Chris Gutierrez vs Vince Morales

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Chris Gutierrez	0	31 of 86	36%	61 of 119	1 of 1	100%	0	1	0:42
Farid Basharat	0	41 of 110	37%	56 of 126	2 of 2	100%	0	0	3:27

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Chris Gutierrez	0	3 of 7	42%	27 of 32	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
Farid Basharat	0	9 of 24	37%	23 of 39	1 of 1	100%	0	2:39
2	Chris Gutierrez	0	9 of 33	27%	11 of 35	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
Farid Basharat	0	20 of 48	41%	21 of 49	0 of 0	---	0	0:13
3	Chris Gutierrez	0	19 of 46	41%	23 of 52	1 of 1	100%	1	0:42
Farid Basharat	0	12 of 38	31%	12 of 38	1 of 1	100%	0	0:35

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Chris Gutierrez	31 of 86	36%	18 of 63	0 of 3	13 of 20	30 of 85	0 of 0	1 of 1
Farid Basharat	41 of 110	37%	19 of 75	5 of 11	17 of 24	39 of 104	0 of 0	2 of 6

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Chris Gutierrez	3 of 7	42%	1 of 2	0 of 1	2 of 4	3 of 7	0 of 0	0 of 0
Farid Basharat	9 of 24	37%	2 of 9	0 of 3	7 of 12	7 of 20	0 of 0	2 of 4
2	Chris Gutierrez	9 of 33	27%	2 of 20	0 of 2	7 of 11	9 of 33	0 of 0	0 of 0
Farid Basharat	20 of 48	41%	11 of 36	3 of 4	6 of 8	20 of 48	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Chris Gutierrez	19 of 46	41%	15 of 41	0 of 0	4 of 5	18 of 45	0 of 0	1 of 1
Farid Basharat	12 of 38	31%	6 of 30	2 of 4	4 of 4	12 of 36	0 of 0	0 of 2

Farid Basharat vs. Chris Gutierrez
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Basharat (-440), Gutierrez (+340)

Round 1
Two bantamweights on the way up will meet in a bout shifted down to the early prelims for some reason, even though the victor may have a number next to their name on Monday. Gutierrez (22-6-2, 10-3-1 UFC) will likely be fighting behind his many kicks, while “Ferocious” Basharat (13-0, 4-0 UFC) has yet to taste defeat in the cage. Referee Herb Dean will take care of business, and the fighters gladly bump fists before engaging.
What results early on is a whole lot of shadowboxing, feinting and faking to find their respective range. The first strike committed to is a spinning back kick from Basharat about 90 seconds in, and Gutierrez pays it no mind and keeps raising his leg up to serve as a shield. Basharat kicks his way into a takedown shot, and his double-leg entry succeeds in bringing Gutierrez to the floor.
Basharat gets busier than the few athletes from earlier tonight that have taken the fight down, but it does not take long for Gutierrez to shut him down from much more. Basharat postures up and drives down a right hand, and it is one-and-done as he gets swallowed up in the guard. Gutierrez maintains a high guard, it seemingly active enough to stave off much offense. Basharat scores another ground strike or two, but he is much more interested getting to half guard. The upkicks from Gutierrez allow him to push Basharat off of him, only for the man born in Afghanistan to climb back on top and ride out the slow round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Basharat
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Basharat
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Basharat

Round 2
Basharat runs out of his corner but stops right in the center of the cage, not willing to go much further ahead. This allows Gutierrez to lobby kicks at him, although Basharat’s punches that he sits down on are much more effective. Gutierrez fakes spins to draw Basharat off-guard, and he punches through the raised hands to scores a straight left. Gutierrez chips at the lead leg from his preferred range of distance kickboxing, and Basharat meets him with one or two back before swinging with a big left and a high kick on the other side to get the American’s attention. Gutierrez blocks a wide overhand right and kicks the lead wheel again, with Basharat offering back a hefty body kick.
Basharat splits the guard with a huge one-two that staggers Gutierrez, and he backs off to celebrate his success. Basharat hurls looping strikes, and a front kick surprises the kickfighter. Gutierrez replies with a spin kick to the ribs, and Basharat gathers his thoughts and sits down on a power right hand. Basharat ties them up against the fencing, and Gutierrez separates without much issue. Gutierrez fakes to spin a few times, and Basharat leaps at him with a jump knee that does not find the mark. A Rolling Thunder kick from Basharat punctuates the round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Basharat
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Basharat
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Basharat

Round 3
The bantamweights meet in the middle, and Basharat strikes first with a calf kick. Gutierrez hammers him back with a low kick and a combo of punches, and he gets Basharat’s attention. The pressure from the American has surprised Basharat, who is on his heels and on the verge of being taken down. Gutierrez wrenches his man down to the floor, and holds him down from behind without tossing much. Basharat powers back to his feet and throws everything he has into a monster left and right, and Gutierrez dances out of the way without absorbing anything. Basharat pitches a left hand around the guard, and he just misses a spin kick. Basharat’s one-two skims off his intended target, and his spin without a kick just makes him twirl around aimlessly. Gutierrez scoops in a heavy left hook, but it is a single strike and what follows are feints.
Basharat drops to his knees and commits to a picture-perfect explosive double, scooping Gutierrez up and slamming him down to his back. Gutierrez gives his back up standing, and he shimmies Basharat off of him to put the Brit on his back now. Basharat scrambles to his knees and dives for a single-leg takedown, and Gutierrez lets him up and pushes off to fake spin weakly with a back fist. Basharat tries to keep him at bay with a push kick, and he takes a left hand and fires off a body kick that glances the cup. Gutierrez adjusts his athletic supporter and just manages to block a spinning wheel kick, and he crashes the pocket for two punches. Gutierrez reaches his foe with a spinning back fist, and his front kick after it appears much more effective. They both swing for big hooks and crash into one another, and a Gutierrez spin goes wide. Gutierrez knocks Basharat off his feet with a shovel right hand as seconds remain on the clock, and time expires before he can do anything with his opponent on his back.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez (29-28 Basharat)
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez (29-28 Basharat)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez (29-28 Basharat)

