Vince Morales vs. Colby Thicknesse

Round 1
After a tough loss for the local in the last bout, Thicknesse (8-1; 1-1 UFC) will try to reignite the Aussie faithful against Morales (16-10; 3-8 UFC) in this bantamweight prelim. Dan Movahedi is the referee. Both men are in orthodox stance, and Thicknesse reaches out and touches Morales’ guard with an immediate high kick. Morales is pressing the issue, marching forward and crowding the lanky Australian. Morales swings his way into the pocket and backs Thicknesse to the fence. Thicknesse changes levels and Morales counters with a front headlock. Thicknesse pops his head out and grabs a guillotine choke of his own, falling to his seat near the fence. Morales pulls his head out of danger and stands over Thicknesse. Thicknesse explodes up and moves to Morales’ back, sinking his hooks and looking for a choke. Morales shakes him off over the top, but Thicknesse follows him beautifully, snaring him in a triangle choke. Morales fights the hold, rolling over, and Thicknesse switches to a triangle armbar. It’s big trouble again, but Morales keeps working, doesn’t panic, and after a few tense moments, escapes. Thicknesse bails on the submission attempt but takes top position and starts dropping punches. Thicknesse takes Morales’ back with under a minute to go and is fishing for a choke. Morales fights off the attempts and sweeps to top position with 30 seconds to go. The round ends with the American in half guard. 10-9 Thicknesse.

Round 2
Morales is on the front foot once again to start Round 2, throwing punches and forcing Thicknesse to back off. Thicknesse circles, refusing to be corralled against the fence. Morales pops his man with a nice jab, then counters a low kick with a solid right hand. A minute in, Thicknesse grabs a snatch single-leg, but Morales hops away and frees his leg with ease. Morales seems to have the sharper hands here, as he is landing clean single strikes and getting away unscathed. Thicknesse throws a body kick, then lands a spinning back elbow when Morales catches his leg. Thicknesse cliches, takes an overhook and tries to throw Morales, but Morales is wise to it. They stumble to the fence together and Thicknesse takes Morales’ back standing. He can’t secure the position, however, and Morales moves away from the fence. Morales catches Thicknesse coming in with a couple of good punches. Morales counters a front kick with a right hand. Under 30 seconds to go, and they exchange glancing shots until the horn. 10-9 Morales.

Round 3
They touch gloves to open the final round and Morales comes forward swinging. Thicknesse stands his ground and fires off a kick to the midsection. Morales counters with punches. Morales takes the center of the cage and Thicknesse throws a spinning elbow that comes up badly short. Morales is dialed in with his boxing, landing two-handed combinations that aren’t carrying a ton of power, but are accurate. Thicknesse is not giving back much on the feet, missing with single overhand power shots. They clinch near the fence and Morales tosses Thicknesse to the canvas, then declines to follow him down, instead letting him get back up. Morales catches Thicknesse with a short right hand that wobbles him badly. He gives chase, swarming with punches, then grabs a front headlock and attacks with a guillotine choke. Thicknesse survives, scrambles away but gives up his back. Morales takes back mount and fights for a rear-naked choke. There’s under a minute left, but Thicknesse is calmly fighting the choke. Morales gives up on the choke and returns to his feet, dropping a few final punches before the horn. 10-9 Morales (29-28 Morales).

The Official Result
Colby Thicknesse def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Colby Thicknesse vs. Josias Musasa
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Musasa (-160); Thicknesse (+130)

Round 1
For most of the fights tonight, the matchmaking set a regional athlete against someone from elsewhere in the world. That trend continues in this bantamweight tilt, as Thicknesse (7-1, 0-1 UFC) reps the Down Under in a classic matchup of Australia vs. the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Musasa (8-1, 0-1 UFC), who calls himself “The K.O. Wizard,” will do everything in his power to channel that nickname and magically spark someone. Referee Jim Perdios draws the charge for this matchup, and they decide not to touch gloves to get started.
Musasa comes out with pressure, and Thicknesse is the one who strikes first with a quick head kick. Musasa takes a second kick upside the head and bashes “Slickness” with a heavy left hand. Thicknesse hits the deck and scrambles to get back up, where Musasa is chasing after him looking for bombs. Thicknesse spins with a kick, and Musasa pushes through it and smashes him in the jaw with another mighty left hand. Thicknesse takes a second huge left and whips two hooks back at his foe, but the power advantage is stark. Thicknesse circles on the outside and lumbers in behind a right hand, and Musasa reddens his nose with his power punches. Thicknesse pursues a takedown, getting a body lock and trying to trip the Congolese fighter up. Musasa keeps his balance and leans against the cage, but a second effort from Thicknesse drags the fight down to the canvas. Thicknesse does not need long to get to full mount.
Musasa flat on his back, he starts taking serious punishment from the Aussie, who is beating him down with punches and elbows. Musasa tries to scramble but actually puts himself in a worse position by trapping his own arm beneath Thicknesse’s legs. Thicknesse keeps bludgeoning him, and he turns to set up a mounted triangle but is more interested in ground-and-pound. Musasa bucks his legs up, but Thicknesse shrugs it off and keeps beating Musasa like a rented mule. The punches keep landing for Thicknesse, and Musasa feels it is in his best interest to swing back rather than defend himself. Musasa explodes to his seat, but Thicknesse sees an opening and wraps up a bulldog choke. Musasa offers a thumbs-up multiple times as his face starts to turn purple from the submission, and he miraculously survives it to the horn.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse

