# Michael Morales (fighter)

Michael Jonathan Morales Hurtado (born June 24, 1999) is an Ecuadorian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 27, 2024, he is #12 in the UFC welterweight rankings.

## 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 five 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.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

While fully focusing on MMA, he juggled a job at a naval boat factory.
In 2021, he began his journey through Mexico, arriving in Tijuana to train at Entram Gym. On March 29, 2021, he signed a contract with Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC).

### 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.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Morales made his UFC debut against Trevin Giles on January 22, 2022, at UFC 270. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Morales was scheduled to face Ramiz Brahimaj at UFC 277 on July 30, 2022. However, Brahimaj was forced to withdraw from the event in mid-July due to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by Adam Fugitt. Morales won the fight via TKO in the third round.
Morales was scheduled to face Rinat Fakhretdinov on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland. However, Morales withdrew due to a toe fracture.
Morales faced Max Griffin on July 1, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 48. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Morales faced Jake Matthews on November 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 232. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Morales faced Neil Magny on August 24, 2024 at UFC on ESPN 62. He won the fight by technical knockout in the first round. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.
Morales was scheduled to face former UFC Welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns on April 12, 2025, at UFC 314. However, the bout was moved to May 10, 2025 at UFC 315 for unknown reasons.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Oro Fighting Championship
** OFC Welterweight Champion (One time)
* Extreme MMA Enterprises
** EMMA Welterweight Champion (One time)
* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Neil Magny
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2022: Ranked #8 Newcomer of the Year

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 17 matches | 17 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 12 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 17–0 | Neil Magny | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Borralho | August 24, 2024 | 1 | 4:39 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| 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) | EMMA 17 | October 3, 2020 | 1 | 4:45 | Quito, Ecuador | Won the vacant EMMA Welterweight Championship |
| Win | 9–0 | Daniel Luigy Bastidas | TKO (doctor stoppage) | EMMA 16 | August 1, 2020 | 1 | 2:01 | Guayaquil, Ecuador | |
| Win | 8–0 | Mario Navarrete | TKO (punches) | Barbarian's Fighting League 5 | February 12, 2020 | 2 | 2:45 | Machala, Ecuador | |
| Win | 7–0 | Gregoris Cisneros | Submission (triangle choke) | Barbarian's Fighting League 4 | 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 | |
| Win | 4–0 | Óscar Ravello | TKO (corner stoppage) | Fusion FC 39 | July 17, 2019 | 2 | 5:00 | Lima, Peru | Welterweight bout. |
| Win | 3–0 | Leonardo Blasco | Decision (unanimous) | Troncal FC 2 | December 8, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | La Troncal, Ecuador | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Álvaro Vacacela Guerrero | TKO (doctor stoppage) | OFC 5 | March 24, 2018 | 1 | 5:00 | Santa Rosa, Ecuador | Won the OFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 1–0 | Álvaro Vacacela Guerrero | TKO (punches) | OFC 4 | August 19, 2017 | 2 | 3:15 | Pasaje, Ecuador | Welterweight debut. |