The Official Result
Farid Basharat def. Chris Gutierrez via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Sep 28, 2025 (6 days before fight)

Farid Basharat

Angelo sees Farid Basharat as the better fighter everywhere, with underrated striking and very good wrestling. He notes Chris Gutierrez has wrestling holes, having been taken down seven times in his last four fights. He thinks Farid's takedown defense and movement will be key, and that Gutierrez's leg kicks might not be enough to slow him down. He considers the 4-to-1 odds appropriate.

"Fared is an underrated striker, a very good wrestler. I think he can beat Chris Gutierrez everywhere. I think he likely wins this fight."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Oct 2, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Farid Basharat

Big Brady is very confident in Farid Basharat, calling him a massive favorite at -450. He criticizes Chris Gutierrez as a boring fighter who relies on leg kicks and has poor takedown defense and get-up game. He notes that Gutierrez has been taken down by lesser wrestlers, and Basharat has a massive advantage in wrestling and grappling. He predicts Basharat wins by decision.

"Give me Farid Bosat. I think he wins this fight by decision."

DFS by the Numbers

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Oct 3, 2025 (1 day before fight)

Farid Basharat

Connor agrees with Zane, picking Basharat because Gutierrez has shown he cannot handle persistent pressure, as in the Pedro Munhoz fight. He notes that Basharat's real skill is taking openings given to him, using strikes to set up takedowns, and that Gutierrez's frustration will mount. However, he cautions that Basharat has never applied the relentless pressure of Munhoz and may need to adjust to Gutierrez's frustrating style.

Basharat opened at -600, currently -450; Gutierrez opened at +450, currently +350. Connor comments: 'Basra, way too big a favorite here. This is a much more difficult test than most he's faced to this point.'

"I think Basra is going to go out there and pressure and wrestle him... I think Basra is that's exactly what he wants to do."

MMA Vivisection

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Oct 4, 2025 (fight day)

Farid Basharat

Basharat's grinding game is expected to be effective against Gutierrez, who is a fish off his back. The host expects Basharat to be competitive in striking and mix in wrestling for a decision victory.

"I believe this is a perfect stylistic matchup for Basharat to go out there and get to his grinding game as most opponents have struggled to deal with it. Specifically, Gutierrez, who is a fish off his back."

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Oct 1, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Farid Basharat

The MMA Guru picks Farid Basharat, citing his offensive grappling and mixing of strikes. He notes Chris Gutierrez's vulnerability to takedowns and lack of finishing ability. He predicts a 29-28 decision.

"I'm going to go with Farid Basharat getting this one done by 29-28 decision."

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Oct 3, 2025 (1 day before fight)

Farid Basharat

Zane picks Basharat because he believes Basharat's pressure and wrestling will break Gutierrez, who has a history of emotional breakdowns when fights get difficult, as seen against Pedro Munhoz. He notes that Basharat's game allows for connective pressure, and even if Gutierrez frustrates him early, Basharat's versatility will eventually overwhelm Gutierrez's neutralization game.

Basharat opened at -600, currently -450; Gutierrez opened at +450, currently +350. Zane comments: 'Basra, way too big a favorite here. This is a much more difficult test than most he's faced to this point.'

"I think Basra is going to go out there and pressure and wrestle him... I think Basra is that's exactly what he wants to do."

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs John Castañeda

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC on ESPN: Machado Garry vs. Prates · Apr 26, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Chris Gutierrez	1	46 of 85	54%	65 of 112	0 of 2	0%	0	0	0:39
John Castañeda	0	41 of 77	53%	76 of 118	1 of 1	100%	0	0	4:50

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Chris Gutierrez	1	9 of 16	56%	19 of 29	0 of 0	---	0:37
1	John Castañeda	0	6 of 17	35%	17 of 29	0 of 0	---	1:58
2	Chris Gutierrez	0	29 of 50	58%	29 of 50	0 of 1	0%	0:00
2	John Castañeda	0	23 of 43	53%	23 of 43	0 of 0	---	0:00
3	Chris Gutierrez	0	8 of 19	42%	17 of 33	0 of 1	0%	0:02
3	John Castañeda	0	12 of 17	70%	36 of 46	1 of 1	100%	2:52

