Even more important than taking verbal jabs at Cormier, Morales bested his first pick in the very first fight of the season, raising his hand to face “Chapolin” and submitting him in the opening round to establish himself as the early favorite to run the table and claim another opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.
That second chance in the UFC is something Morales has been after since he was first released by the promotion, but he wasn’t necessarily sure would ever materialize.
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“My first stint in the UFC, I feel like I was ‘just a fighter,’ whereas now everything else is growing with me,” began the 12-2 standout, who earned a victory and a Performance of the Night bonus in his promotional debut before dropping consecutive contests to future champ Deiveson Figueiredo and TUF alum Eric Shelton to close it out his first stint on the roster. “Honestly, I don’t feel like I need fighting now — I just want to do this, I want to accomplish this to be able to show my kids that even through the hard times, you can still reach your goals, achieve your dreams; just because you have a setback doesn’t mean the world is ending.
“I had a couple injuries and layoffs,” he said of his post-UFC years, where he’s gone 3-0, but endured some extended stretches without fights, leading him to question himself and his place in this sport. “I had a shoulder surgery right after I got cut that put me out for two years. It was a hard time because you feel like, I’ve been doing this for a long time, since I was a kid, so it kind of takes over you. When you’re not fighting, you’re like, ‘What am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to be?’
