Michael Morales is only 22 years old and he’s already knocking out established veterans inside the UFC cage.
In the UFC 270 main card opener Saturday, Morales (13-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his promotional debut against former RFA champion Trevin Giles (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and won via TKO at 4:06 of Round 1.
Morales, who earned a UFC deal on an episode of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, was the first to absorb a knockdown strike – but he wasn’t the last. After he regained himself, Morales unleashed havoc on Giles, who struggled to stay upright but eventually found his way.
Giles did not stay upright for long however, as another brutal Morales combination sent him back down to the canvas. As Giles grabbed hold of Morales’ leg, he received dozens of punches to his head. Referee Mike Beltran saw enough, and much to the dismay of Giles, waved off the fight.
Michael Morales is only 22 years old and dominating 🤯 #UFC270 pic.twitter.com/Z32sPtWdkw
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 23, 2022
With the win, Morales has finished 11 of his 13 professional fights. As for Giles, the defeat extends his losing skid to two, which also includes a TKO loss to Dricus Du Plessis in his most recent outing.
The up-to-the-minute UFC 270 results include:
- Michael Morales def. Trevin Giles via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:06
- Victor Henry def. Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jack Della Maddalena def. Pete Rodriguez TKO – Round 1, 2:59
- Tony Gravely def. Saimon Oliveira via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
- Matt Frevola def. Genaro Valdez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:15
- Vanessa Demopoulos def. Silvana Gomez Juarez via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:25
- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Kay Hansen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
