[autotag]Michael Morales[/autotag] passed his biggest UFC test to date in under 5 minutes Saturday.

On the UFC on ESPN 62 main card, Morales (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) finished seasoned veteran [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] (29-12 MMA, 22-11 UFC) with ground-and-pound punches at 4:39 of the first round at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The finish came after Morales outmuscled Magny to the canvas and worked to a dominant position. He postured up and when Magny turned his back, Morales rained down ground-and-pound until referee Dan Miragliotta intervened.

Ecuador's Morales, 25, remains unbeaten in his career. Other notable UFC wins prior to Saturday's contest include Jake Matthews, Max Griffin, and Trevin Giles.

Magny, 37, continues his streak of alternating wins and losses – a pattern that has stretched eight fights, dating back to March 2022.

The up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 62 results include:

• Michael Morales def. Neil Magny via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 4:39

• Gerald Meerschaert def. Edmen Shahbazyan via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:12

• Francis Marshall def. Dennis Buzukja via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

• Zach Reese def. Jose Medina via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Viacheslav Borshchev def. James Llontop via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

• Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Josiane Nunes via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 27-30)

• Wang Cong def. Victoria Leonardo via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 1:02

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 62.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC on ESPN 62 video: Michael Morales pummels Neil Magny for merciful stoppage