (40), Cosmo Alexandre (36), Shoji Maruyama (35), Alan Belcher (34), Germaine de Randamie (34), Nick Hein (34), Michael Chandler (32)

APRIL 25

Kazuo Misaki (42), Alexandre Ferreira (39), Clifford Starks (37), LaRue Burley (34), Paul Felder (33), T.J. Waldburger (30), Enrique Barzola (29), Leonardo Mafra Texeira (29)

APRIL 26

David Abbott (53), Megumi Fujii (44), Carlos Condit (34), Cole Miller (34), Bartosz Fabinski (32), Marlon Moraes (30)

APRIL 27

Paul Cressaty (47), Luke Cummo (38), Sijara Eubanks (33), Justin Wren (31)

APRIL 28

Billy Miles (40), Leopoldo Serao (39), Takasuke Kume (33), Jonavin Webb (29)

APRIL 29

Raymond Daniels (38), Tim Gorman (35), Valerie Letourneau (35), Dustin Hazelett (32)

APRIL 30

Jeff Joslin (43), Yoel Romero (41), Jimmy Yabo (37), Al Iaquinta (31), Kinberly Tanaka Novaes (27), Smealinho Rama (26)