John Moraga Says He Isn’t Letting The Pressure Get To Him

In an interview with MMA Junkie, UFC flyweight John Moraga (16-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) spoke about how he is using the pressure on him to motivate him as he heads into UFC Fight Night 103. He will fight Sergio Pettis (14-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the main card opener. The event happens tomorrow at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The main card airs on FOX Sports 1 after preliminary fights on UFC Fight Pass. Here are highlights:

On criticism that Pettis is inconsistent: “This is the fight game. You can call it inconsistent, but this is what we do. (Losses have) happened to me. I’m not overlooking him at all. I know he’s tough – he’s well-rounded, he’s good everywhere, but so am I … so let’s go.”

On the pressure he faces: “The pressure’s on me in a sense, but I don’t let it get to me. I feel like I actually perform best when I’m under pressure. My back’s been against the wall, even before I got to the UFC. I was never supposed to get here, and I was never supposed to stay here, so let’s do it. The motivation is in my losses. One thing I didn’t like about my last fight (against Nicolau) is I didn’t pull the trigger enough. That was the first time I felt like maybe I didn’t leave it all in there. I stay up at night kicking myself in the reat, and that’s enough motivation for me.”