Albert Morales Explained

Albert Morales
Other Names:The Warrior
Birth Name:Albert Franklin Morales Blacutt[1]
Birth Date:25 May 1991
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Residence:Granada Hills, California
Weight:135lb
Weight Class:Bantamweight
Reach In:72
Reach Footnote:[2]
Fighting Out Of:Reseda, California
Team:Carlson Gracie Southbay
Black House (2019–present)[3]
The movement Gym (formerly)
Rank:Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under André "Alemão" Vanconcellos
Years Active:2015–present
Mma Kowin:6
Mma Subwin:5
Mma Decwin:3
Mma Koloss:2
Mma Subloss:4
Mma Decloss:3
Mma Draw:1
Sherdog:161099

Albert Morales (born May 25, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. He has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and of Bellator MMA.

Background

Born and raised in Southern California, Morales began training in mixed martial arts in 2013 at the age of 21. He turned to a strict training regimen in hopes of overcoming a checkered background and criminal ways. Albert Morales is of Belizean descent and proudly waves Belizean flag at UFC weigh in events.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

After four amateur fights, Morales made his professional debut in January 2015. He compiled an undefeated record of 6 - 0 on the regional scene in Southern California, including two stoppage victories for Bellator MMA and a decision win World Series of Fighting.

He signed with the UFC on the heels of a first round finish of Mario Israel at RFA 38 in June 2016.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Morales made his promotional debut on September 17, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 94 where he was tabbed as a short notice replacement for Manvel Gamburyan to face Alejandro Pérez.[5] The fight was scored a majority draw.[6]

Morales next faced Thomas Almeida on November 19, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 100.[7] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.[8]

Morales faced promotional newcomer Andre Soukhamthath on March 4, 2017 at UFC 209.[9] He won the back-and-forth fight by split decision.[10]

Morales was tabbed as a short notice replacement for Mitch Gagnon to face Brett Johns on July 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 113.[11] He lost the bout by unanimous decision.[12]

Morales faced Benito Lopez on December 9, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 123.[13] He lost the back-and-forth fight by unanimous decision.[14]

Morales faced promotional newcomer Manny Bermudez on February 24, 2018 at UFC on Fox 28.[15] He lost the fight via submission in the second round.[16]

On August 14, 2018, it was announced that Morales was released from UFC.[17]

Post-UFC career

Morales faced James Barnes at Golden Boy Promotions' inaugural MMA event on November 24, 2018.[18] He lost the fight via an armbar.[19] Subsequently, Morales decided to change his camp to Black House.[20]

Morales next fought Carlos Puente Jr. at CXF 17 on March 9, 2019. He won the fight via first round submission.

Lights Out Xtreme Fighting

In early 2019, Morales signed with Shawne Merriman's new promotion Lights Out Xtreme Fighting. Morales headlined the inaugural LXF 1 event against Alfred Khaskakyan on May 11, 2019.[21] The bout was for the inaugural LXF Bantamweight Championship, however Khaskakyan missed weight, making him ineligible for the title. Morales lost the fight via first-round knockout.

Morales made his sophomore appearance in the promotion against Ron Scolesdang in a bantamweight title eliminator bout at LXF 3 on September 21, 2019. He won the fight via first-round knockout.[22]

Morales got his second change at the LXF Bantamweight Championship against Ryan Lilley at LXF 4 on November 15, 2019. He claimed the title with a third-round doctor stoppage.

Morales was expected to defend his title in a rematch against Ryan Lilley at LXF 5 on March 13, 2020. However, the event was tentatively rescheduled to be held on April 24, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]

Bellator MMA

Morales, as a replacement for James Gallagher, faced Patchy Mix at Bellator 258 on May 7, 2021.[24] He lost the bout via arm-triangle choke in the third round.[25]

Return to Lights Out Xtreme Fighting

Morales faced Victor Henry at LXF 6 on October 30, 2021. He lost the bout via rear-naked choke in the second round.[26]

Up Next Fighting

Morales faced Ryan Lilly at UNF 1 on May 21, 2022. He won via unanimous decision in the three round main event.[27]

