Gilbert Burns showed up to fight last night (May 17, 2025) in the main event UFC Vegas 106 opposite unbeaten Ecuadorian prospect, Michael Morales.
“Durinho” entered riding a three-fight losing streak, sure, but those defeats came to the Top 3-ranked contenders on the 170-pound roster. He showed up in visibly better shape and said all the right things in the lead up, giving himself the look of a veteran contender who fully intended to return to the win column. When the fight got rolling, none of the hesitancy that cost him dearly versus Sean Brady was on display. He was throwing strikes and committing to his punches with bad intentions, even landing a good handful of counter shots on his younger foe.
None of it mattered in the slightest.
I don’t like the term “Size Bully” as a pejorative, but it feels accurate if used as a verb here: Morales’ size bullied Burns last night. He took an overhand and a couple clean left hooks to the jaw, and his countenance didn’t shift. A perfectly-timed “Durinho” double-leg just barely managed to trip him to the floor, then Morales calmly stood back up and went back to being the hammer.
There was a very clear transition a couple minutes into the fight where Morales decided that Burns couldn’t hurt him, and obviously he could hurt the Brazilian. As soon as that gear shifted, Morales was chasing Burns around, stunning him left-and-right with looping combos. It wasn’t brilliant technical boxing, but Burns still ended up bloodied in a heap within 90 seconds (watch highlights).
Morales’ finest attributes, size and athleticism, were on full display. He towered over Burns at the start then stalked him with that absurd 79 inch reach. The thing about a 170-pounder having the limbs of a Light Heavyweight is that it’s impossible not to get touched by him in the pocket. Burns tried to keep his head off the center line, but that’s way too much arm to dodge entirely without full-on sprinting in the opposite direction.
We’ve seen previous Morales’ opponents avoid exchanges at all costs, and while it’s a possible path to survival, it’s not going to win any scorecards. As it stands, Morales is an exceptionally dangerous prospect, fully capable of flooring any man at 170 who opts to trade with him.
There’s definite championship potential here.
The question is how long can Morales compete at the weight class? He’s only 25 years old, which is the perfect age to destroy one’s own body by extracting every drop of water and then still perform at an elite level 36 hours later. Anybody who’s experienced a hangover in their late 20s versus college days can tell you, however, that the body doesn’t recover quite so efficiently forever.
Morales’ title bid feels like a race against the clock. He hasn’t missed weight or performed poorly yet, but isn’t it inevitable to some degree? We’re talking about a fighter the same height as Kamaru Usman, but with longer arms and a much thicker lower body. When “Nigerian Nightmare” was on the rise, he felt like the biggest, strongest Welterweight since Anthony Johnson (who barely counts), and Morales is bigger! Just comparing Morales to his peers, it’s obvious he’s cutting massive amounts of water even if he’s still consistently hitting the mark.
At some point, the rooster always comes home to roost. Morales will either miss the 170-pound limit, get chinned by an innocuous strike, or gas terribly after a round of fighting. It eventually happens to everyone who drains themselves substantially to gain the untouchable advantage of being massive.
The question is whether or not Morales can capture a title first.
For complete UFC Vegas 106 results and play-by-play click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
