Trevin Giles’ move down to welterweight from middleweight stemmed from an interaction he had with current 170-pound champion Karamu Usman.
“I met him one time and he was my size at 185; I was 185 at the time,” Giles told UFC.com. “He was the same size as me, he had more muscle mass and stuff and I looked at him and I was like, ‘Man, he’s making 170; he’d be a problem at 185, but he is down there at 170 killing it.’ I looked at him and I was like I have to make the move.”
Giles admitted that he was unsure heading into the weight cut for his bout at UFC 270 but said that the weight is falling off easier than expected. Being able to drop down to middleweight gave Giles a little bit of a confidence boost since he feels that he’ll be able to move easier at 170 pounds. There was always a sense of curiosity as to what he could accomplish at welterweight.
“I knew if I could lose fat and have more muscle and really maximize my athleticism and not give up a weight advantage – because I was small at 185 – I just wondered how that would be,” Giles said. “I did pretty well at 185, now not having such a weight disadvantage, I’m just curious how everything would play out.”
His first test at welterweight is a fighter that will be making his UFC debut after competing on Dana White’s Contender Series, Michael Morales. The 22-year-old is currently undefeated with 12 victories.
Giles has been competing in the UFC for four years, therefore he knows better than anyone not to underestimate any opponent, especially the ones that are stepping into the Octagon for the first time.
“He has put in his work, he belongs here, and he is hungry,” Giles said. “These are some of the most dangerous fights. When I first came in, my first two fights were knockouts, I came in and I was whooping these guys and you’re hungry coming in, you have something to prove. This will be his first UFC fight, he is on a big event, he’ll be in front of fans. He is going to come out and be his best.”