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Chris Gutierrez	46 of 85	54%	20 of 50	5 of 9	21 of 26	44 of 81	0 of 1	2 of 3
John Castañeda	41 of 77	53%	16 of 34	8 of 13	17 of 30	36 of 71	5 of 6	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Chris Gutierrez	9 of 16	56%	4 of 9	1 of 1	4 of 6	7 of 13	0 of 0	2 of 3
1	John Castañeda	6 of 17	35%	1 of 3	1 of 3	4 of 11	6 of 17	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Chris Gutierrez	29 of 50	58%	11 of 25	3 of 7	15 of 18	29 of 50	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	John Castañeda	23 of 43	53%	13 of 26	4 of 6	6 of 11	22 of 41	1 of 2	0 of 0
3	Chris Gutierrez	8 of 19	42%	5 of 16	1 of 1	2 of 2	8 of 18	0 of 1	0 of 0
3	John Castañeda	12 of 17	70%	2 of 5	3 of 4	7 of 8	8 of 13	4 of 4	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

John Castaneda vs. Chris Gutierrez
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gutierrez (-130), Castaneda (+110)

Round 1
Both fighters normally bantamweights, the short-notice nature of this rescheduled tilt shifted it up 10 pounds to featherweight. It was originally scheduled for UFC 313, only to fall through on Fight Night when Castaneda (21-7, 4-3 UFC) suffered a fight-scratching illness. Ready to finally get in there, Gutierrez (21-6-2, 9-3-1 UFC) as his shins sharpened and ready for combat. Joining the two fighters in the cage will be referee Keith Peterson, who reaches the cage after bouncing nonsense from the premises. They clap hands, and Gutierrez comes out throwing kicks from both legs. Castaneda backs off all the way to the fence, moving side to side to not present a stationary target. Castaneda attempts his own low kick, aiming a second on the inside when the first succeeds. Gutierrez rips the inner thigh back with a kick, and Castaneda switches stances briefly. Gutierrez slips a punch and works the front calf, and he parries three of four punches but gets caught with the fourth on the nose. Gutierrez’ kicks keep Castaneda moving, who is constantly trying not to get nailed with a head kick, a spin kick or something else fired his way. Gutierrez steps in, tosses a kick to the ribs and trips. Castaneda’s eyes light up, as he jumps down to claim top position uncontested. Castanada steps into half guard, flattening Gutierrez out while exerting his body weight down. The audience does not love the relative inaction with the wrestling, audibly letting the fighters know of this. Gutierrez gets some space using butterfly hooks to push off the hips, and he grabs one of Castaneda’s ankles while searching for upkicks. Gutierrez decides to just stand up, and Castaneda seemingly lets him back up without issue. Gutierrez thanks him for this with a straight right hand down the pipe, sending “Sexi Mexi” to the ground in a heap. As Castaneda lays on his side defending himself, time expires before Gutierrez can get the finish he was seeking.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez

Round 2
The fighters clap hands to re-engage, and Castaneda swings with everything he has into a reintroductory right hand. Gutierrez needs a moment to recover, and he gathers his thoughts and lets loose with a spinning wheel kick that misses the mark. Gutierrez kicks his foe so hard in the front leg, he puts Castaneda on his seat. Castaneda climbs back up, directly into a crippling low kick that makes him limp almost immediately. Gutierrez sells out for a big punch, and Castaneda meets him with his own at the same time. Castaneda strikes the body and head, circling away before Gutierrez can get to him. Castaneda goes wide with a wheel kick, and when he lands, he reaches out with a long left hand. Castaneda chips at the front leg with a kick, and Gutierrez actually shoves him away rather than striking him. Gutierrez pump-fakes a spin, and he checks a kick and has his guard up to prevent Castaneda from getting off on him. Gutierrez sneaks out a left hand, and he again fakes a spin. Castaneda does not bite and instead loads up on a right hand, and Gutierrez frowns at him. Castaneda gives chase, walking through kicks to his lead leg and a few punches. The two proceed to trade it out from close range, and Gutierrez slams his shin on the inside of his foe’s lead leg to give him brief pause. Gutierrez kicks the outside of the leg, and Castaneda responds in kind. Gutierrez probes out with a jab and a step-in knee, and Castaneda has to shake out the cobwebs but is forced to deal with jabs and leg kicks when doing so. They both land straight punches at the same time, and Gutierrez shoots for a single-leg takedown suddenly. Castaneda grins at him and hammers him with two heavy hooks, and Gutierrez is quick to abandon the shot. Castaneda goes high with two kicks that are blocked, and Gutierrez bloodies his nose up with a right hand at the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez

Round 3
The fighters are so amped up to get going again, Peterson has to tell them to back off before he says go. When he does, they do not hang back, and instead engage with one another in close range. Both men land cleanly on one another, and Gutierrez has to back off and disengage rather than keep letting hands fly. Castaneda’s wheel kick effort bounces harmless off the guard, but when he plants his leg, he is able to score three low kicks in rapid succession. Gutierrez flicks out a few jabs, and Castaneda kicks him once more. Gutierrez punches his way into a clinch, and he abandons the level change when the leverage is not right. Castaneda slings a kick to the body, and Gutierrez comes out swinging and misses the mark. This allows Castaneda to grip hold of his foe and push him against the fencing, all while looking for a trip. Castaneda elects to lift Gutierrez all the way in the air, slamming him down on his back hard. Castaneda smothers his foe on top, moving to side control to not let Gutierrez go anywhere. Gutierrez tries to scramble, and Castaneda responds with a guillotine choke with one arm while using his body weight to press on him. Castaneda lets it go and lands a few punches, and Gutierrez drags him back to the closed guard. As Gutierrez fights off the grappling and pushes off, Castaneda kicks him in the legs a few times when his foe stands. The horn sounds, and the fight is over.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda (29-28 Gutierrez)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda (29-28 Castaneda)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Castaneda (29-28 Gutierrez)