Morales faced Terrion Ware for the UNF Featherweight Championship on August 20, 2022 at UNF 2. He won the bout via arm-triangle choke in the third round.[28]

Defending his belt for the first time against Javier Garcia on February 25, 2023 at UNF 5, Morales lost the bout and belt via unanimous decision.[29]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

|-||align=center||Allan Begosso||LFA 184||align=center||align=center||Commerce, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|14–9–1|Luciano Ramos|TKO (punches)|LXF 12||align=center|1|align=center|2:18|Long Beach, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|13–9–1|Musa Toliver|TKO (punches)|LXF 11||align=center|1|align=center|3:30|Long Beach, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|12–9–1|Javier Garcia|Decision (unanimous)|UNF 5||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Commerce, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|12–8–1|Terrion Ware|Submission (arm-triangle choke)|UNF 2||align=center|3|align=center|1:28|Commerce, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|11–8–1|Ryan Lilley|Decision (unanimous)|UNF 1||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Burbank, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|10–8–1|Victor Henry|Submission (rear-naked choke)|LXF 6||align=center|2|align=center|1:46|Burbank, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|10–7–1|Patchy Mix|Submission (arm-triangle choke)|Bellator 258||align=center|3|align=center|2:40|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States||-|Win|align=center||Ryan Lilley|TKO (doctor stoppage)|LXF 4||align=center|3|align=center|0:03|Burbank, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|9–6–1|Ron Scolesdang|TKO (punches)|LXF 3||align=center|1|align=center|4:50|Commerce, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|8–6–1|Alfred Khashakyan|TKO (punches)|LXF 1||align=center|1|align=center|3:58|Burbank, California, United States||-|Win|align=center|8–5–1|Carlos Puente Jr.|Submission (rear-naked choke)|CXF 17||align=center|1|align=center|1:30|Los Angeles, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|7–5–1|James Barnes|Submission (armbar)|Golden Boy Promotions: Liddell vs. Ortiz 3||align=center|3|align=center|4:09|Inglewood, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|7–4–1|Manny Bermudez|Submission (guillotine choke)| ||align=center|2|align=center|2:33|Orlando, Florida, United States||-|Loss|align=center|7–3–1|Benito Lopez|Decision (unanimous)| ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Fresno, California, United States||-|Loss|align=center|7–2–1|Brett Johns|Decision (unanimous)| ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Glasgow, Scotland||-|Win|align=center|7–1–1|Andre Soukhamthath|Decision (split)|UFC 209||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Loss|align=center|6–1–1 |Thomas Almeida|TKO (punches)|||align=center|2|align=center|1:37|São Paulo, Brazil||-|Draw|align=center|6–0–1|Alejandro Pérez|Draw (majority)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Hidalgo, Texas, United States||-|Win|align=center| 6–0|Mario Israel|KO (punch)|RFA 38||align=center| 1|align=center| 0:20|Costa Mesa, California, United States| |-|Win|align=center| 5–0|Anthony Paredes|Decision (unanimous)|WSOF 28||align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Garden Grove, California, United States||-|Win|align=center| 4–0|Kurt Weinrich|Submission (triangle choke)|WFC 16||align=center|1|align=center|2:31|Sacramento, California, United States||-|Win|align=center| 3–0|David Suruy|Submission (triangle choke)|BAMMA USA 17||align=center|1|align=center|0:59|Commerce, California, United States||-|Win|align=center| 2–0|John Yoo|TKO (punches)|Bellator 137||align=center|3|align=center|1:37|Temecula, California, United States||-|Win|align=center| 1–0|Fabian Gonzalez|Submission (rear-naked choke)|Bellator 132||align=center|2|align=center|3:12|Temecula, California, United States||-

