Fighting for the first time in over a year, Font didn’t just remind everyone why he’s one to watch at bantamweight, he announced himself as a legitimate title contender with a first-round TKO of Marlon Moraes at UFC Vegas 17.
Immediately after, Font mentioned former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw as a potential opponent for 2021 and he elaborated on the callout at the Saturday’s post-fight press conference.
“I would love to fight that guy,” Font said. “He’s an ex-champ. Big name, huge name. If I don’t get that fight, I just would love to headline a card. I want someone big, either a big name, some type of headline, I would even fill in for the champ, we’ll figure something out.”
Font, who made his UFC debut in 2014, has yet to headline a show for the promotion despite compiling a strong 7-3 record heading into Saturday. Injuries have cost Font time and his most recent layoff was due to surgery on his knee that led to a lengthy period of rehabilitation.
Dillashaw has also been out of action for some time, though his absence was due to a positive test for the banned substance EPO that resulted in Dillashaw receiving a two-year ban from competition. He was also stripped of the UFC bantamweight title. On Saturday, his name was called out by both Font and Jose Aldo.
Though he doesn’t have the name recognition of Aldo, Font can at least make a case that his finish of Moraes was more impressive than Aldo’s decision win over Marlon Vera. It was an outcome that Font predicted, even if it happened earlier than expected.
“It went the way I planned, I just figured it would happen in the second round” Font said of his TKO victory. “I figured it would be a rough first round either on the ground or standing, but after that I felt like I was gonna be able to push forward and get the finish in the second round.”
Font has aspirations beyond just adding a former champion to his list. He wants a win that will propel him into a matchup with whoever holds the bantamweight title next year, whether it be current champion Petr Yan or someone else.
Ideally, he sees himself and teammate Calvin Kattar being in a position to bring UFC belts back to New England.
“2021, Calvin Kattar and myself will be fighting for the title,” Font said.
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