Rivalries: Rob Font

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Rob Font appears to be closing in on a shot at the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title. Now, an all-time great stands in his way.

Font will meet future hall of famer Jose Aldo in the UFC on ESPN 31 headliner this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where another victory—particularly a decisive one—would move him another step closer to his desired goal. The former CES MMA champion enters the Octagon with the wind of a four-fight winning streak in his sails. Font last appeared on May 22, when he took a five-round unanimous decision from Cody Garbrandt in their UFC Fight Night 188 main event.

As Font moves ever closer to his confrontation with Aldo, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

John Lineker

“Hands of Stone” utilized sweeping punches to the head and body, brutal leg kicks and overwhelming pressure in claiming a unanimous decision from Font in their UFC 198 prelim on May 14, 2016 at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. All three cageside judges saw it for Lineker: 30-27, 29-28 and 30-26. Font entered the cage on an 11-fight winning streak but was not yet ready for such a significant jump in competition. Lineker uncorked winging punches upstairs while successfully targeting the body and legs. Before long, Font was in survival mode, either unwilling or unable to let his hands go. Needing a finish entering the third round, the promising Team Sityodtong export instead found himself in front of an even more aggressive Lineker. The Brazilian was relentless in the closing minutes, forcing Font to retreat to his back on more than one occasion. He found no refuge there, as Lineker met him with short punches, elbows and clubbing hammerfists.

Raphael Assuncao

The World Extreme Cagefighting veteran was a step ahead on the feet and on the ground, as he took a unanimous decision from Font in a three-round UFC 226 undercard pairing on July 7, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three judges arrived at the same verdict, casting 30-27 scorecards for Assuncao. Font ran into difficulty from the start. Assuncao sat down his counterpart with a clean one-two inside the first five minutes and continued to build his lead. He popped Font with leg kicks and sneaky counters while incorporating takedowns in the second and third rounds. Once in top position, the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt cut loose with punches, elbows and forearm strikes. Font grew more and more tentative as the fight progressed, becoming less and less of a factor as a result. His pathway to the bantamweight elite was shut—at least for the time being.

Sergio Pettis

Font laid claim to a unanimous decision over the fast-rising Duke Roufus protege in a three-round UFC on Fox 31 bantamweight feature on Dec. 15, 2018 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The former CES MMA champion swept the scorecards with identical 30-27 marks from all three judges. Pettis was unsuccessful in his return to the 135-pound weight class. Font punished him with the jab, mixed in well-timed takedowns paired with ground-and-pound and even threatened him with a kimura in the second round. At a distinct size and reach disadvantage, Pettis struggled to close the distance and was met with significant resistance whenever he moved forward. The win has aged well with time. Pettis later signed with the Bellator MMA organization and now reigns over its bantamweight division.

Marlon Moraes

Font cut down the American Top Team export with punches in the first round of their hotly anticipated UFC Fight Night 183 bantamweight feature on Dec. 19, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The curtain was drawn 3:47 into Round 1. Moraes surprised the New England Cartel founder with two early takedowns and an attempted guillotine choke, but the former World Series of Fighting champion failed to consolidate his efforts with positional control or ground-and-pound. Back on his feet, Font went to work. A stiff jab drove Moraes backward, and a right uppercut marked the beginning of the end. The Brazilian staggered and collapsed, at which point he was met with a hellacious barrage of punches and hammerfists. Referee Marc Goddard gave Moraes every chance to recover, but Font offered no such refuge.