Record: 9-2
Age: 28
Weight class: Flyweight
Height: 5’8″
Birthplace: U.S.
Next Fight: Friday vs. Shameek Harvey (7-1) at Fury FC 87 in Houston (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Paris Moran is 28, but his journey in combat sports is already two decades long. At 6, his father put him taekwondo. He hated it – as he did most sports. And like other sports, taekwondo was not an athletic activity he excelled in. In 2007, along came jiu-jitsu, and eventually things changed. For the first time, the long-haired gamer found the sport that pulled him out of his shell. His parents divorced, and Paris found jiu-jitsu classes as the perfect father-son bonding opportunity – an added bonus. Two years of jiu-jitsu later, Moran joined high school wrestling. Then came striking. His striking took off. He became a seven-time national champion in sanshou karate (wushu). Next scene, Moran was competing in Russia, China, Costa Rica, Taiwan – you name it. A national champion had become Mr. Worldwide.
The skinny: Moran built up a pretty impressive resume before he was matched up with Joshua Van in 2022. In a fight that seemed like a sure-thing big-league tryout of sorts, Moran was finished by the youngster Van. Months later, Van was signed to the UFC. But Moran had to go back to the drawing board. It was a crushing loss in the days that followed, but Moran got back on the horse. He quit his job and went full-time into MMA. It’s his sole focus now. The lifestyle change led to confidence and improvements. Moran also added weekly sessions at Yves Edwards, training alongside UFC flyweight contender Matt Schnell, Adrian Yanez, Raufeon Stots and others. And look at where Van is now: In the UFC with three wins under his belt. Many think Van will be a UFC contender, so the loss has aged well. Since it, Moran is 2-0. Always in need of flyweights, Moran should be on the UFC call-up list or a shoo-in for Dana White’s Contender Series with another win.
In his own words: “If you look at my resume, it’s always tough people that I fought. The good thing about this camp is that I have nothing else in life outside of camp to really distract me. The last fight, the title fight, I just felt the odds were against me, not in the sense of technical-wise, but I was just being challenged with outside life and things going on. I’ve been able to make those changes and adjustments to make sure I have a much more smoother camp.”
“… 2024 for me, is about getting to the UFC and getting paid. That’s what it’s really about. I’m trying to have my breakthrough year and have stellar performances and get the money I’m deserved. … (Getting to the UFC) means everything to me and for my family – for my girlfriend, for my mom, for my dad. It’s a better life for everybody around me. I just need to get the money and get paid. That’s what literally drives me. It’s not going to weigh too heavily on me. I’m not going to put too much pressure on me. I know if I perform to my ability and strive for excellence that the money is going to come.”
This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie