UFC veteran Marlon Moraes floors man during Florida traffic stop in viral bodycam footage

Former UFC bantamweight title contender Marlon Moraes put his martial arts background to use on the job in South Florida on March 27, when bodycam footage captured him flooring a confrontational man during a routine traffic stop — footage that went viral days after his MMA comeback win in Brazil.

The video shows the man growing aggressive toward Moraes, calling him a “b*tch” and threatening to fight him. Moraes issued a clear warning not to take another step in his direction. When the man did exactly that, Moraes dropped him immediately.

The incident took place months before Moraes made his return to competitive MMA on August 28, winning a decision against Maximiliano Perez in the main event of Liga Monstro Combate in Brazil. The win snapped a seven-fight losing skid and marked his first victory since stepping away from the sport in 2023 with a professional record of 23-13-1.

Moraes, a former World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion, spent years as one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC’s 135-pound division, challenging for the title before a string of defeats led to his departure from the sport.

Despite the lengthy absence and difficult run of results, Moraes told MMA Fighting he does not consider himself retired and is actively seeking a deal to compete again in the United States.