Vince Morales Expects Louis Smolka to ‘Bring out the Dog’ in Him at UFC on ESPN 31

Vince Morales will attempt to bring the fire to the Octagon in his upcoming sixth appearance under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner. Morales (10-5, 2-3 UFC) will lock horns with UFC vet Louis Smolka in the first clash on the UFC on ESPN 31 card. Many things have changed in Morales’ life in the past year after he switched camps and moved to Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, Nevada. In a recent interview with Sherdog, the 31-year old expressed his desire to showcase his improvements in his next battle.

“Skill-wise, I like the matchup,” he said. “Smolka is a tough dude. I know he has had something like 15 or something UFC fights, which is awesome. Those are the kind of guys I want to fight. They’ve been around for a minute, they’ve fought some of the best guys in both divisions because they used to fight at flyweight as well. I’m excited for it. I think he’s just enough of a dog that it’s going to bring that out of me as well. I think we’re going to have a really fun fight. I was half expecting his 15 fights to put us a little higher up on the card, but they just released the bout order, and we’re like the first fight. It’s OK. I get to go out there, handle the business and enjoy the rest of the card.”

In his latest fight, “Vandetta” snapped a two-bout skid by taking a unanimous decision over Drako Rodriguez in their 135-pound affair at UFC 265. While he got a much-needed victory, Morales vocally expressed his frustration about how the match played out as it was a bit below his expectations. He now believes that the Smolka matchup is more suitable to put on an entertaining clash for the fans.

“Everything I’ve seen of Smolka, he likes to get in people’s faces and he likes to be there. He likes to make sure his presence is known. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do to him. I’ve actually trained over at Team Oyama in California. Not with [Smolka] directly, but with some of those guys in the past. I know how coach Oyama feels about his guys, in the mindset that he tries to instill in them. I think Smolka is a good example of that. I think he’s going to come out there and we’re just going to get after it, which is great. This is what I’m looking for. I’m trying to get tested, I’m trying to bring out the best in myself, and I think he’s somebody that can do that.”

Morales also commented on some of his teammates’ recent performances, discussed his victory over Rodriguez, revealed what he had to sacrifice to make weight, and more.

(00:00) Intro
(00:38) Moving to Syndicate MMA
(01:43) Commenting on teammates Natan Levy and Joanne Wood’s performance at UFC Fight Night 198
(03:40) Looking frustrated after his victory over Rodriguez
(05:22) Taking on Louis Smolka at UFC on ESPN 31
(08:08) Sacrificing some things he loves to make weight
(09:43) Picking Rob Font vs. Jose Aldo
(10:58) Outro

Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.