Chase Morgan Ram At The Fights interview on welterweight title win

In the Chase Morgan Ram At The Fights interview on Millions, Morgan said he stopped the same opponent he beat in his debut to win an amateur welterweight title in Kentucky. He wants to defend the belt but is also considering turning professional, and he has no next fight booked. The win carried a personal dedication to a black belt professor who had recently died.

What did Chase Morgan say about his amateur welterweight title win and a possible defense?

Chase Morgan said his title-winning rematch was tougher than his first meeting with the opponent, who came ready to wrestle and threw hard punches. Morgan stopped him after roughly a round and a half, avoided significant damage and would like to defend the belt, though he has not ruled out turning professional.

A rematch with a stronger wrestler

Morgan had beaten the opponent in his debut. Between their meetings, he said, the other fighter put together a three-fight winning streak in a different promotion. Morgan expected a difficult return bout and credited the opponent and his team for bringing everything they had.

The change Morgan felt most clearly was in the wrestling exchanges. His own background is heavy in grappling, but he said the opponent gave him more to deal with on the mat this time and also landed hard punches on the feet. Morgan credited his boxing training and blocking for protecting his face. After the adrenaline wore off and he took a couple of days to assess himself, he said he had no injuries to report.

Defending the belt or turning professional

The new title has not settled Morgan’s next move. He said he feels healthy, has potential challengers in mind and would enjoy defending it. He also wants to consider a professional debut rather than commit to a defense immediately.

Morgan connected that preference to the champions he has watched in the UFC. Explaining why a defense appeals to him, he put it simply:

That's what champions do.

For now, he wants to appreciate the win, reflect and pray about the decision. He did not name the fighters he has in mind or announce a title defense.

How did Chase Morgan move from college wrestling to Brazilian jiu-jitsu?

Chase Morgan started wrestling at 13 because his family encouraged him to do it, then wrestled in college after finding success in high school. After college, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym opened in his hometown, giving him a new way to build on his wrestling and drawing him toward MMA.

Starting wrestling at 13

Wrestling was a family activity before Morgan chose to pursue fighting. He said his relatives brought him into it with the expectation that he would get tougher and improve. His high school wrestling led to an opportunity to compete in college, where he continued developing the grappling base he now uses in MMA.

The jiu-jitsu gym that opened after college

When Morgan returned home after college, he spent about a month considering what to do next. Around that time, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym opened in his hometown. He said the people running it had moved from Florida, and he began learning a ground game that differed from the wrestling he knew.

One of his earliest classes stayed with him: a coach demonstrated a choke from mount and called it a blood choke. Morgan was fascinated by both the technique and the unfamiliar terminology. He became focused on combining wrestling and jiu-jitsu, a task he said he still works on every day.

He also uses grappling competition to stay active between MMA fights. Morgan said he typically walks around at about 185 pounds and competes at that weight in grappling, while his MMA fights are at 170. Those matches give him competitive repetitions and a similar mental test without taking another MMA fight.

How did Chase Morgan and Chance Morgan build Fearless Wrestling?

Chase Morgan and his twin brother, Chance Morgan, run wrestling sessions through Fearless Wrestling for students aged six and up. The effort grew from a summer camp arranged with their high school coach into a club room where young wrestlers can train while the brothers continue their own martial arts work.

From a summer camp to a club room

Morgan said he and Chance had challenged each other throughout their lives. While Chase was a junior in college, the brothers discussed returning home to teach and help their community. They approached their high school coach, who suggested starting with a summer camp and seeing whether people came.

The camp went well enough to lead to their own club room. Morgan said they usually hold wrestling sessions once or twice a week and leave the door open to students who want to improve. A couple of the young wrestlers attended his title fight, and he valued being able to hug them afterward.

What coaching gives back to Morgan

Teaching helps Morgan retain lessons from his own coaches because he has to pass them on. The exchange also works in the other direction: when a young wrestler catches him with a technique he has not encountered before, he takes it as a reason to sharpen his own wrestling.

What did Chase Morgan say about RAF and its wrestling matches?

Chase Morgan said RAF gives wrestling visibility and opportunities he did not see while growing up. He was especially interested in seeing Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida compete, and he discussed the Colby and Arman main event as the kind of close match he enjoys watching.

Frankie Edgar, Clay Guida and the main event

Morgan called RAF’s work good for wrestling because more people can now see the sport. The Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida matchup appealed to him because of their UFC history. He also followed the main event closely and described Arman as a forward-pressure wrestler.

Close contests are part of the appeal for Morgan. He said that, from watching college wrestling, he is used to matches in which small exchanges matter. He also remembered watching Nathan Thomas Elo win a national title when Morgan was young.

When does Chase Morgan want his next fight?

Chase Morgan has no next fight booked. Speaking only days after his title win, he said early January could be a good time to return, but he wanted to enjoy the result and thank his supporters first. He is also interested in competing for other promotions to gain exposure.

A return to winter training

Morgan expects the urge to compete to return when he gets back into a winter training routine. Wrestling season has made those months familiar to him: he described running in the snow and working through the cold rather than treating winter as time off.

He also wants to stay ready if an opportunity appears. After the fight, Morgan enjoyed a Coca-Cola and put sugar back in his diet, but he said he did not want to overdo it and make the return to training harder. Being available for another fight matters more to him than a long break from his usual habits.

Who did Chase Morgan dedicate his title to?

Chase Morgan dedicated his amateur welterweight title to a black belt professor who had recently died. He said the professor’s influence remained with him during the fight and recalled a visit from Punta Gorda, Florida, to West Virginia that brought his coaches and their students together.

During that visit, the professor taught at their gym for about a week. Morgan said the professor’s students are now his coaches, making the connection part of his continuing training rather than only a memory of the visit.

At the end of the week, Morgan watched the professor be baptized by his professors in an ice bath outside the gym. He remembered the professor speaking beforehand about feeling a calling. For Morgan, dedicating the belt was a way to honor both his instruction and a personal moment he had witnessed.

Who is Chase Morgan?

Chase Morgan is an amateur MMA fighter from Ripley, West Virginia, who competes in the welterweight division. He has a college wrestling background and trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.