When the boxing trainer, who helped mold Mike Tyson into a destroying machine alongside Cus D’Amato, makes a point, you listen. Even though the point may have to do with a recent UFC fight, his analysis remains just as valuable. After Michael Morales’ dominant first-round TKO victory over the veteran Gilbert Burns at UFC Fight Night 256 in Las Vegas, renowned boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas couldn’t help but liken the young welterweight’s build & power to some of boxing’s most terrifying punchers—Tommy Hearns, Deontay Wilder, Alexis Arguello, Carlos Zárate, and Bob Foster.
The 25-year-old Ecuadorian entered the fight undefeated, boasting a 17-0 professional record. Known for his calculated aggression and reach advantage, Michael Morales had skillfully decimated his other opponents to make his way to the top of the UFC, ultimately being chosen to headline a UFC Fight Night. However, 38-year-old Gilbert Burns, a former title challenger, posed the biggest challenge yet for Morales.
The bout began with both fighters feeling each other out, but Michael Morales quickly took control with sharp jabs and rangy strikes. About two minutes in, he started finding his rhythm, clipping Burns with precise counters. Almost one and a half minutes into the first round, Morales dropped Burns with a devastating right hook, followed by a barrage of ground-and-pound. Seeing Burns fall to the floor, the referee stepped in as Burns could no longer intelligently defend himself.
Soon after the fight, Teddy Atlas posted the reel of the technical knockout on Instagram along with his expert analysis in the caption. “Michael Morales has all attributes of great punchers, tall & wiry, gets leverage/torque. And eyes to see right spots,” he noted. Atlas likened the young welterweight’s build & power to some of boxing’s most explosive punchers—Tommy Hearns, Deontay Wilder, Alexis Arguello, Carlos Zárate, and Bob Foster—all known for their explosive, rangy power and ability to end fights in the blink of an eye.
Teddy Atlas’ praise holds weight given his decades-long career in boxing. The comparisons aren’t just flattery—Michael Morales’ ability to generate torque, stay composed, and find precise openings under pressure mirrors the style of lanky knockout artists like Hearns and Wilder. Unlike many brawlers, Morales displays a rare blend of patience and killer instinct—traits essential to longevity at the elite level. His physical build—long limbs, wiry frame—gives him mechanical advantages in striking, especially against shorter opponents like Burns.
This victory, his sixth straight in the UFC, also earned Morales a second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus. With his TKO win over Gilbert Burns, he continues his climb up the UFC’s welterweight ladder. All eyes will be on whether Morales can evolve from a promising talent into a dominant force, perhaps even etching his name alongside the legends he was compared to.
The precise fighting style that Teddy Atlas is talking about here—something he sees in Michael Morales as well—is something even a well-known UFC commentator has spoken about at length previously. According to him, it is as rare as they come.
Joe Rogan echoes Teddy Atlas’ take on Tommy Hearns and Deontay Wilder
Joe Rogan isn’t just a UFC commentator—he’s a student of combat. And in an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with comedian Joey Diaz, he offered an electrifying breakdown of Tommy Hearns’ fighting style that doubled as a masterclass in unconventional technique and biomechanics. In doing so, he likened the legendary “Motor City Cobra” to Deontay Wilder, pointing out their freakish blend of wiry frames and explosive knockout power. “Tommy Hearns was kind of like Deontay Wilder—both thin and muscular at the same time,” Rogan said, watching fight footage of Tommy Hearns knocking out Jose Cuevas in the second round of their 1980 fight. “Look—he’s measuring him with his left… watch this… he’s measuring… and watch this—boom!”
What Rogan zeroed in on was Hearns’ precision and his uncanny ability to maximize force through reach, timing, and subtle positioning. Hearns didn’t rely on traditional high-guard fundamentals that traditional boxing coaches insist upon. Instead, he weaponized space and deception. In another conversation with Andrew Santino, Rogan dissected the style again, stating, “The way Tommy Hearns used to fight. He kept his left hand low—really low—and the right hand cocked. And he would snap that left hand at you like a f**kin’ cobra, man. Just crack!”
This low-lead stance defied the gospel most boxing gyms preach—“hands up, chin down,” Rogan said. Basically, Tommy Hearns broke the mold. By keeping his left hand down, he created a visual misdirection. Opponents often misread the distance or assumed he was open. That illusion gave Hearns a fraction of a second advantage—and when you have that kind of reach and torque, like Michael Morales, a fraction is enough to end a fight.
Rogan added, “He had so much torque because he was really wide… really long and wide for a welterweight. You look at him at 147 pounds—I think he was probably like six-two and just shredded.” That frame—tall, lean, elastic—wasn’t just aesthetic. It was a mechanical advantage, allowing Tommy Hearns to turn every punch into a whip-like explosion. His right hand didn’t just land—it detonated.
Joe Rogan’s commentary wasn’t just nostalgic; it was reverent and technical. He recognized what made Hearns so dangerous wasn’t brute strength, but how his physical structure and unorthodox rhythm came together in a way that traditional boxing couldn’t teach. Hearns wasn’t just fighting, he was hacking the system—something Michael Morales is getting exceptional at doing, exactly like Teddy Atlas noted in his comparison.
The post Teddy Atlas Makes Bold Hearns, Wilder Comparison After Undefeated UFC Star’s TKO Win appeared first on EssentiallySports.