The Official Result
Chris Gutierrez def. John Castaneda via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Apr 20, 2025 (6 days before fight)

John Castañeda

Angelo picks John Castañeda, believing his pressure wrestling will neutralize Chris Gutierrez's leg kicks. He notes that Gutierrez was taken down by Quang Le and that Castañeda's Division 2 wrestling and forward pressure will keep the fight in close range, preventing Gutierrez from planting and kicking. He is waiting for better plus money odds.

Waiting for odds to improve; may bet at +125 or +130

"John Castanada is the pick and a lot of that has to do with just the pressure."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Lean picked Apr 22, 2025 (4 days before fight)

Chris Gutierrez

Big Brady leans toward Chris Gutierrez, citing his leg kicks and better striking, but expects a close fight typical of Gutierrez. He notes Gutierrez often wins on thin margins and predicts a competitive decision. He expresses low interest in the fight and mentions the line at -140 makes sense.

"Give me Chris Gutierrez by a competitive decision. The line at -140 makes a ton of sense to me."

DFS by the Numbers

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Apr 25, 2025 (1 day before fight)

Chris Gutierrez

The host expects Gutierrez to stop takedowns, use calf kicks to slow Castañeda, and then land hands when Castañeda blitzes recklessly, leading to a decision win.

"Look for Gutierrez to touch him up and give us a classic Gutierrez performance, winning this fight on the scorecards."

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Hesitant picked Apr 22, 2025 (4 days before fight)

Chris Gutierrez

The MMA Guru picks Chris Gutierrez, but with hesitation. He likes Gutierrez's low kicks and movement, and notes Castañeda's lack of urgency and flat-footedness. However, he questions Gutierrez's ability to dominate and expects a very close decision. He mentions the big cage favors Gutierrez's movement.

"I think Gutierrez is going to win a very close decision, a very very close decision over John Castanada."

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Quang Le

DEC R3 5:00 · UFC on ESPN: Tybura vs. Spivac 2 · Aug 10, 2024

LOSS vs Song Yadong

DEC R5 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Gutierrez · Dec 09, 2023

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Yadong Song vs. Chris Gutierrez
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Song (-380), Gutierrez (+300)

Round 1
All hands are on deck for what should be action-packed headliner at 135 pounds. The winner should position himself closer to the top of the landscape at bantamweight, although a logjam of title suitors still sits in front of them. Whether they need one more win or five to get to the top of the mountain, Song (20-7-1, 1 NC; 9-2-1 UFC) and Gutierrez (20-5-2, 8-2-1 UFC) are ready to take that next step by going through the other. Striking totals and the power behind them will likely be high, so referee Herb Dean is on high alert for the next 25 minutes or less. When they are brought together, they touch gloves to signal there is no ill will for one another. Gutierrez paws out low kicks more as range-finders than as actual scoring strikes, and Song lunges at him and nods when a fist glances off the side of Gutierrez’ head. Gutierrez suddenly spins with a kick, and Song is well out of harm’s way. Gutierrez flicks a head kick at his foe, and Song is able to block it without concern and sweep the leg in response. Gutierrez prods out with low kicks on both sides of the leg of his opponent, and Song prepares a counter but does not release it when seeing Gutierrez is not committing to the strikes. Gutierrez dips out of the way of a spinning back fist that whizzes past him, and they trade low kicks. Gutierrez uses his kicks as distance-keeping weapons, not putting much into some of them and simply tossing them out to keep Song from closing in recklessly. Song peppers Gutierrez with leg kicks, and Gutierrez lands a few stomp kicks on the knee back. Gutierrez fakes a spin, and then sells out and spins with a fist that rebounds off the gloves. Song slams his shin on the lead leg of “El Guapo,” and he leaps forward with two hooks. The leg kicks prompt a stance switch, and when Gutierrez scores a left hand, Song smiles at him and shrugs. Song then lunges ahead, missing with a punch, but they both drive leg kicks home. Gutierrez kicks the body, and Song waves him on, asking for more. “Kung Fu Kid” races ahead, but he misses with strikes as the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Song
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Song
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Song

