Omar Morales (fighter)
Venezuelan mixed martial arts fighter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Omar Antonio Morales Ferrer[1] (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.
| Omar Morales | |
|---|---|
| Born | Omar Antonio Morales Ferrer[1] October 17, 1985 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) |
| Division | Lightweight Featherweight |
| Reach | 73.0 in (185 cm)[2] |
| Fighting out of | Florida, United States |
| Team | Sanford MMA |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 15 |
| Wins | 11 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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.[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
Next Morales faced Gabriel Benítez on May 13, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira.[6] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[7]
Morales then faced Giga Chikadze on October 11, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen.[8] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[9]
Morales faced Shane Young on March 27, 2021, at UFC 260.[10] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[11]
Morales faced Jonathan Pearce on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266.[12] He lost the fight via rear-naked choke in round two.[13]
Morales faced Uroš Medić on May 21, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 206.[14] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.[15]
Morales was scheduled to face Mateusz Rębecki on January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 217.[16] However, Morales withdrew the fight for Undisclosed reasons.[17]
Morales faced Chris Duncan, replacing Michal Figlak, on March 18, 2023, at UFC 286.[18] He lost the fight via split decision.[19]
On June 5, 2023, news surfaced that Morales had fought out his contract and the organization opted not to renew it.[20]
Mixed martial arts record
| 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 |