Marlon Moraes wishes he was fighting for the UFC bantamweight title this weekend instead of a No. 1 contender’s match, but he’s not crying over what he didn’t get.

The former World Series of Fighting champion has been on a remarkable tear through his past three fights in the UFC, including two brutal knockouts against Aljamain Sterling and Jimmie Rivera.

Those kinds of performances used to be all it took to get a shot at the champion, but current bantamweight king TJ Dillashaw opted for a fight at 125 pounds instead as he sought the opportunity to win the flyweight title as well.

Dillashaw, however, suffered a 32-second knockout to Henry Cejudo and the rest of the bantamweight division now anxiously awaits his return.

That obviously includes Moraes, but he’s not losing sight of what’s directly in front of him as he faces Raphael Assuncao in the main event at UFC Fight Night 144 from Fortaleza, Brazil on Saturday night.

If Moraes wasn’t getting the title shot, this was the next best option, because Assuncao is 11-1 as a bantamweight, he holds a win over Dillashaw, and the veteran contender also happens to be the only person he’s lost to in more than eight years.

“We’re fighting for No. 1 contender and we’re going to decide who deserves to be there and who deserves to fight for the title,” Moraes told FloCombat about his upcoming fight.

“I don’t want to make big excuses but [Assuncao] was my first fight [in the UFC]. I can perform better. That day, I thought I performed. I thought I did the best but I know I can do way more and I’ve been doing way more since that fight. Everything is going great. I can’t wait for Feb. 2. Go out there and be the best Marlon Moraes.”

The loss to Assuncao was frustrating for Moraes, but it also set him on his current course on the course he’s been on lately with some of the most electrifying performances in the entire bantamweight division.

He also learned a valuable lesson about his opponent back in 2017 during their first meeting that Moraes has held onto ever since as a reminder what happens when a razor-close fight goes to the judges’ scorecards.

“We can’t leave it in the hands of the judges,” Moraes said. “We never know what they think or what they see so we can’t let that happen. We’ve got to go out there and be dominating. I’ve got to dominate.

“Assuncao knows how to edge guys and he knows how to win decisions. I’m going out there to make a statement and to prove to everybody that I’m the No. 1 contender.”

As much as Moraes knows a win of any kind should solidify his spot as the fighter most deserving of a title shot, he understands that’s not always how the game is played.

A boring, split decision probably won’t do much to sway the hearts and minds of the decision makers at the UFC that he should leapfrog a rematch between Dillashaw and Cejudo at 135 pounds.

On the other hand, if Moraes can go out and assassinate Assuncao like he’s done to his past two opponents, then that lets the UFC matchmakers — and perhaps more importantly, the reigning bantamweight champion — know that somebody even more dangerous is coming for him.

“I want to perform. I want to do it well and I want to do it my way. I want to make my statement and surprise everybody,” Moraes said.  

“I want to show to people what they’ve never seen before and that’s how I’m going to send my message to TJ Dillashaw.”