Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales at UFC Fight Night 256 | Preview & Prediction
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The main event at UFC Fight Night sees unbeaten rising star Michael Morales put his 100% record on the line against veteran Gilbert Burns in what should be an incredibly entertaining finale
Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales Facts
What time are Gilbert Burns and Michael Morales expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 256? UFC Apex, Nevada, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 256? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 256
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 256 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 256? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 256 main card
Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales (Welterweight)
Paul Craig vs Rodolfo Bellato (Light Heavyweight)
Sodiq Yusuff vs Mairon Santos (Lightweight)
Dustin Stoltzfus vs Nursulton Ruziboev (Middleweight)
Julian Erosa vs Melquizael Costa (Featherweight)
Gabriel Green vs Matheus Camilo (Lightweight)
UFC Fight Night 256 prelims
Jared Gordon vs Thiago Moises (Lightweight)
Luana Santos vs Tainara Lisboa (Women’s Bantamweight)
Yadier Del Valle vs Connor Matthews (Featherweight)
Elise Reed vs Denise Gomes (Women’s Strawweight)
Park Hyun-sung vs Carlos Hernandez (Lightweight)
Tecia Pennington vs Luana Pinheiro (Women’s Strawweight)
Gilbert Burns vs Michael Morales prediction
Gilbert Burns (22-8) has shown signs of slowing down in recent fights as he has lost his last three and slipped out of title shot contention into eighth in the welterweight rankings.
The Brazilian has struggled against the rising stars in the division as he has fallen short against Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady.
He has lost five of his last eight and if we delve into his victories, those have come against fighters on the way down in Stephen Thompson, Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal. Other losses have come at the hands of Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev and it is clear that the 38-year-old is on the decline.
He now faces another rising star in Ecuadorian Michael Morales (17-0) who has continued his fine form from the regional circuits into the UFC. He won in Dana White’s Contender Series back in September 2021 and has won all five of his bouts in the Octagon.
12 of his 17 wins have come by knockout as he possesses good power but he also has the stamina and work rate to go the distance too. The 25-year-old, 13 years Burns’ junior, will not be phased by this main event taking place over five rounds.
Morales is the big favourite coming into this one and it is hard to like such an inexperienced operator at those odds. However, it is hard to like Burns who has struggled to cope with younger opponents in recent years. Expect Morales to get the win and like the KO/TKO in the latter rounds too.
Prediction: Michael Morales to win by KO/TKO