Round 2
Musasa appears mad as a hornet after taking all that damage at the end of the round, as he lashes out with looping punches and whipping low kicks. Thicknesse does not like taking those kicks, and he gets in the pocket to trade. This is not in his best interest either, so he lowers himself down and shoots in on the hips of “The KO Wizard.” Musasa shoves him away and walks him down, where he plants a front kick in the face of the Australian. Musasa ducks under a strike coming his way and unloads with a hefty elbow, and he catches Thicknesse cleanly with another elbow and has him reeling. Thicknesse escapes as swelling appears to grow on the right side of his face, and Musasa is unloading on him with full power. Thicknesse desperately goes after a double, leaving his head low between Musasa’s legs to protect it from elbows.
Musasa defends the takedown but is still stuck against the cage taking knees to the thigh, and he offers one or two back. A stern knee to the jaw from Musasa forces another takedown shot, and Musasa somehow takes his back standing during the exchange. They split up, and Musasa connects on the break. The kicks from Musasa have caused some visible damage, as Thicknesse’s left shin is split open and bleeding down his leg. Thicknesse does not register the wound and spams knees when he gets back into the clinch, and uses the close proximity to move to a double. Musasa’s short strikes also bust open Thicknesse’s nose, which starts pouring blood down his face and chest. Thicknesse breaks with a spinning elbow, and the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Musasa
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Musasa
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Musasa

Round 3
The bantamweights tap gloves to greet one another after 10 minutes of close combat. They trade leg kicks, and then hurl body kicks at the same time. Musasa slips a punch and cannot get out of the way from a low kick, so he advances and snaps the head back with two punches. Thicknesse fires off a front kick that drills Musasa square in the groin, and the Congolese fighter goes down in a heap. You can’t get kicked much harder to that spot, and Musasa knows it and appears to dry heave once or twice. Thicknesse drops to his knees as Perdios calls time, and Perdios knows there is nothing he can do or say to make the agonizing pain go away. Musasa needs over a minute to even get back to his feet, but he cannot stand on his own power and falls to his seat. Shaking his head and trying desperately to recover, Musasa is able to stand. Musasa asks if he can take a bathroom break, and Perdios laughs him off. Musasa still has a few minutes to go, and Perdios tells him to take the time he needs. Musasa bounces on his heels and again mentions that he needs to urinate. Perdios tells him to do so after the fight, and Musasa leans against the cage wall and is still feeling it. Thicknesse, who was on his knees the whole time respectfully while Musasa recovered, gets up at the four-minute mark and starts pacing. Musasa signals that he is good to go, and after 4:20 of a break, they resume combat—with about four minutes left in the round.
Kicks fly from both sides, as they are not afraid of another landing low. Musasa winds up a monster right hand and belts Thicknesse with it, and Thicknesse slumps forward and tries to go after a takedown. Musasa wants nothing to do with it and he connects with a heavy body kick. Thicknesse reels and shoots for a takedown, doggedly chaining attempts together so he does not get punched again. Musasa defends by putting his back against the wall and elbows his man in the side of the head repeatedly.
Thicknesse stays pursuant to a takedown, and Musasa’s defense is holding up but precious seconds are ticking off the clock in a round that could still go either way. Thicknesse moves the pendulum his direction by using a body lock to wrestle Musasa to the floor, and he secures full mount when hitting the ground. Thicknesse lands a few ground strikes, and those lead to several more when he postures up. Thicknesse clubs and batters Musasa for the remainder of the round, and Perdios watches on as Musasa is tough and can take it. The final horn sounds, and we go to the judges in what still could be a fairly close one.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse (29-28 Thicknesse)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Musasa (29-28 Musasa)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse (29-28 Thicknesse)

The Official Result
Colby Thicknesse def. Josias Musasa via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Colby Thicknesse vs. Aleksandre Topuria
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Topuria (-410), Thicknesse (+320)

