Joseph Morales (fighter)

Joseph Morales (born August 22, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Early career
In his MMA debut at WSOF 16, Joseph defeated Christian Espinosa via unanimous decision. Then he defeated Roque Reyes via TKO in the first round. At WFC 14, Joseph submitted Benji Gomez in the second round via rear naked choke. He also tapped out Gerald Bailey in round one via guillotine choke at GKO 4. Joseph submitted his next two opponents in Sammy Saunders and Gerald Bailey respectively. At GKO 8, he defeated Josh Paiva via unanimous decision, earning him the GKO Flyweight Championship. At CFFC 64 Joseph defeated Sean Santella via TKO in the second round and earned his ticket to the UFC in the process.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Morales made his promotional debut on August 5, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Pettis vs. Moreno, facing Roberto Sanchez. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round one and earned a Performance of the Night bonus.

On February 3, 2018, Morales faced Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.

Morales faced Eric Shelton on November 10, 2018, at UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez. He lost the fight via split decision.

After losing his last two fights, Morales got released from the UFC in May 2019.

Post-UFC career
Morales made his return to mixed martial arts, after a three year absence from the sport, to face Kevin Wirth at Cage Warriors 126 on August 1, 2021. Morales won the fight by unanimous decision.

Morales faced Sidemar Honorio on March 4, 2022, at Cage Warriors 133. He won the bout via split decision.

Morales won the A1C Flyweight Championship on February 3, 2023, submitting Anthony Do in the third round via triangle choke.

Professional grappling career
Morales was booked to compete in the Combat Jiu-Jitsu bantamweight world championship on July 30, 2023.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One Time) vs. Roberto Sanchez
 * Global Knockout
 * GKO Flyweight Championship (One Time)