Prospect To Watch | Michael Morales (2024)

However, the division has seen several new faces take a faster route up the ladder. Shavkat Rakhmonov, Ian Machado Garry and Jack Della Maddalena each cracked the Top 10 within their first seven fights. That is where Ecuador’s Michael Morales wants to be, and he can make a big step toward elite company when he faces Neil Magny at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Borralho.

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The undefeated 25-year-old came to the promotion via a decision win on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2021. Since then, he made the walk four times with continuously impressive results.

First came his debut against Trevin Giles at UFC 270 in Anaheim. At the time, Giles was making his welterweight debut after collecting a 5-3 record as a middleweight and light heavyweight, and had a reputation as a slick power puncher. Despite the gap in experience, Morales made it look relatively easy as he picked up a first-round knockout to get his UFC tenure off to a bright start. Morales would return six months later at UFC 277, this time facing Adam Fugitt in his own UFC debut. The matchup tested Morales’ defensive grappling, and he once again impressed, stuffing seven of Fugitt’s eight attempts before securing another knockout win in the third round.

Nearly a year would pass before Morales’ next fight, but it came with a big step up in competition as he faced gritty veteran Max Griffin in Las Vegas. More than 10 years Morales’ senior, Griffin cut his teeth facing some of the toughest at 170 pounds after joining the roster in August 2016 and figured to test Morales’ cardio and grappling. And once again, Morales passed the test with flying colors, stopping all eight of Griffin’s takedown attempts while landing twice as many significant strikes to get the nod on the judges’ scorecards.

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Morales received another veteran test for his fourth fight in the form of Jake Matthews, who had tallied 18 fights in the UFC ahead of their bout at UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig. Matthews, who joined the promotion in 2014, collected wins over the likes of Li Jingliang and Diego Sanchez. But Morales looked unfazed across from the Australian and earned another unanimous decision nod to push his UFC account to 4-0.

That victory set him up for a classic test in the welterweight division: Neil Magny. “The Haitian Sensation” has been a mainstay in the weight class since making his UFC debut in February 2013 when Morales was 13 years old. Since then, he has faced almost every notable name to compete at 170 pounds, picking up wins over Kelvin Gastelum, Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler and Geoff Neal. In the most complimentary sense, Magny is a true gatekeeper for the division. If you can’t get past the Army veteran, you are in no way ready for anyone else in the Top 10. He most recently thwarted Mike Malott with a comeback TKO in the third round of their fight.

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The timing is relatively perfect for Morales, as he hopes to match Rakhmonov, Machado Garry and Della Maddalena, who faced Neal, Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland in their fifth UFC fights, respectively. Rakhmonov and Machado Garry also passed the Magny test: Rakhmonov via submission in his fourth UFC fight and Machado Garry via dominant unanimous decision in his sixth trip to the Octagon.

If Morales can collect a win, his hype train undoubtedly picks up steam toward a marquee matchup in the division’s Top 15. Should he finish Magny, who has only been knocked out twice in 40 professional bouts, he could very well find himself across from a Top 10 opponent next time out.

Those expectations might seem lofty, but it’s the type of stakes Morales has earned with his performance so far. He seems to be doing everything right, from taking the right fights to make a steady climb to going out to Chicago to train with Muhammad and company at Valle Flow Striking at the start of 2024.

He is also already primed to carry the flag for Ecuadorian MMA, one that Marlon “Chito” Vera has proudly boasted since November 2014. The 31-year-old became the first Ecuadorian to compete for UFC gold when he faced Sean O’Malley at UFC 299 but was ultimately unsuccessful. However, between the two men, Ecuadorian MMA could see doors open to more contenders as they continue to succeed at the highest level.

The stakes and tension during Morales’ fight with Magny couldn’t be higher, but win or lose, he has already provided several reasons to keep tabs on him as he continues his career.