Round 1
A surprising rivalry has developed from this preliminary pairing completely consisting of men making their promotional debuts. Representing Australia, Thicknesse (7-0, 0-0 UFC) will receive cornering from ex-champ Alexander Volkanovski. He will be facing off against Topuria (5-1, 0-0 UFC), younger brother of Ilia Topuria who is also in his corner. This proxy battle at 135 pounds takes place under the watchful eye of referee Jim Perdios, and it starts with the fighters tapping their fists together. Topuria is the initial aggressor, pawing away a front kick to crowd Thicknesse towards the cage. Thicknesse swings hard and shoots for a faked takedown attempt, and he surprises Topuria with a jump knee. Topuria keeps his guard up to block a high kick, and he stalks Thicknesse down looking to unload with something. Thicknesse jabs out with a front kick, and Topuria marches ever forward to release a right hand. Thicknesse looks for another takedown entry, and Topuria ignores it and keeps stalking forward. Thicknesse tries to back him off with a head kick and some jabs, and a body kick finds its home under the guard. Topuria follows a jab with a right hand, and he takes a pair of body kicks flush for his efforts. Thicknesse chips away from his preferred range with kicks, hopping away from jabs and nearly catching Topuria with a head kick. Topuria tries to tie him up, but Thicknesse is away with his guard up to not get cracked. Topuria rushes him, looking for a clinch and absorbing a pair of knees before Thicknesse shoves him away. Topuria gives chase, staying smart enough to not walk into a big strike. Thicknesse jumps forward with a knee and follows with a head kick, but “El Conquistador” is not amused. Topuria slings a single right hand that smashes into the side of the jaw, sending Thicknesse squirrely but not putting him on the canvas. Thicknesse smartly fights out of the danger rather than getting desperate, and Topuria is not selling out for anything. A step-in knee gets through for Thicknesse, who darts in and out before a counter reaches him. Topuria walks him down and digs a few body shots before wrenching Thicknesse down to a knee. Topuria suddenly hits a mighty belly-to-back suplex, dropping Thicknesse on his head before the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Topuria
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Topuria
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Topuria

Round 2
The fighters clap hands before engaging, and Topuria is once more the one putting the pressure on early. Thicknesse scoots to the side, only to absorb a thumping leg kick and a left hook. Thicknesse hops to the side and does work on either side of Topuria’s lead wheel. Thicknesse pecks with jabs and low kicks, and one hits the cup to force a momentary stoppage. Topuria appears no worse for wear and gets back to it, firing off a flashy wheel kick that skims the side of the head. Topuria’s head movement is slick as he dodges a flurry of punches, where only Thicknesse’s body kick getting off. Thicknesse whips a kick off the raised guard, and when he plants his leg down, Topuria slams his shin into it. Thicknesse tries to hand-fight his way forward, only to get beaned with a right hand over the top. Thicknesse is warned for outstretched fingers a few times, and he absorbs a pair of low kicks without responding. Thicknesse shoots for a double, pushing Topuria against the cage but only landing a knee before the break. Topuria smiles at him, shrugging off two kicks so he can let fly a jab. Thicknesse turns his leg out in time to check a kick, and he leans back to narrowly evade a haymaker. Thicknesse tries his own home run punch, but it is the sharper, straighter attack that tends to connect. Topuria walks into a right hook after a few jabs, and he parries a front kick and smashes a right hand on the solar plexus. Thicknesse no-sells the strike and resets to jump in with a knee and a right hand. Thicknesse ducks a huge right hand to go for a takedown, with the defense from the Georgian holding up well. Thicknesse climbs back upright, and Topuria walks him down with a big right hand that pops into the guard. They peck at one another with jabs until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Thicknesse
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Topuria
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Topuria

Round 3
The last round kicks off with Thicknesse loading up with a body kick. When he tries for a takedown, Topuria easily slides around to the side and then gets hold of him from behind. Thicknesse scoots his way to the fence despite Topuria’s hands clasped around his waist, thwarting Topuria’s subsequent efforts to wrestle or throw him. Thicknesse breaks out of the tie-up and spears Topuria with jabs and follow-up right hands. Topuria shakes it off and stuffs a double-leg entry, and he again gets hold of Thicknesse from the back during a scramble. Thicknesse defends with a kimura to sweep, and Topuria steps over it to establish top position in side control. Thicknesse uses a rubber guard to wrap his left leg up for a setup, but Topuria is wise to it and flattens the American out. Thicknesse gets Topuria back to his guard, and he hooks his arm and leg around Topuria’s neck with an unorthodox submission grip that could be considered a modified arm-triangle choke from his back. Topuria shakes it out and steps into half guard, and he stays heavy with a potential arm-triangle of his own as fans lambaste him for the grappling. Thicknesse twists and works to his knees, wall-walking before suddenly rolling over to escape. Topuria shuts it down by not stopping the somersault, but by being exactly where he should be to establish top position. Thicknesse throws his legs up wildly for one last desperate submission, but Topuria grinds him out with a bit of ground-and-pound until the match comes to an end.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Topuria (29-28 Topuria)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Topuria (30-27 Topuria)
Devin Tejada scores the round: 10-9 Topuria (30-27 Topuria)

The Official Result
Aleksandre Topuria def. Colby Thicknesse via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)