The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has recently announced a number of new matchups, including an intriguing welterweight pairing between Michael Morales and Jake Matthews. This fight with potential rankings implications will be held on Nov. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as part of UFC Fight Night 232. The announcement came via ESPN Deportes, the UFC’s Spanish-language broadcast partner.
Michael Morales’ Journey
The 23-year-old Morales, out of Entram Gym, burst onto the scene when he staged the upset and topped Nikolay Veretennikov on the scorecards at Dana White’s Contender Series. This contract-winning victory put the youngster in the Octagon, where he celebrated by smashing Trevin Giles and Adam Fugitt in 2022. The lone trip to the cage this year came against Max Griffin, and the Ecuadorian remained undefeated by overcoming “Pain.”
Jake Matthews’ Ups and Downs
Over the last few years, veteran Matthews has alternated wins and losses. In 2020, he maintained a three-fight win streak but suffered a submission loss to Sean Brady in his only appearance in 2021. Over a year later, “The Celtic Kid” righted the ship by laying waste to Andre Fialho, only for Matthew Semelsberger to defeat him six months later. In July, the Aussie tapped out Darrius Flowers, in what was his 18th appearance for the organization while just 28 years old.
UFC Fight Night 232 will play out at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 18. Sitting atop the billing is a middleweight delight as finishers Brendan Allen and Paul Craig come to blows. The remainder of the lineup is not currently official, although it is expected that a strawweight clash between Amanda Ribas and Luana Pinheiro will be placed high on the card.