Round 2
When the second round begins, the two kick and kick and kick. They trade kicks to the lead leg, Song goes high, and Gutierrez emulates him with one of his own. Gutierrez plants the ball of his foot on Song’s face, and Song grins and laughs it off. Song lashes out, and when he misses, Gutierrez spins with a back fist and partially catches him with it. Gutierrez looks for a second front kick, and Song picks up on it but only partially. Gutierrez chips away with low kicks, and he checks one that comes back at him. Song reaches him with three punches, getting off at the end of one, and Gutierrez bounces away and picks and pokes with low kicks. Song looks to split the guard with a right hand, and Gutierrez kicks his leg out and sends him careening off-balance when Song spins. Gutierrez kicks the lead leg and backs away from a counter, and he pokes out with a front kick. Song tries to crowd him, and Gutierrez parries and evades the blows. Song connects with a few low kicks, and Gutierrez pushes off his face and pokes Song in both eyes. Dean calls time and tells Gutierrez to stop leading with his fingers, and he allows Song to recover. Song tries to hurry back, and Dean gives him more time, but Song wants to fight so they resume after about 45 seconds off. Gutierrez starts up again with his front leg raised, and he chambers and fires it at his foe. Gutierrez circles away from the oncoming offense, avoiding any of the power punches and getting off his own strikes. Song rushes forward, practically tackling Gutierrez to the ground. Gutierrez sets up butterfly hooks to try to sweep his foe from China, and he kicks off Song’s hips but cannot lift him off. Song slowly works with occasional strikes, and Gutierrez looks to throw his legs up with a high guard or something more. Song keeps Gutierrez pressed against the fence, until Dean calls time and issues a hard warning to Gutierrez for grabbing Song’s gloves. Dean resets them in position, and Song rides out the round on top landing right hands.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gutierrez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Song
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Song

Round 3
The two bantamweights touch ‘em up before opening the third round, and kicks are the first item on the menu. Song fires off a high kick, and he shoots in for a takedown. Gutierrez defends it, but he gets popped on the way out with a right hook. Gutierrez lands a front kick, and Song outstretches his hand and a finger jams deep into Gutierrez’ eye socket. Dean pauses the fight and allows Gutierrez to recover. Gutierrez takes 90 seconds and a hand wipe before he is good to go, and they resume. Gutierrez pushes out several front kicks with both legs, interrupting Song’s movement and combinations. Song reaches him with a left hand, and ducks back as Gutierrez spins with a wheel kick. The leg kicks land one after the other for both men, and Gutierrez raises his guard at the right moment to block a left hook that blazes at him. Song sticks out a jab, and Gutierrez answers him with a right hook. Gutierrez kicks the knee and fakes with spins, and the two crash together without landing of note. Gutierrez snaps up a question mark kick that Song mostly defends, and Song tries to make him pay but Gutierrez is well out of the way. Song delivers a stern leg kick that lands with an audible thud, and he tosses up his other leg to Gutierrez’ face—Gutierrez protects himself from it. Gutierrez drops low to change levels, drawing a huge reaction out of Song. Gutierrez fakes another takedown to again make Song think about defending, and he goes up high with a right hand. Gutierrez jabs the lead leg with his own leg, and he gets cornered by the Chinese fighter and skirts away after eating a three-punch serving. Song reaches Gutierrez with a left, and he clubs him with a right before Gutierrez escapes. Song takes a knee up the middle while throwing hands, and he takes a straight right hand after landing a few strikes. Gutierrez slides to the side to let a spinning wheel kick land on his shoulder, and he throws a high kick in response. Song catches it and dumps him to the mat with seconds to go, and Song does not do anything with it as the bell rings.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Song
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Song
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Song

Round 4
The bantamweights reach the championship rounds, and feet are in play before fists. Gutierrez blocks a head kick and takes two low kicks, and he connects with a clean front kick up the middle. Song tries to chase him down and corner him, but it ends with him falling over. Gutierrez spins with a back fist, and when that misses, Song belts him with a huge right hand that shocks him and sends him crashing down to the floor. Song jumps on top, but Gutierrez closes his guard and stifles any further offense from getting through. Gutierrez recovers, as Song resides on top of him without worry. Gutierrez slaps Song on the side of the head as he stays stuck on his back, and Song occasionally gets in a few strikes to keep Dean from standing them up. Song stacks Gutierrez up any time Gutierrez tries to do some finagling of his guard, and Gutierrez claims several strikes land to the back of his head. The strikes from Song, methodical and effective, open up a cut on Gutierrez’ left eyebrow. Song grinds the remainder of the round out, and Gutierrez is extremely frustrated.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Song
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Song
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Song

Round 5
Reaching the last rounds, the two men come together but do not engage quite as quickly as they did before. Gutierrez keeps his range, until out of nowhere he attempts an Imanari roll for a leglock. This is a poor decision, as Song completely bowls him over and gets right back to the position where he ended the last frame. Song has no qualms about smacking Gutierrez around with short punches and a few elbows, all while precious time ticks off the clock for the underdog Gutierrez. Song postures up every so often to hammer down an elbow, and Gutierrez scoots himself back to the wall to try to lean off of it and get up. Song drags him back down and drives home a number of elbows, until Gutierrez desperately turns and pushes his legs off the fencing. Dean warns him for hooking his toes in the fence, and Song celebrates this moment of confusing by punching Gutierrez in the face. With 30 seconds left in the fight, Song opens up with a stream of left hands and hammerfists as he holds Gutierrez in an awkward position. Gutierrez looks for a low-percentage leglock that allows him to get bludgeoned a few more times, and the long five-round engagement comes to a close. There is just one more UFC event in 2023, and it may be one to remember with two title fights and plenty of action fights booked. We will be here for it, and we hope you are too.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Song (49-46 Song)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Song (50-45 Song)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Song (50-45 Song)

The Official Result
Yadong Song def. Chris Gutierrez via Unanimous Decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-45)

WIN vs Alateng Heili

DEC R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza · Oct 14, 2023

LOSS vs Pedro Munhoz

DEC R3 5:00 · UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen · Apr 15, 2023

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Apr 13, 2023 (2 days before fight)

Chris Gutierrez

Connor picks Gutierrez, agreeing that Munhoz has lost his edge since moving to American Top Team. He notes that Munhoz's old Kings MMA style of relentless pressure is gone, replaced by a more tentative approach. Connor believes Gutierrez's consistent output and target selection will outwork Munhoz, who has become too passive and reliant on a jab and footwork that don't suit his natural aggression.

