Preview: UFC on ESPN 48 ‘Strickland vs. Magomedov’

Welterweights

Michael Morales (14-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Max Griffin (19-9, 7-7 UFC)

ODDS: Morales (-240), Griffin (+200)

Morales is going to be a problem for most of the welterweight division at some point, and it will be interesting to see if he brings any new wrinkles to the table here. The Ecuadorian was freshly turned 22 years old when he earned a contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, putting on a performance that showed his potential more than anything. Faced with the first difficult opponent of his pro career, Morales started slow and then flashed a grab bag of skills down the stretch to take a decision win. Morales has won his two fights in the UFC in the time since, scoring knockouts of Trevin Giles and Adam Fugitt, but he is still both a bit hard to parse and difficult to deny. There is still a lot of discomfort as Morales adjusts to fighting opponents who do not immediately fold under his physical tools, but his most effective flashes suggest a ridiculous amount of upside once everything comes into focus. For now, Morales looks like a prospect who clearly needs to be slow played, which makes this pairing against perennial tough out Max Griffin a bit of a surprise.

Griffin is finally hitting his stride in his late 30s after a rough few years to start his UFC career. “Pain” was always clearly a physical talent but lacked one clear standout skill and did not have much of a focused approach himself, leading to a lot of frustrating losses and just enough wins to stay above the cut line. Starting with a win over Ramiz Brahimaj in 2020, things finally clicked for Griffin, as he applied some newfound aggression and generally became a much more comfortable fighter over three rounds; he even nearly picked off Neil Magny in March 2022. With a bounce-back win over Tim Means, Griffin has probably earned fights on the fringes of the welterweight rankings, which only makes this booking more confusing. Griffin has already made a lot of the gains that it would be nice to see from Morales. While Morales is an explosive finisher, Griffin is the type of ridiculously durable fighter who is likely to survive any rough moments and coast to a win afterwards. Perhaps this is a learning experience for Morales. The pick is Griffin via decision.

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Strickland vs. Magomedov
Ismagulov vs. Dawson
Morales vs. Griffin
Gatto vs. Lipski
Bonfim vs. St. Denis
Ferreira vs. Ruziboev
The Prelims