Michael Morales is in the welterweight rankings if he wins against Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 62

LAS VEGAS – (autotag)Michael Morales(/autotag) is hoping to have a number next to his name soon.

The UFC welterweight prospect wants a spot on the UFC’s official roster if he takes care of business this Saturday at UFC on ESPN 62. Morales (16-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) fights Neil Magny on the main card of the event, which takes place at UFC Apex. He sees this return as a perfect opportunity to make a statement and rank among the best in the division.

“Magny is someone who has a long career in the UFC,” Morales said in Spanish at the UFC on ESPN 62 media day. “I respect him a lot, and that’s why he’s been able to stay at the top and in the rankings. I’ve studied him a lot , more on his losses than anything, but I’m still trying to learn from my rivals. I want him to take advantage of every weapon I have against him. I hope, like me, he fights great and gives it his all.

“What I want is to get into the rankings. I want to keep going up and up my game. I feel like I’ve matured in the last few months and I’m not going to let this opportunity slip away. I’m going to try and knock him down.”

Magny (29-11 MMA, 22-10 UFC) is one of the most experienced fighters on the UFC roster. Morales, who is undefeated in his MMA career, wants to not only defeat Magny, but also show off some new tools added to his game.

“I didn’t get to show my jiu-jitsu and grappling, more defensively, but I didn’t have much offensively,” Morales said. “I think I’m going to change my style a bit. I think it’s going to be mostly on the feet, but I also want to take advantage of the fact that people are taking him down a lot, and he’s mainly holding his opponents and not looking to finish their backs.

“I’m going to use all my tools, but the fight is going to be mainly about cardio. So we’ll see what happens. I’m going to show who the man is there.”

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For more on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub for UFC on ESPN 62.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Morales sees himself at welterweight if he wins against Neil Magny at UFC on ESPN 62