Every round, every session working with the cadre of champions, contenders, and steady veteran hands that assemble in the American Top Team facility each day is surely challenging, but they have also instilled a different level of confidence in Moises than one gets when you aren’t necessarily exposed to the work ethic, dedication, and commitment exhibited by fighters like Poirier on a daily basis.
“I’ve been competing my whole life,” continued Moises, who started training in jiu-jitsu at the age of eight. “I was 17 and sparring guys like Gleison Tibau, Dustin Poirier — big UFC fighters — so it’s a lot of experience.
“I grew up surviving in this jungle day-by-day.”
That training environment and his tandem victories in 2020 have the Brazilian chomping at the bit to get back into the Octagon to begin his 2021 campaign, one that he hopes affords him multiple opportunities to compete and enough victories to have a number next to his name by the time Christmas rolls around once more.
“I want to have four fights this year, and I want to be in the Top 10 by the end of the year,” he offered.
Both are lofty goals and the same hopeful ambitions shared by many of his contemporaries, likely including his opponent on Saturday night, Hernandez, who rebounded from a first-round stoppage loss in his first appearance of 2020 with a similar result in his favor late in the year.
But with a pair of quality wins over veteran competitors under his belt from last year and a victory over the highly regarded Hernandez in his sights, the confident Brazilian is ready to take another step forward in his career and show people what he’s capable of inside the Octagon.
“I’m young, but I’ve been in this game for a few years. I know my potential and I know what I can do.
“I know that I’m one of the best fighters in the world, and I’m going to prove that fight-by-fight.”