"I think Gutierrez is way too consistent and again not picky about the targets that he accepts at that range."

MMA Vivisection

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Apr 13, 2023 (2 days before fight)

Chris Gutierrez

Zane picks Gutierrez, highlighting his improvement and confidence versus Munhoz's decline. He notes that Munhoz has lost his aggressive, four-limbed attack and become more technical but less effective. Zane believes Gutierrez's volume, kicking game, and ability to attack all targets will overwhelm Munhoz, who has poor defensive footwork and has been vulnerable to leg kicks historically.

Gutierrez opened -230, now -195; Munhoz opened +200, now +173. Zane does not mention betting.

"I kind of just think Gutierrez is going to be too much for him to handle."

MMA Vivisection

WIN vs Frankie Edgar

KO/TKO R1 2:01 · UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira · Nov 12, 2022

WIN vs Danaa Batgerel

KO/TKO R2 2:34 · UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus · Mar 26, 2022

View all 15 fights

Vince Morales - Fight History

LOSS vs Colby Thicknesse

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates · May 02, 2026

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Colby Thicknesse	0	46 of 117	39%	57 of 132	0 of 6	0%	4	1	3:01
Vince Morales	0	48 of 121	39%	56 of 134	2 of 2	100%	0	1	3:34

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Colby Thicknesse	6 of 14	42%	13 of 23	0 of 2	0%	4	1	2:20
1	Vince Morales	5 of 15	33%	7 of 18	1 of 1	100%	0	1	1:44
2	Colby Thicknesse	27 of 54	50%	29 of 56	0 of 3	0%	0	0	0:41
2	Vince Morales	18 of 55	32%	19 of 57	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00
3	Colby Thicknesse	13 of 49	26%	15 of 53	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:00
3	Vince Morales	25 of 51	49%	30 of 59	1 of 1	100%	0	0	1:50

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Colby Thicknesse	46 of 117	39%	15 of 73	21 of 32	10 of 12	43 of 112	3 of 5	0 of 0
Vince Morales	48 of 121	39%	37 of 103	9 of 15	2 of 3	42 of 112	5 of 8	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Colby Thicknesse	6 of 14	42%	2 of 8	2 of 3	2 of 3	5 of 13	1 of 1	0 of 0
1	Vince Morales	5 of 15	33%	4 of 13	1 of 1	0 of 1	4 of 14	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Colby Thicknesse	27 of 54	50%	8 of 30	15 of 19	4 of 5	27 of 53	0 of 1	0 of 0
2	Vince Morales	18 of 55	32%	14 of 47	3 of 7	1 of 1	16 of 52	2 of 3	0 of 0
3	Colby Thicknesse	13 of 49	26%	5 of 35	4 of 10	4 of 4	11 of 46	2 of 3	0 of 0
3	Vince Morales	25 of 51	49%	19 of 43	5 of 7	1 of 1	22 of 46	2 of 4	1 of 1

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

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)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Apr 26, 2026 (6 days before fight)

Colby Thicknesse

Angelo picks Colby Thicknesse due to his wrestling advantage and ability to exploit Vince Morales's poor takedown defense. He notes that Morales is on a three-fight losing streak and tends to fizzle if he doesn't get an early finish. Angelo expects a close fight but believes Colby's wrestling and potential Australian judge bias will secure the win.

"Kobe's going to be the pick. I think we're good there."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Apr 29, 2026 (3 days before fight)

Vince Morales

Big Brady picks Vince Morales to win by submission in the second round. He criticizes Colby Thicknesse's striking as nonexistent and his wrestling as poor, citing low takedown success rates. Brady praises Morales' underrated grappling and front chokes, and expects him to capitalize on Thicknesse's desperation in grappling exchanges.

Morales by submission, round 2

"I'm going to take Vince Morales to win this fight and actually win this fight by submission in the second round."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Hesitant picked Apr 30, 2026 (2 days before fight)

Colby Thicknesse

Cody picks Thicknesse but is hesitant, noting Morales' submission threat. He believes Thicknesse's volume and home crowd will edge a decision, but warns against shooting into submissions.

"I did take Kobe thickness but as far as live underdogs go that I'm not taking but I do believe are definitely a threat yeah Vince is in that category."

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Lean picked May 1, 2026 (1 day before fight)

Colby Thicknesse

Connor picks Thicknesse, noting that Morales is a total head case who cannot stick to a winning strategy. He thinks Thicknesse's doggedness and toughness could cause Morales to overthink and make mistakes. He points out that Thicknesse is hard to finish and constantly scrambles, which might frustrate Morales.

"I just want to say that he is consistently tough and trying to make the fight happen and I think there's a non-zero chance that it might be Alice forgets to continue beating him as you know, it's very true."

MMA Vivisection

Daniel Vreeland Expert Lean picked Apr 29, 2026 (3 days before fight)

Vince Morales

Daniel Vreeland picks Vince Morales to upset Colby Thicknesse, believing Morales is the better fighter despite his poor record. He notes Morales' veteran savvy and submission threat, while Thicknesse's skills are questionable. He admits it's hard to have confidence in Morales.