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: State of Nevada. Mixed martial arts show results. April 25, 2023. boxing.nv.gov. March 4, 2017.
  2. Web site: Albert Morales - Official UFC Profile. UFC.com. November 20, 2016.
  3. Web site: LXF 3: Albert Morales Looking to Win His Way Back to UFC. Gabriel Gonzalez. cagesidepress.com. September 20, 2019.
  4. Web site: Morales saved by MMA, hoping for new life in UFC. ufc.com. Thomas Gerbasi. 2016-09-15. 2016-09-15.
  5. Web site: Albert Morales replaces Manny Gamburyan at UFC Fight Night 94 in Texas. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2016-08-17. 2016-08-17.
  6. Web site: UFC Fight Night 94 results: Albert Morales and Alejandro Perez battle to bizarre majority draw . mmajunkie.com. Ben Fowlkes. 2016-09-17. 2016-09-17.
  7. Web site: Thomas Almeida vs. Albert Morales set for UFC Fight Night 100. mmafighting.com. Dave Doyle. 2016-10-18. 2016-10-18.
  8. Web site: UFC Fight Night 100 results: Thomas Almeida crushes Albert Morales for second-round TKO. mmajunkie.com. Brent Brookhouse. 2016-11-19. 2016-11-19.
  9. Web site: UFC 209 lineup finalized with addition of two new bouts. sherdog.com. Tristen Critchfield. 2017-02-23. 2017-02-23.
  10. News: UFC 209 results: Albert Morales spoils Andre Soukhamthath's UFC debut with decision win. mmajunkie.com. Simon Samano. 2017-03-04. 2017-03-04.
  11. News: Brett Johns gets new opponent for UFC Glasgow. champions.co. Jim Edwards. 2017-06-27. 2017-06-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174929/https://champions.co/p/brett-johns-gets-new-opponent-for-ufc-glasgow/4306470. 2017-12-08. dead.
  12. News: UFC Fight Night 113 results: Brett Johns sweeps short-notice opponent Albert Morales. 2017-07-16. MMAjunkie. 2017-07-17. en-US.
  13. News: Newcomer Benito Lopez says he's fighting Albert Morales at UFC Fight Night 123. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2017-10-16. 2017-10-16.
  14. News: UFC Fight Night 123 results: Benito Lopez takes decision from Albert Morales in high-flying scrap. 2017-12-10. MMAjunkie. 2017-12-10. en-US.
  15. News: Albert Morales welcomes newcomer Manny Bermudez at UFC on FOX 28. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 2018-02-05. 2018-02-05.
  16. News: UFC on FOX 28 results: Manny Bermudez stays perfect, chokes out Albert Morales in second. 2018-02-24. MMAjunkie. 2018-02-25. en-US.
  17. News: Dustin Poirier Passing On 'Most Violent' Title Ahead Of Nate Diaz Fight. 2018-08-16. en-US.
  18. Web site: Proposed Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 lineup features Gleison Tibau vs. Efrain Escudero. Steven Marrocco. October 15, 2018. mmajunkie.com.
  19. News: Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 results: Gleison Tibau grinds out decision over gritty Efrain Escudero. 2018-11-25. MMAjunkie. 2018-11-25. en-US.
  20. Web site: Albert Morales hopes rise to top win title-winning performance. lightsoutfx.com.
  21. Web site: Albert Morales - Fight News - News - Lights Out XF. www.lightsoutxf.com. 25 April 2023.
  22. Web site: Looking back at LXF 3. September 22, 2019. socaluncensored.com.
  23. Web site: LXF 5 Postponed Due To Coronavirus, To Be Rescheduled At A Later Date. lightsoutxf.com.
  24. Web site: 2021-04-29. With James Gallagher out, Patchy Mix meets UFC alum Albert Morales at Bellator 258. 2021-04-29. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  25. Web site: Sherdog.com. Bellator 258 'Archuleta vs. Pettis' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring. 2021-05-08. Sherdog.
  26. Web site: LXF 6 RESULTS - News - Lights Out XF. 2021-11-08. www.lightsoutxf.com. en.
  27. Web site: UNF 1 results Up Next Fighting . en.
  28. Web site: Albert Morales vs. Terrion Ware, UNF 2 MMA Bout . 2022-09-25 . Tapology . en.
  29. Web site: Albert Morales vs. Javier Garcia, UNF 5 MMA Bout . 2023-03-26 . Tapology . en.