Despite getting into Brazilian jiu jitsu before he graduated high school, grappling is not Alex Morono’s preferred way to win an MMA fight. In each of his fights, you’ll notice the jiu jitsu black belt often could not seem less interested in getting the fight to the mat.
Despite this fact, and the fact that he’s facing a talented grappler in Mickey Gall, Morono isn’t concerned with the ground game heading into UFC Vegas 44. In fact, he believes that he has the advantage on the mat, even if he doesn’t plan on taking it there.
“I’ve been a black belt under Draculino, who is as legit as they get, for seven years now. I’ve been a black belt for longer than I’ve been in the UFC,” Morono pointed out. “Mickey Gall is solid, but there’s just no way I’m going to be getting chased around on the ground.”
And it’s that experience that he draws on for his confidence. That experience also goes far beyond the mats and his highly respected jiu jitsu coach. It also applies to his time in the UFC and MMA in general.
“Mickey Gall did look really, really good in his last fight. Honestly, his striking was pretty crisp as well, but I’ve fought a lot more difficult opponents than he has in the UFC,” he said. “I have as many fights in the UFC as he does fights as a pro.”
So while he does respect Mickey Gall and his growing abilities, he does think that his style is going to pose issues for Gall. Not only that, but he also feels like he will be able to push Gall in a way that he hasn’t been pushed prior.
“He’s going to be facing a super, kind of pissed off, veteran in myself,” Morono said. “I”m going to try to put a pace on him, not overlook him, and just do as much damage as possible.”
You can catch Morono inflicting that damage as part of the main card of UFC Vegas 44. The main card starts at 10pm EST and can be seen on ESPN this Saturday.
You can hear the entire audio of this interview at 1:43.