"I'm actually going to go Vince Morales here to upset Colobby Thickness in Australia."

Half the Battle

Lucrative James Expert Lean picked Apr 26, 2026 (6 days before fight)

Vince Morales

Lucrative James picks Vince Morales to win via decision. He expects a close fight where Morales' experience and striking edge, combined with his ability to get back to his feet after takedowns, will earn him a split decision. He notes Morales is likely the underdog, which adds value.

"I'll go with Vince Morales cuz I think he's going to be the underdog. In a split decision, you want to pick the underdog. So yeah, Vince Morales via decision."

Lucrative MMA

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Apr 28, 2026 (4 days before fight)

Vince Morales

The host likes Morales as an underdog, citing his veteran experience, aggression, and superior grappling. He expects Morales to cut off the cage, keep Thickness from sticking and moving, and eventually win by submission. The host notes Thickness's raw level and that Morales has faced tougher competition.

Submission win

"I like Morales here. I think we're going to see him very aggressive with his submission game as well. And I think that will lead to Morales winning this fight by submission."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Lean picked Apr 30, 2026 (2 days before fight)

Vince Morales

Paul picks Morales as a small underdog, citing his submission threat and Thicknesse's tendency to shoot into chokes. He likes the Morales by submission prop.

submission prop

"I'm going to be taking the best available Morales by subprop and probably calling it a day."

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked May 1, 2026 (1 day before fight)

Vince Morales

The MMA Guru picks Vince Morales as an underdog despite his three-fight losing streak. He believes Morales is better than his record, citing close fights against Elijah Smith and Raul Rosas Jr. He criticizes Colby Thicknesse's performance against Ilia Topuria and a tough fight against an African prospect, suggesting Thicknesse is overhyped.

"I'm going with Vince Morales as an underdog. Okay? I know people are high on Colby Thicknesse."

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Hesitant picked May 1, 2026 (1 day before fight)

Vince Morales

Zane picks Morales despite his headcase tendencies, because Thicknesse is a bad athlete with no discernible skill set. He notes that Morales has a significant technical edge everywhere and should be able to win, but acknowledges that Morales often loses fights he should win due to mental lapses. He thinks Thicknesse's constant errors might give Morales opportunities.

"I got to pick him to win. I shouldn't but like him to this is this is the level where being a quadruple a guy is still supposed to be a guy who generally beats these yeah this level of …"

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Raul Rosas Jr.

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Erceg · Mar 29, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Raul Rosas Jr.	0	20 of 39	51%	26 of 46	4 of 8	50%	0	0	9:38
Vince Morales	0	17 of 31	54%	39 of 53	1 of 1	100%	2	0	2:14

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Ctrl
1	Raul Rosas Jr.	11 of 18	61%	15 of 22	1 of 3	33%	0	3:33
1	Vince Morales	0 of 4	0%	8 of 12	1 of 1	100%	0	0:36
2	Raul Rosas Jr.	5 of 14	35%	6 of 15	2 of 3	66%	0	3:28
2	Vince Morales	11 of 17	64%	17 of 23	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
3	Raul Rosas Jr.	4 of 7	57%	5 of 9	1 of 2	50%	0	2:37
3	Vince Morales	6 of 10	60%	14 of 18	0 of 0	---	2	1:38

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Raul Rosas Jr.	20 of 39	51%	12 of 30	5 of 5	3 of 4	16 of 34	0 of 0	4 of 5
Vince Morales	17 of 31	54%	15 of 28	2 of 3	0 of 0	16 of 30	0 of 0	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Raul Rosas Jr.	11 of 18	61%	6 of 12	4 of 4	1 of 2	7 of 14	0 of 0	4 of 4
1	Vince Morales	0 of 4	0%	0 of 4	0 of 0	0 of 0	0 of 4	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Raul Rosas Jr.	5 of 14	35%	3 of 12	0 of 0	2 of 2	5 of 13	0 of 0	0 of 1
2	Vince Morales	11 of 17	64%	10 of 16	1 of 1	0 of 0	11 of 17	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Raul Rosas Jr.	4 of 7	57%	3 of 6	1 of 1	0 of 0	4 of 7	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Vince Morales	6 of 10	60%	5 of 8	1 of 2	0 of 0	5 of 9	0 of 0	1 of 1

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Vince Morales vs. Raul Rosas Jr.
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rosas Jr. (-375), Morales (+295)

