One can only imagine the pressure that sat on Daniel Morales' shoulders as he made his way to the ring for his GLORY 38 SUPERFIGHT SERIES CHICAGO welterweight showdown with Pawel Jedrzejczyk.
Morales, of Mexican heritage but Chicago born and raised, debuted on GLORY 27 CHICAGO and lost a decision. Two more appearances - back to back fights with Francois Ambang - also saw him on the losing end of decisions, taking his record in the organization to an unflattering 0-3.
Had he lost here tonight in front of his home crowd, no doubt it would have signalled the end of his GLORY tenure. Not only was he fighting for personal pride and the pride of his home soil, his very career was on the line. He set the tone with his ring entrance, wearing the head-dress and full length regalia of an Aztec warrior of old.
Jedrzejczyk was also in search of his first win in GLORY, which meant a dogfight was on the cards. They met in the middle of the ring seconds after the opening bell sounded, and they stayed toe-to-toe for the entire three rounds that they fought.
Morales' boxing background was evident in his sharp head movement as he slipped Jedrzejczyk's punches and then counter-attacked. In the past Morales has relied almost entirely on his hands but recent training camps in the Netherlands have rounded out his game and given variety to his arsenal.
From his GLORY 27 debut until GLORY 38, his fourth outing, Morales has worked hard and shown constant improvement. That dedication was rewarded tonight with his most polished performance in the GLORY ring. Jedrzejczyk fought hard but it was Morales' night and he was not to be denied.
Daniel Morales (1-3) def. Pawel Jedrzejczyk (21-8-1), Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
