Dominick Cruz would like to see how UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev deals with Michael Morales’ size.
Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) faced no issues when dealing with Jack Della Maddalena’s physicality in their welterweight title fight at UFC 322. He was able to control Della Maddalena on the ground for more than 19 minutes en route to a dominant decision win.
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On the same night, Morales (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) ran through top contender Sean Brady for a first-round TKO. Morales looked noticeably bigger than Brady, who never got the chance to try and impose his grappling game. That’s what peaks Cruz’s interest the most when thinking about a potential matchup between Morales and Makhachev.
“You could give Morales a title shot,” Cruz told MMA Junkie. “I’ve seen that guy in the gym, and there’s things about him that don’t make sense. The way that he moves, I’m telling you. He’s a freak gymnast. He can do the craziest things. He can really challenge the strength of Makhachev differently than anybody. Now, the technique is what has not been tested with Morales.
“That technique with the strength. Now Morales is so athletic and so strong that he’s able to beat people’s technique with power and strength and explosiveness. Whereas Makhachev is going to have to really work through step-by-step to untie the knot Makhachev puts him in. Plus, Makhachev being a southpaw changes the style for Morales, as well.”
Morales isn’t the only contender vying for a title shot. Carlos Prates knocked out Leon Edwards at UFC 322, Ian Machado Garry defeated Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 265, and undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov is returning from injury.
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“I would love to see any of those fights,” Cruz said. “I’ve been loving watching Morales fight. To me, he’s just been really fun to watch because he has such an unconventional style, to me. He’s just a brute. He’s just the guy who comes over to you and hits you on top of the head and it’s like, ‘How is he doing this?’ It doesn’t look super technical all the time, but he always gets it done, and he’s so powerful.
“He covers distance so much, he kind of reminds me how Yoel Romero used to cover so much distance with power and explosiveness. He kind of has that athleticism and feel to me, but without the wrestling background obviously. He’s got very strong hips. He’s hard to take down. It would be very interesting to see how he does against Makhachev. But against any of those guys (in the top five) would be awesome to watch.”
To hear more from Cruz, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst: Michael Morales can challenge Islam Makhachev’s strength
