Join us as we preview a hot UFC prospect from this week’s UFC 270: Ngannou vs. Gane MMA event. Read on for our complete UFC 270 betting guide – taking the first look at our hottest prospect of the week: Michael Morales as well as his opponent, Trevin Giles. Below, we included the latest UFC odds and our free expert UFC picks.
UFC Welterweight Bout
Saturday, January 22, 2022 – 10:05 PM EST at Honda Center
UFC 270 in Anaheim, California, will showcase a rising prospect in 22-year-old Michael Morales. At such a tender age, Morales has maintained an undefeated record within the harrowing regional MMA scenes of South America.
Born and raised in El Oro, Ecuador, Morales will join Marlon "Chito" Vera in a shortlist of UFC fighters of Ecuadorian heritage. Notably, he skipped the amateur MMA process entirely and jumped straight into professional contests aged just 18-years-old. Even more impressively, Morales' pro-record has remained untarnished, with ten of his past bouts ending via knockout or submission.
Morales' coming-out party was on Dana White's Contender Series, where he was faced with the dangerous sambo skillset of Nikolay Veretennikov. Winning the fight by unanimous decision earned Morales his UFC contract, and Dana White himself unexpectedly praised Morales to a level we rarely witness.
"Michael Morales is 12-0 but is 22-years-old. I see signs of possible greatness in this kid. He is 22; what the hell is this kid going to look like at 27? Especially, if he can survive here. You know where I'm going with this. This kid is special," White said.
Morales' parents were judokas, and his mother even reached an Olympic level, a martial arts style that he's thrived with as a base skillset in MMA. In addition, he's the wrestling champion of Ecuador, offering up unique offenses such as suplexes, body lock takedowns, and a range of unorthodox trips and takedowns.
Grappling prowess aside, Morales has worked heavily on his striking style under the tutelage of Entram Gym's elite coaches. He possesses an excellent lead jab and a newfound ability to string combinations together rather than the single shots he'd headhunt during his early fights.
Morales is an exciting prospect who could present new weapons every time he steps into the octagon, with a dangerous finishing rate and an excellent cardiovascular. All he lacks is an elite level of cage experience.
I'm under no illusion that wagering on debuting fighters is a risk; last week, we witnessed Joanderson Brito look significantly under-qualified to compete with the UFC's upper echelon of competition.
With that said, Trevin Giles doesn't present the most trustworthy takedown defense. Should the standing offense of Morales fail to overcome Giles, he'll have the option to unleash his judo and wrestling background to secure valuable points.
The available betting odds at the top-rated books are close in value for a reason. While I understand the dangers that Giles can present on the feet, he'll be dropping down from the middleweight division, which leaves questions around his durability after weight cuts are now introduced to his regime.
When faced with a youthful, strong, and talented grappler after your first significant weight cut in years, it is more of a worry than Morales making his UFC debut. The sportsbooks at Bookmakers Review present reasonable value on a potential top-15 prospect of the future, and I like his chances of victory this weekend.
UFC Pick: Michael Morales ( -120) [1.26u returns 1u] with YouWager (visit our YouWager Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.