| Michael Morales | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Jonathan Morales Hurtado[1] June 24, 1999 Pasaje, El Oro, Ecuador |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Division | Welterweight |
| Reach | 79 in (201 cm)[2] |
| Fighting out of | Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico |
| Team | Xtreme Fitness Machala Entram Gym |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 16 |
| Wins | 16 |
| By knockout | 11 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Michael Jonathan Morales Hurtado (born June 24, 1999) is an Ecuadorian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Background
Michael Morales was born in 1999 in Pasaje, El Oro, Ecuador. He is the son of judokas, a discipline he has been practicing since he was 5 years old, where his mother was his first coach. At the age of 10, he switched from judo to wrestling, where he won several youth tournaments. At the age of 14, his father took him to Víctor Vallejo's academy in Machala, where he began to practice mixed martial arts.[3]
Mixed martial arts career
Early carrer
While fully focusing on MMA, he juggled a job at a naval boat factory.[3]
In 2021, he began his journey through Mexico, arriving in Tijuana to train at Entram Gym.[4] On March 29, 2021, he signed a contract with Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC).[5]
Dana White's Contender Series
On September 21, 2021, Morales faced Nikolay Veretennikov for a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series: Season 5, Week 4. Morales earned the contract by defeating Veretennikov via unanimous decision.[6]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Morales made his UFC debut on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270.[7] Facing Trevin Giles. He won the fight by TKO in the first round.[8]
Morales was scheduled to face Ramiz Brahimaj at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022.[9] However, Brahimaj was forced to withdraw from the event in mid-July due to an undisclosed injury.[10] He was replaced by Adam Fugitt.[11] He won the fight by TKO in the third round.[12]
Morales was scheduled to face Rinat Fakhretdinov on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland.[13] However, Morales withdrew due to a toe fracture.[14]
Morales faced Max Griffin on July 1, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 48.[15] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[16]
Morales faced Jake Matthews on November 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 232.[17] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[18]
Mixed martial arts record
| 16 matches | 16 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 16–0 | Jake Matthews | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Craig | November 18, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 15–0 | Max Griffin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov | July 1, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–0 | Adam Fugitt | TKO (punches) | UFC 277 | July 30, 2022 | 3 | 1:09 | Dallas, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 13–0 | Trevin Giles | TKO (punches) | UFC 270 | January 22, 2022 | 1 | 4:06 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 12–0 | Nikolay Veretennikov | Decision (unanimous) | Dana White's Contender Series 40 | September 21, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–0 | Miguel Arizmendi | TKO (punches) | UWC 26 | April 30, 2021 | 2 | 4:02 | Tijuana, Mexico | |
| Win | 10–0 | Ricardo Centeno | KO (punch) | Extreme MMA 17 | October 3, 2020 | 1 | 4:45 | Quito, Ecuador | |
| Win | 9–0 | Daniel Luigy Bastidas | TKO (doctor Stoppage) | Extreme MMA 16 | August 1, 2020 | 1 | 2:01 | Guayaquil, Ecuador | |
| Win | 8–0 | Mario Navarrete | TKO (punches) | Barbarians Fighting League 5: Machala | February 12, 2020 | 2 | 2:45 | Machala, Ecuador | |
| Win | 7–0 | Gregoris Cisneros | Submission (triangle choke) | Barbarians Fighting League 4: Cuenca | December 14, 2019 | 1 | 1:58 | Cuenca, Ecuador | |
| Win | 6–0 | Erick Zambrano | TKO (punches) | Pasaje Combat 1 | November 8, 2019 | 1 | 1:55 | Pasaje, Ecuador | Return to welterweight. |
| Win | 5–0 | Mathias Salazar | TKO (punches) | Manaba Top Team 2 | September 6, 2019 | 1 | 1:40 | El Guabo, Ecuador | Lightweight bout. |
| Win | 4–0 | Óscar Ravello | TKO (corner stoppage) | Fusion Fighting Championship 39 | July 17, 2019 | 2 | 5:00 | Lima, Peru | Welterweight bout. |
| Win | 3–0 | Leonardo Blasco | Decision (unanimous) | Troncal Fighting Championship 2 | December 8, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | La Troncal, Ecuador | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Álvaro Vacacela Guerrero | TKO (doctor stoppage) | Oro Fighting Championship 5 | March 24, 2018 | 1 | 5:00 | Santa Rosa, Ecuador | |
| Win | 1–0 | Álvaro Vacacela Guerrero | TKO (punches) | Oro Fighting Championship 4 | August 19, 2017 | 2 | 3:15 | Pasaje, Ecuador | Welterweight debut. |
See also
References
- ^ "Pan-Am Championships 2019 - Juniors". FloWrestling. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
- ^ "Michael Morales". Tapology.
- ^ a b "Michael Morales: "Empecé a practicar artes marciales mixtas por curiosidad"". primicias.ec. 2022-02-20.
- ^ "Michael Morales: ¿Quién es la nueva promesa ecuatoriana que hace historia en la UFC?". vistazo.com. 2023-10-20.
- ^ "Michael Morales debutará el 22 de enero en la cartelera estelar de la UFC". primicias.ec. 2022-01-09.
- ^ "Michael Morales gana y consigue el contrato para pelear en la UFC". primicias.ec. 2021-09-21.
- ^ Dorff, Marcel (2021-10-12). "Michael Morales treft Trevin Giles tijdens UFC 270 op 22 januari". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-01-22). "UFC 270: Michael Morales Stays Perfect with TKO Finish of Trevin Giles". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
- ^ Steve Duncan (2022-05-11). "Michael Morales vs. Ramiz Brahimaj added to UFC 277". mma.uno. Retrieved 2022-07-20. (in Spanish)
- ^ Nolan King (2022-07-18). "UFC 277 hit with multitude of withdrawals. Here's where the card stands less than two weeks away". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Steve Duncan (2022-07-21). "With Brahimaj injured, Adam Fugitt faces Michael Morales at UFC 277". mma.uno. Retrieved 2022-07-21. (in Spanish)
- ^ "Michael Morales derrota a Adam Fugitt por nocaut y mantiene su invicto". primicias.ec. 2022-07-30.
- ^ Nolan King (2022-10-03). "Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Sept. 26-Oct. 2)". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
- ^ Danny Segura (2022-11-30). "Unbeaten Michael Morales injured, out of UFC Fight Night 216 vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
- ^ "Fuentes: UFC pacta Morales-Griffin en julio". ESPNdeportes.com (in Spanish). 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Magomedov Results | Winner Interviews, Highlights And More From Las Vegas". www.ufcespanol.com (in Spanish). 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
- ^ Desk, ITN News (2023-09-22). "Michael Morales vs Jake Matthews Reported at UFC November 18". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-11-19). "Michael Morales Stays Undefeated, Bests Jake Matthews at UFC Vegas 82". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "Michael Morales". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
External links
This page was last edited on 15 April 2024, at 23:39