Joseph Morales | Show And Prove

Morales was a prospect when he first arrived in the UFC in the summer of 2017, touching down with a pristine 8-0 record. A first-round submission win and post-fight bonus in his debut against Roberto Sanchez added to the hype. However, a stoppage loss to future two-time champion Deiveson Figueiredo and a split decision setback against TUF alum Eric Shelton led to Morales being one of several flyweights let go while the promotion debated keeping the weightclass on the roster as a whole. Moreno, who had won his first three UFC appearances and headlined the card in Mexico City on which Morales made his debut, was caught in the same wave.

While “The Assassin Baby” was back 18 months later, it took Morales seven years as injuries and a lack of opportunities limited him to just three fights before he was cast on Season 33 of the long-running reality TV competition.

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“I think the biggest thing for me is understanding that time is borrowed, and in this profession, you’re fighting against time,” Morales said. “Being 32 years old — I think me and Brandon are the same age, but he’s had eight years of title fights and title contention, and I’ve just been finding myself, figuring myself out, so I’m trying to make up for lost time.

“I’m trying to make the most out of this opportunity, not take anything from granted and be the leader I need to be for myself, my sons, my wife, my students back home, and the team — Team Alpha Male,” he added. “I’ve been on the team for more than 20 years, and to be at the point where now I’m at the tip of the sword leading everybody, it’s finally time to pick the fruit off the tree.”

In addition to having a greater appreciation for how limited time competing at this level can be, the other major shift that has occurred for Morales as been the way he truly, genuinely believes in himself and his abilities this time around.

It’s one thing to be young and undefeated with a stellar team backing you, but when the losses come, so does doubt. Rather than crumble, though, Morales became calcified. He focused on coaching and honing his craft, earned a pair of wins under the Cage Warriors banner and won a title under Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat, becoming increasingly confident that all he needed was a chance to prove himself.

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“Having that belief and that confidence makes training camps a lot easier,” he said. “I prepare very hard. I hold myself to a very high standard. The first thing my coaches told me was, ‘Hey, we understand that you’re a coach and you hold a coaching mentality, but we’re gonna be on you, so be a student first and prioritize your fight camps.’ … That has been a huge help for me because being able to take the coaching mentality with the student mentality, I’m always learning, always willing to adapt. I think in this fight especially, I’ll be able to go into the fight, be ready for everything and make the proper adjustments because everybody has a game plan, but not everybody is fighting a former two-time champion.”

Moreno arrives to his first Noche UFC appearance in an unfamiliar position, having fallen out of the top-5 after consecutive losses to Tatsuro Taira and Lone’er Kavanagh. Now more than three years removed from sitting on the throne and 35 fights into his professional career, many are viewing this contest as a measuring stick moment for the UFC’s first Mexican-born champion — a means of seeing whether the long-time standout still has something left in the tank or if his best days are behind him.

While those are the questions fans and pundits are pondering as Saturday draw nearer, Morales is expecting the toughest fight of his career and believes he needs to be flawless in order to secure the biggest win of his career.

“I have to be as close to perfect as possible for this fight just to come out with a victory,” he offered. “Brandon Moreno is a tough opponent, he never quits, he has a lot of heart, a lot of grit. Obviously, I want to go in there and do my best to finish him, but I just need to come out with the victory.”

If he’s able to do it, a world of opportunities will open for Morales, and anyone that still wondered whether he was the genuine article will have to finally recognize that “Bopo” deserves to be counted amongst the division’s best.

“Man, I think (a win) just proves to everybody why I’m here and why I won the show,” he said. “I think it’s gonna shoot me off like a gun, and all of a sudden, everybody is gonna start loving me. I’m gonna finally start getting some of the recognition that I know I deserve.”

Morales laughed, then added, “But it’s not even about that — it’s just for me to prove to myself that I’m the best and I deserve to be here.”