With a second round knockout on the Contender Series, Omar Morales becomes one of the few fighters of Venezuelan origin to make it to the UFC.
Las Vegas, NV — Facing Harvey Park in the main event of week seven of this year’s Contender Series, Omar Morales secured a second-round knockout to maintain his perfect record on Tuesday. The performance, which moved him to 8-0 as a pro, also earned him a UFC deal, one of three winners on the night.
Morales was a little worse for the wear after the fight, injuring his foot on a kick. That’s nothing compared to the leg injury sustained by opponent Park, which left him an easy target Tuesday.
“I knew this with the first kick I landed, that I hurt my opponent,” Morales said via translator back stage at the UFC Apex following the fight, speaking to reporters including Cageside Press. “But that wasn’t the main objective. Studying tapes, I [saw] that my opponent didn’t have any footwork. He was heavy on his feet, heavy planting, so it made an easy target for me to go for that front leg.”
“Once I hurt him,” Morales continued, “I went back for the second round, before it started. I was just listening to my corner. My corner told me that I had hurt him. So I just followed my instructions, I followed my commands, and ended up with the W.”
That came barely over a minute into the second. Park was backed up against the cage, unable to avoid the oncoming attack.
The low kick is something that seemed to take the wind out of Park’s sails. “I acknowledged that he was badly hurt, and I told myself this is it, this is the moment,” Morales said. But he doesn’t feel it was entirely the low kick that sealed the deal. “It was a build-up. Before that big low kick, I was able to connect with many punches. It wasn’t visible to the crowd, his reaction, but I for sure felt I hurt him with my punches as well.”
In any case, the win is a dream come true for Morales. “It was a long road, my advice is for all of you guys who have a dream to achieve, just go for it, believe in yourself, and once you reach that goal, you’ll feel just like me,” he said. “There’s no way to describe it.”
Once that indescribable feeling wears off, Morales will get back to the cage. “I would love to fight in Latin America,” he said of his potential debut spot. No doubt, as the Morales is one of just a few fighters from nearby Venezuela to make it to the UFC. “I have many followers, many people supporting me. But when it comes to fighting, I can fight anywhere, anyplace, as long as my physical health allows me to.”
Watch the full Contender Series press scrum with Omar Morales above!
