Marlon Moraes’ decision to retire at PFL 4 was a true reflection of his fighting style. During a press conference in Atlanta, Moraes stated that he had given his all and had no regrets. Unfortunately, he was defeated in the first round by Gabriel Vargas, which marked his seventh successive loss.

The former WSOF champion had initially retired in March 2022 after being knocked out by Song Yadong in his final UFC match, but made a return to PFL to compete. Regrettably, Moraes closed out his MMA career with a record of 0-3.

Before the fight with Vargas, Moraes was aware that if he lost, his career would be over. Nevertheless, he had no doubt he would give it his all and be prepared to win. “I just thank God for everything that I have,” Moraes said.  “Of course I made mistakes, I paid for them, but those were my mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes but one thing I never did is I never feared a challenge.”

Moraes has fought in 37 professional fights, winning 23, losing 13, and drawing once. During his career, he earned a UFC bantamweight title match against Henry Cejudo at UFC 239 in June 2019, which coincided with his last professional fight in June 2023.

Moraes was an exciting fighter with an aggressive style that kept the audience on the edge of their seat. He was fearless and dangerous, and all his opponents were worried when matched against him. Moraes admitted that his most thrilling win was in December 2017 against the current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling when he had knocked him out in just 67 seconds during the UFC Fight Night 123. 

The most significant takeaway from Moraes’ legacy is that he gave everything to his career and never held back. He was not afraid to make mistakes but never feared a challenge. Moraes was honest, and he was one of the most exciting fighters in the MMA sport. His legacy will be remembered positively, and his kill-or-be-killed style will be missed.