# Omar Morales (fighter)

Omar Antonio Morales Ferrer (born October 17, 1985) is a Venezuelan mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions. He is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Starting his career in 2011, Morales compiled a 7–0 record, fighting mainly for various regional Venezuelan promotions and picking up a knockout win at Bellator 204. Morales moved to United States in order to pursuit his career in mixed martial arts in 2015.

### Dana White's Contender Series

Morales was eventually invited to Dana White's Contender Series 23, where he faced the then Legacy Fighting Alliance Lightweight champ, Harvey Park, for a UFC contract. he finished the fight with the use of leg kicks and eventually winning by TKO, earning himself a chance into the UFC.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Morales made his promotional debut facing Dong Hyun Ma on December 21, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 23. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Next Morales faced Gabriel Benítez on May 13, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Morales then faced Giga Chikadze on October 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Morales faced Shane Young on March 27, 2021, at UFC 260. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Morales faced Jonathan Pearce on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke in round two.
Morales faced Uroš Medić on May 21, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 206. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.
Morales was scheduled to face Mateusz Rębecki on January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 217. However, Morales withdrew the fight for Undisclosed reasons.
Morales faced Chris Duncan, replacing Michal Figlak, on March 18, 2023, at UFC 286. He lost the fight via split decision.
On June 5, 2023, news surfaced that Morales had fought out his contract and the organization opted not to renew it.

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 15 matches | 11 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 1 |
| By submission | 5 | 1 |
| By decision | 4 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 11–4 | Chris Duncan | Decision (split) | UFC 286 | March 18, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | |
| Loss | 11–3 | Uroš Medić | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira | May 21, 2022 | 2 | 3:05 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Lightweight. |
| Loss | 11–2 | Jonathan Pearce | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 266 | September 25, 2021 | 2 | 3:31 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–1 | Shane Young | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 260 | March 27, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–1 | Giga Chikadze | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen | October 11, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 10–0 | Gabriel Benítez | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira | May 13, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 9–0 | Ma Dong-hyun | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. The Korean Zombie | December 21, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Busan, South Korea | |
| Win | 8–0 | Harvey Park | TKO (leg kicks and punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 23 | August 6, 2019 | 2 | 1:06 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 7–0 | Troy Nawrocki | KO (punches) | Bellator 204 | August 17, 2018 | 1 | 0:58 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Jhan Zuniga | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Latin American Championship | February 20, 2016 | 1 | 3:14 | Valencia, Venezuela | |
| Win | 5–0 | Danilo Padilha da Silva | Decision (unanimous) | Fight Time 25 | May 29, 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Stefan Werleman | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Eye 4N Eye Fighting Championships | September 26, 2014 | 1 | 0:49 | Oranjestad, Aruba | |
| Win | 3–0 | Wilmer Gonzalez | Submission (guillotine choke) | Supremacia MMA 2 | October 27, 2012 | 1 | 1:54 | Caracas, Venezuela | |
| Win | 2–0 | Jesus Rodriguez | Submission (armbar) | Pugilatus MMA | August 18, 2012 | 1 | 3:34 | Los Teques, Venezuela | |
| Win | 1–0 | Angel Brito | Submission | GOV 2 | November 26, 2011 | 1 | N/A | Maturín, Venezuela | |