Coach Raul Arvizu: UFC contender Michael Morales still far from prime

Watch out welterweights. Yes, Michael Morales is unbeaten and already in the UFC official rankings, but he’s yet to scratch the surface of his potential.

Raul Arvizu, head-coach at Entram Gym in Tijuana and coach of Morales (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), thinks his pupil is not even halfway in his MMA development, and that’s why he sees him with plenty of potential of one day wearing UFC gold. From Ecuador but fighting out of Mexico, Morales has cemented himself as one of the most promising fighters today in the UFC. Arvizu thinks more is to come.

“To this day, I’m telling you, Michael is about 40 percent of what he can be, maybe 45, 48 percent of what he can be,” Arvizu told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “He can improve a lot more in his striking, his jiu-jitsu. I want him to have a level of Mexican boxing that’s professional, and get him to black belt in jiu-jitsu. I want him to have those tools. He’s just 25, and I think we’re two to three years away from his prime.”

Arvizu trained and got Brandon Moreno to win the UFC flyweight title, fighting out of his gym in Mexico several years ago. He’s also gotten many other fighters to the UFC, and is very used to seeing what it takes to compete at the highest levels. Yet, despite all his years of experience, Arvizu assures he’s never seen anyone as physically gifted as Morales.

“I’ve never trained anybody like him, never,” Arvizu said. “Sometimes I train someone and I ask them to do a handstand and they can’t. Michael gets on his hands, walks around, does flips – he’s extremely athletic. I’ve never trained anyone like him. I’ve trained Mexicans that are tough and hit hard and are strong, but Michael is something else. It’s incredible to witness.

“I can say I’m a great coach, but the truth is that working with Michael just makes you look good. I usually don’t choose fighters based on their athletic ability, more on their work ethic, but it’s good to have someone like that.”

Morales has been linked to fight former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 314 in Miami, but the promotion has yet to make the bout official.

As of now, Arvizu is happy with the where Morales is at in his development. He thinks there’s way more room for growth, but already sees him good enough to start competing with the top 10 of the UFC welterweight division.

“Michael is very complete,” Arvizu said. “He has heavy hands, good wrestling. His jiu-jitsu hasn’t really been shown, but it’s not bad at all. I try to get my fighters as complete as possible. That’s what I like to do. … Michael is so athletic that you teach him something for one or two months, and he has it for life.”