Preview: UFC 266 Prelims

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Featherweights

NR | Omar Morales (11-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. NR | Jonathan Pearce (10-4, 1-1 UFC)

ODDS: Morales (-152), Pearce (+132)

Morales has some obvious talent, but it is still a bit difficult to know what to make of him as a prospect. Morales impressed in winning a contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, and has mostly lived up to that performance in the two years since. He is a tall striker who has usually able to isolate himself from his opponents’ offense while firing back with big single strikes in return. It is an impressive base on which to build, but any hype for Morales as a future title contender is dulled a bit upon the realization that he is approaching his 36th birthday and, despite his sparse pre-UFC record, made his professional debut nearly a decade ago. Still, Morales should be a fun and successful fighter for as long as he remains on the UFC roster, and a surprising cut to featherweight has gone well enough after two fights. A loss in 2020 to Giga Chikadze has aged quite well, and Morales put on a one-sided performance in a victory over Shane Young in March. Morales looks to build on that momentum against Pearce, who is coming off of his first UFC win.

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Pearce is typically a high-activity fighter who eventually likes to wade in and overwhelm his opponent. That did not work out well in his 2019 UFC debut, which resulted in a shocking loss to Joe Lauzon in sudden fashion. However, Pearce’s last bout against Kai Kamaka III showed off much more of what “JSP” can do, as he eventually found his way to a second-round stoppage on the ground. At featherweight, a lot of Pearce’s advantages come from his size and length, which makes Morales—one of the few 145-pounders who can match him in size—a tough opponent. While Pearce likely will not consent to the Sanford MMA rep’s slow pace, Morales should be able to land hard and keep the fight standing if his counterpart decides to start pursuing the takedown. The pick is Morales via decision.

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