Chicago — For most, The Ultimate Fighter is a pathway into the UFC. For TUF 33 finalist Joseph Morales, it’s a way back to the promotion.
Morales (12-2) had three fights with the UFC in the late 2010s, posting a 1-2 record and exiting early. After some time off, he returned to action in 2021, ratting off three straight wins over three years on the regional circuit, then sat through another extended layoff before returning on the most recent season of the reality fighting show.
Now in the flyweight final against Alibi Idiris as part of UFC 319, Morales told media outlets including Cageside Press this week that “I feel like I never left. Everybody’s been saying I’m making my debut, but I don’t know. Can you have two debuts? How does that work?”
“It feels like a continuation from the first run, but it also feels like a new path of it. I get to prove myself in a different way this time. I’m excited to be back, and I feel like the biggest thing I can take from this time compared to last time is I’m enjoying this a lot more.”
That even includes enjoying media duties and photoshoots, he added. “The whole process. I feel like it’s a bigger deal, and it’s just more important. The little things are more important this time.” Morales, who admits he was never a fan of the cameras in his younger years, feels like “this time it’s a little bit more comfortable. Just be yourself. I felt like when I was a 22-year old, you’ve got to be a certain way or you’ve got to say certain things for people to like you. Now it’s just like, if people like you they like you, if not, f*ck ’em.”
While Morales might have had an edge on TUF having been in the UFC previously, he didn’t feel like a favorite coming in. “I felt like I was a dark house because I took that layoff after the three fights, and you know there’s all these active guys,” he stated. “Eduardo Chapolin was one of the top favorites to win the show. Alibi is an undefeated prospect. I fought Imanol [Rodriguez], and Imanol is 5-0 with all finishes. You’ve got all these guys that were coming in with all this hype, and then there was me that was coming off a layoff. I feel like I kind of rode in there as like the underdog and the dark horse, and one one really got to see me going.”
As an older athlete, Joseph Morales now has a family and kids to fight for, but his priorities haven’t changed completely, he told Cageside Press.
“I just had to tweak a little bit. Just having that balance of not prioritizing everything super crazy. When I have time to spend with by family, be 100% involved. If I’m with my oldest son, I’m with with my oldest son. Try to get him involved with my training too.” Morales has had his son in the gym, teaching him what to do. “Not to just be a professional athlete, but to just be a healthy human being. You’ve got to work out every day, you’ve got to eat right, stay busy, and do good things for yourself.”
Watch the full UFC 319 media day appearance by TUF 33 finalist Joseph Morales above. The card takes place this Saturday, August 16, 2025 at the United Center in Chicago, IL.
