Is Manny Morales the next Philly fighter to make the UFC?
Interview with Manny Morales below:
I’m going to keep on saying and writing it until I’m blue in the face…Philadelphia MMA is on fire and making a huge impact on the sport at multiple levels. Coaches John Marquez and UFC veteran Jonavin Webb are in the middle of all of this as they are assembling an army of monsters.
Manny Morales is one of those creatures I speak of. He is lurking and his time is getting closer to joining a bunch of his teammates in the big show. Morales is coming off of his first finish, and fifth win after he smashed Skylar Mauller with a head kick and walk away KO in just 8 seconds of the co-main event at Art of War Cage Fighting 41.
Watch the finish below:
This moment was so epic, that AOW President, Mike Bickings didn’t even wait for the main event to play out. He went directly to Manny once he was in the cage and handed him an envelope with his bonus for KO of the night. After thinking about it, personally I think it was the most memorable moment AOW has had in 41 events.
Fight Family
On Manny’s walk-out to the cage this past Saturday, he was joined by UFC fighters Sean Brady, Joe Pyfer, and Andre Petroski as well as Jeremiah Wells. These are men he considers family and have gone above and beyond to help prepare Manny, just as he has done for their camps. His mentor, Jonavin Webb, couldn’t be there as he was in Las Vegas working the corner of Patrick Sabatini, who was busy dismantling Jonanderson Brito. This family tree continues to grow. Besides the men on UFC rosters currently, there are dozens of high ceiling mixed martial artists in the rooms at Marquez MMA and Webb Fitness and MMA.
Meloni’s Take
I follow the Philly/NJ regions fighters as intimately as anybody. I’ve seen them fight. I’ve talked to them, their coaches, teammates and even their moms and dads and brothers many times. Believe me when I tell you that this pipeline to the UFC via Philly and South Jersey is just beginning. Manny Morales and his teammate Itso Babulaidze (current ROC welterweight champion) both belong and will be there as long as they stay blessed with good health.
Manny’s Take
Manny and I got together for some lunch to talk about the latest action and see what might be next. I really appreciated Manny’s honesty about getting to that next level. Click on the link above to see our chat. We also have attached his vicious KO. WE hope to have fight news soon!
