Filed under: News, UFC

When UFC flyweight John Moraga knocked out Magomed Bibulatov at UFC 216 with a thunderous left hook, he was purging months – and perhaps years – of dissatisfaction.

When the referee pulled him off Bibulatov (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a 6-1 betting favorite, all of those feelings came bubbling to the surface. But rather than scream or cry, Moraga (18-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) just slumped against the fence. He was too overwhelmed to emote.

“I’ve been at this for a while, man, and it just hasn’t seemed like it’s been paying off,” Moraga this week told MMAjunkie Radio. “It has been, but at the same time, it really hasn’t. It hasn’t been what I’ve needed it to be, so it was just a big win for my career.”

Moraga made his UFC debut five years ago, when the promotion’s flyweight division was new. It was years before Demetrious Johnson secured an iron grip on the weight class and became its highest-paid fighter. When Moraga secured a title shot against Johnson just two fights into his UFC career, he was guaranteed $17,000 for the opportunity. Then he was submitted in the fifth round.

The paycheck he earned for that fight dwindled his next time out. Then he lost to one-time title challenger John Dodson. He managed to win his next two fights only to lose three straight, endangering his UFC job.

So when people ask now about when he’d like a title shot, Moraga can’t help but remember what happened after he lost to Johnson, who headlined this past Saturday’s pay-per-view event with a record-breaking win over Ray Borg.

“The only bad thing from a business standpoint: I didn’t have a great experience,” Moraga said. “I fought the guy for $17,000. So after that, and you lose, it’s a rough road back.

“So right now, I’ll just be content getting some more wins and stacking my money a little bit. And if the opportunity should come up quick, I’m never one to turn anything down.”

Moraga recently signed a new UFC deal. He indicated the contract didn’t secure his financial future any better than his previous one. After a trio of losses, he had little leverage.

“I was in no position to re-negotiate for myself a whole lot, so I just kind of took what they gave me,” he said.

So if it’s up to him right now, he would like to fight opponents that bring two things: Wins and steps up that ascending pyramid of paydays.

“If I could choose, yeah, I want the easiest opponents,” Moraga said. “I want to get more money and fight the easier opponents, get some highlights, raise my spots a little bit, and then fight the top guys for more money and make it worth it, because I fought them all for pennies, basically. I just made bad business decisions.”

Before he agreed to fight Bibulatov, Moraga explored the idea of moving up to bantamweight, simply so he could rack up a few more wins in a division with more elbow room. Then he’d have more experience – and a little more money in his pocket – for a rematch with Johnson.

At this point in his career, though, Moraga’s main concern is to “get things going in the right direction.” He is more confident in his skills with more UFC fights and more top-level training under his belt. He won’t hesitate to fight Johnson again.

As impressive as the champ is, Moraga said Johnson’s had some favorable circumstances during his reign.

“First of all, he’s an impressive fighter, and then on top of that … they keep throwing people that are not ready to fight him,” Moraga said. “I think that’s helping him, too.”

Moraga used to be one of those guys – a little over his head on the business side of the sport and a little uncertain of his abilities. He found out what happened when you get rushed too quickly in the sport. And now, he’s trying to make sure that the next time around, he’s as ready as can be.

For complete coverage of UFC 216, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

Filed under: News, UFC