Vince Morales is a long way from Idaho, and a long way from the humble wrestling roots that led to where he stands now, on the cusp of his UFC debut.
Stepping in for an injured Frankie Saenz on less than three weeks’ notice, Morales (8-2) meets Yadong Song (13-4, 1 NC) on the main card of UFC Beijing on Saturday.
The 28-year-old had a chance to compete in front of Dana White on the second season of the UFC president’s Contender Series, butended up losing via second-round submission to Domingo Pilarte after badly rocking Pilarte at the end of round one.