(Jeff Bottari via Getty Images)
Michael Morales appears to be the real deal.
The rising UFC welterweight star notched the biggest win of an undefeated career on Saturday with a first-round TKO of former title challenger Gilbert Burns. He is the first welterweight to ever finish Burns in the first two rounds.
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Morales looked like the stronger, faster fighter in the 3 1/2 minutes of action, leaving Burns to try to grapple his way into a slower fight. He managed to hold on for a minute or so, but the fight was quickly over once Morales got free.
A series of power shots put Burns on the mat, and referee Herb Dean had seen enough.
The victory ties Morales (18-0, 13 KOs) for the third-longest win streak in the welterweight division with six, behind newly minted champion Jack Della Maddalena (eight) and top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov (seven). It has been a furious ascent for a fighter who made his UFC debut in 2022 and has looked like he has every tool needed to be considered a future title challenger.
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When asked for a call-out after the fight, Morales basically told the division to come to him:
“I knew the whole welterweight division was going to come out for me like sharks. Everybody tried to take my head off, but I tell you what, I’m always ready to go and as long as I’m healthy and ready to go, I’ll be ready for them.”
As for Burns (22-9), this was another gatekeeping fight for the 38-year-old, and it’s hard to say he’s provided much security lately. It’s his fourth straight loss and his fifth in eight fights since challenging former champion Kamaru Usman for the belt in 2021.
Some of those losses have been of the forgivable variety — he was one of the final bumps in the road before Della Maddalena and Belal Muhammad got their successful title shots — but this isn’t a sport that’s going to help you out when you’re a veteran on a downturn.
