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Thiago Moisés | The Best Is Yet To Come
Veteran Lightweight Thiago Moisés Feels He's Still Approaching His Prime Heading Into His 14th UFC Fight At UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2
Ponce de Leon may not have found the Fountain of Youth in Florida, but someone did, and that someone is lightweight veteran Thiago Moises, who has seemingly been in the UFC forever, but is still more than two months away from his 30th birthday.
“I got into UFC so young,” he said. “I was 23, so it looks like forever and I'm glad that I'm still young. I have a lot of experience, so that's a good thing, and I'm going to turn 30 in March. I’m getting old.”
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I’ll believe it when I see it, as it seems like Moises has been turning 30 for five years now. And he did move back to Florida after a brief 2024 spell in his native Brazil, so maybe that Fountain of Youth thing will be kicking in.
“I hope so,” laughs Moises, who will have the last fight of his 20s when he meets Trey Ogden this Saturday in Las Vegas. He plans on fighting like a young kid south of 30 at the APEX, one who may not even be at his peak yet.
Thiago Moisés Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2
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Thiago Moisés Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2
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“I have been there against the best fighters in the world, and I still have a lot to grow,” he said. “I'm not in my prime yet. I'm still getting better every day, and every day I'm trying to get better, not just technically, but also physically and mentally. So yeah, that's a good thing because when everything comes together - my experience and my prime - and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to hold the belt someday in the future.”
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Moises has that potential. After earning his UFC contract with a knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, he’s been in with a host of the lightweight division’s best and if he didn’t win, he’s held his own, as he did in 2021 main event with current 155-pound boss Islam Makhachev. Moises went into the fourth round with the future champion, and he also holds wins over Alexander Hernandez, Bobby Green and Michael Johnson. And though 2024 saw him lose his lone fight of the year via decision to Ludovit Klein, he found the positives in the last 12 months.
“Actually, 2024 was a good year,” he said. “I grew a lot as a person and also as a fighter. And that's how I try to live: be happy every day, and don't stress about anything. Just be happy with my family and focus on the things that matter. That is my family, them being well, and that's the most important thing for me. And I'm very excited for this year also because I'm going to start the year with a fight, which is very good, and which means that I'm going to have a lot of time to fight three or four times next year and be back in the Top 15. That's my goal for the year.”
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That’s the confidence of a veteran, regardless of age. But despite that confidence, Moises admits that to be at his best, he’s got to have some butterflies in his stomach before he makes the walk.
“Of course, I do,” said Moises when asked if he still get nerves. “But it’s nothing compared to the beginning. I remember in the beginning I did my debut against Beneil Dariush. I think it was the most nervous that I felt in my life. I was so nervous before that fight. But right now, I feel really, really good. It feels like home. And the fights that I do best in are the fights when I’m the most nervous. Sometimes I don't feel anything. No anxiety, no feelings. That's not good. So it's good to feel a little bit nervous.”
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2 took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 11, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!