UFC ON ESPN 48: Max Griffin vs Michael Morales 07/01/2023 Odds, Analysis and Picks

UFC ON ESPN 48: Griffin vs Morales 07/01/2023 – Michael Morales stakes his unbeaten record on Saturday, July 1, when he takes on Max Griffin in the undercard of UFC on ESPN 48 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The three-round welterweight encounter against Griffin will be Morales’ biggest fight thus far, and if he wins, it would prove to everyone that the Ecuadorian fighter is a certified contender in the division.

The American, however, is out to spoil the party, as he is coming off a split decision victory over Tim Means. He has won four of his last five fights and looks to continue his amazing run with an upset over Morales, who has knocked out all of his opponents in the UFC. Experts betting on MMA fighting see the Ecuadorian prospect as the favorite in this encounter due to his recent wins but they are wary of Griffin, who is capable of pulling off big surprises come fight time.

Tweets by ufc

Main Card

Max Griffin

Griffin (19-9, 7-7 UFC) has been on a roll recently, winning four of his last five fights. This includes a unanimous decision win over WEC and UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit. His current run is brilliantly amazing, considering the fact that he lost five of his first eight matches in the UFC. In his last fight, the Santa Barbara, California-born MMA campaigner edged veteran Tim Means with a split decision victory that had the judges scoring 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27. Stats-wise, the fighter known as “Pain” recorded 11 stoppages in 19 wins. Nine of them were by knockout and the rest were submissions. Griffin was knocked out once in his career.

The American has landed an average of 4.23 significant strikes per minute at a 50% accuracy rate. He has absorbed 3.87 strikes per minute and has defended 57% of the strikes launched against him. In terms of grappling, Griffin has registered 1.6 takedowns per 15 minutes and his takedown accuracy was 50%. His takedown defense was 71% and his submission average of 0.34 per 15 minutes.

Michael Morales

Morales (14-0, 2-0 UFC) has played great MMA in his first two UFC fights, winning over Trevin Giles and Adam Fugitt via technical knockout. In his last encounter, he needed three rounds to finish Fugitt, who put up a great fight until the unfortunate third where he fell prey to big punches unleashed by Morales. The 23-year-old Ecuadorian has an impressive stoppage percentage of 83% (11 KOs and one submission). In his first two UFC fights, Morales has landed 5.36 significant strikes per minute at a rate of 51%. The Ecuadorian fighter has absorbed 4.1 strikes per minute and has defended 40% of the strikes launched against him.

In terms of grappling, Morales has normed 1.98 takedowns per 15 minutes. He has a takedown proficiency rate of 40%. Morales has been excellent in takedown defense thus far, as he was able to stop 86% of the takedown attempts against him. The Ecuadorian looks to resume his winning streak against Griffin and finally barge into the welterweight rankings with a convincing victory over a UFC veteran.