Ultimate Fighting Calendar
Welterweight3 rounds scheduled
RESULT

Michael Morales def. Nikolay Veretennikov (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 3 · 5:00
Nikolay Veretennikov
Gladiator
14-8-0
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
UFC Apex Centre, Las Vegas, United States

Michael Morales defeated Nikolay Veretennikov by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Welterweight bout of Dana White's Contender Series 40, held Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at UFC Apex Centre, Las Vegas. The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, Michael Morales won the decision.

Fight stats

Michael Morales
Nikolay Veretennikov
0
Knockdowns
0
53 of 121
Significant strikes
52 of 79
44%
Sig. strike accuracy
66%
92 of 168
Total strikes
67 of 94
4 of 8
Takedowns
0 of 3
50%
Takedown accuracy
0%
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
5:30
Control time
1:06
Significant strikes by target
38 of 99
Head
28 of 52
5 of 7
Body
16 of 19
10 of 15
Leg
8 of 8
35 of 93
Distance
41 of 67
3 of 7
Clinch
4 of 5
15 of 21
Ground
7 of 7
Strikes by position and target
Michael Morales
HeadBodyLeg
Distance21/724/610/15
Clinch2/61/10/0
Ground15/210/00/0
Nikolay Veretennikov
HeadBodyLeg
Distance23/4610/138/8
Clinch2/32/20/0
Ground3/34/40/0

Judges' Scorecards

Total2928
Total3027

The commission did not release round-by-round scores for this fight.

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Frequently asked questions

Who won Michael Morales vs Nikolay Veretennikov?

Michael Morales defeated Nikolay Veretennikov by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Welterweight bout of Dana White's Contender Series 40, held Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at UFC Apex Centre, Las Vegas. The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, Michael Morales won the decision.

What were the judges' scorecards for Michael Morales vs Nikolay Veretennikov?

The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, Michael Morales won the decision.

Referee
Mark Smith
Time format
3 Rnd (5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison

Win probability

Michael Morales 60%40% Nikolay Veretennikov

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCalendar Power Index ratings. See the full Power Index

Fight DNA

Head to head

UFCalendar's style model · Welterweight roster (258 fighters)

Michael Morales
Knockout Artist
7 edges
Nikolay Veretennikov
Knockout Artist
4 edges
PowerSpeedPrecisionDurabilityEngineWrestlingGround

Radar scaled to this matchup · bars show the gap

Style shape

95Power96
93Speed96
98Precision81
87Durability78
73Engine70
45Wrestling64
68Ground71

Biggest edge Nikolay Veretennikov, Submissions +37

Attribute by attribute

Michael Morales is on the left of every row, Nikolay Veretennikov on the right.
99Punch power93
90Kick power98
98Punch speed95
88Kick speed96
98Accuracy81
45Takedowns64
94Ground striking63
42Submissions79
82Chin79
92Body strength77
73Cardio70

Attributes are rated 0-100 by UFCalendar's style model.

Tale of the Tape

19-0-0
Record
14-8-0
1735
Power Index rating
1661
8
Win Streak
0
27
Age
36
6'0"
183 cm
Height
6'1"
185 cm
79"
201 cm
Reach
74"
188 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Welterweight
Weight Class
Welterweight
Ecuador
Nationality
Kazakhstan

Style Matchup

-
vs
-
Michael Morales

No background on record

Camp Entram Gym · Ecuador

Nikolay Veretennikov

No background on record

Camp Kings MMA · Kazakhstan

Striking Profile

5.68
SLpM
2.74
49%
Str. Acc.
56%
3.26
SApM
3.43
53%
Str. Def.
47%

Grappling Profile

1.04
TD Avg.
0.40
41%
TD Acc.
16%
89%
TD Def.
62%
0.00
Sub. Avg.
0.40

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Michael Morales · 5-0
  • W
    VeChain UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev · Nov 15, 2025
    TKO · R1 · 3:27 · Welterweight
  • W
    UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Morales · May 17, 2025
    TKO · R1 · 3:39 · Welterweight
  • W
    UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Borralho · Aug 24, 2024
    TKO · R1 · 4:39 · Welterweight
  • W
    UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Craig · Nov 18, 2023
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Welterweight
  • W
    UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs Magomedov · Jul 1, 2023
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Welterweight
Nikolay Veretennikov · 2-3
  • L
    UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa · May 16, 2026
    TKO · R1 · 3:31 · Welterweight
  • W
    UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira · Feb 7, 2026
    TKO · R1 · 1:42 · Welterweight
  • L
    UFC 320: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 · Oct 4, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Welterweight
  • W
    UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 · Jul 19, 2025
    Split Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Welterweight
  • L
    UFC Seattle: Cejudo vs Song · Feb 22, 2025
    TKO · R2 · 4:13 · Catchweight

Career Averages

Based on 8 fights · 7 fights
51.1
Avg sig. strikes
29.1
0.63
Avg takedowns
0.29
1:06
Avg control time
0:42
84
Career high strikes
56
4
Career high TDs
2

Strike Distribution

Michael Morales
Strike target
Nikolay Veretennikov
79%
Head
51%
7%
Body
38%
14%
Leg
11%
Michael Morales
Strike position
Nikolay Veretennikov
76%
Distance
74%
6%
Clinch
19%
18%
Ground
7%