Round 1
As he will likely encounter while literally growing up with the UFC, Rosas Jr. (10-1, 4-1 UFC) faces a foe tonight 14 years his senior. The promotion teed up Morales (16-9, 3-7 UFC), a fighter who has only won three times in 10 UFC appearances thus far, to serve as fodder for the youngster. The best-laid plans of mice and matchmakers often go awry, and there is no such thing as a “sure thing” in this chaotic sport of ours. The bantamweight come together under the watchful eye of referee Mike Beltran and do not touch gloves. Morales takes to the enter of the cage and paws out a jab, and he is met with a front kick to the body and a shin aimed at his chin. Rosas kicks his front leg a couple times, and he shoots for a takedown that Morales easily shucks out of the way. Rosas sprints forward to put two punches on “Vandetta,” and he chains a few more punches together before lifting Morales up in the air and slamming him down in the middle of the Octagon. Rosas lands in side control, not concerned about a feeble guillotine set up by Morales and suddenly searching for a submission. Morales reacts well enough to drag Rosas back to his guard for a second, and Rosas leaps over to the side again. Morales fights with his legs to stifle a mount attempt, and he wraps up Rosas neck with his arms and finds himself in Von Preux choke danger. Morales sees this setting up and releases his own grip to not fall in the trap. Rosas keeps moving, and he allows Morales to get to his knees so he can take the back. Rosas sneaks in a hook and pulls Morales to his side, with Morales intent on turning him about. Rosas forces Morales to turn, not getting his other hook in, and he keeps on the back while continuously threatening. Morales sits up and looks to twist again, and Rosas hooks one leg around him to keep maintaining his position. Morales breaks out of it and pursues a single, and Rosas keeps his body weight down and slams his fist on Morales’ ribs. Morales turns Rosas over and holds his shoulder down on Rosas’ neck, looking for open strikes until Rosas turns to his knees. Morales pursues a necktie submission, gripping it and leaning back to complete it, but time expires before he gets it.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rosas
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rosas

Round 2
Morales comes out of his corner jabbing, and Rosas has his distance-keeping front kick outstretched. Rosas jabs him back, and he walks into a right hand and pays it no mind. Morales loops a right hand around the guard, and he is answered by a low kick. Rosas comes up short with a step-in knee and a punch, while Morales prods him with his jab. Rosas wraps his foot around the shin of his foe, and he gets his head snapped back with a fierce right hand. Rosas backs off, and Morales slings a head kick at him and starts to defend against a takedown he is knows is coming. Still, the youngster presses Morales from one side of the cage to the other, resting his weight on the veteran and looking for a body lock and a trip when the single or double does not materialize. A subsequent effort, a single-leg takedown, allows Rosas to take his man down. Rosas hunts for a back take, sliding a hook in from behind but the second is fought by Morales. Rosas re-settles himself to hang on from a shoulder, and the two keep scrambling until Rosas laces his legs around Morales’ left thigh. Morales rolls his eyes as he is getting controlled without being able to fight back, as Rosas follows his moves and threatens to loop his arm around the chin. Morales defends with two hands on one wrist, and he posts off to get to his feet all while Rosas is still imposing his weight on his back. Morales shimmies and shakes to wrench the youngster off of him, only to get dragged down and put on his back. Morales wags his finger at the conclusion of the round.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rosas
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rosas
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rosas

Round 3
Morales is even more fired up to get to the last round, and he runs at the 20-year-old flailing his fists. Rosas keeps his back to the cage, strafing to the side and into a head kick. Rosas shoots, and Morales sets up a Peruvian necktie and tries to hit it. When that first one does not come together, Morales locks up an anaconda choke and transitions it to a brabo choke while on his back. Without any legs in play, hooked around Rosas’ back or otherwise presenting additional pressure, Rosas is able to stay composed and slowly work his way out of it. Rosas unleashes a powerful elbow when reclaiming top position, and Morales tries to roll out of the predicament and gives his back up. Rosas does not hang onto the back this time and instead lets Morales roll through. Morales hooks the leg to set up some leglock, and Rosas steps over it and puts Morales back on his side. When Morales gets up, Rosas bullies him right back to his seat. Morales is irritated that he cannot get Rosas off of him, and he stands up and uses the fence to his side to scrape Rosas off. Rosas shoots for a single, and Morales attempts a desperation necktie. Rosas turns through it, and Morales fastens a brabo choke again but does not have a lot of time left. Rosas signals a thumbs-up as the choke is pressed on his windpipe, and the match comes to an end.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Rosas)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Rosas)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Rosas)

The Official Result
Raul Rosas Jr. def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Lucrative James Expert Hesitant picked Mar 27, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Raul Rosas Jr.

James picks Raul Rosas Jr. to win but is hesitant due to the minus 400 price tag and elevation concerns. He notes Rosas has cardio issues that could be exacerbated at elevation, while Morales has good cardio and is tough to finish. James thinks Rosas will likely win via submission or decision but cannot recommend betting him at such short odds. He suggests that if Rosas doesn't finish early, he could fade in later rounds.

Prediction: Rosas via submission or decision. Advises against betting Rosas at minus 400 due to cardio and elevation risks.

"I'm going to pick Ral roses Jr to win the fight via submission or decision but there's no way I'm laying minus 400 chalk on this guy."

Lucrative MMA

LOSS vs Elijah Smith

Decision R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues · Feb 15, 2025

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Vince Morales	0	40 of 86	46%	42 of 90	2 of 4	50%	3	2	3:07
Elijah Smith	0	40 of 97	41%	52 of 110	3 of 4	75%	1	2	2:53

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Vince Morales	19 of 40	47%	19 of 40	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00
1	Elijah Smith	19 of 43	44%	19 of 43	1 of 1	100%	0	0	0:17
2	Vince Morales	4 of 5	80%	6 of 8	2 of 3	66%	2	2	2:02
2	Elijah Smith	1 of 5	20%	7 of 12	1 of 1	100%	1	2	2:08
3	Vince Morales	17 of 41	41%	17 of 42	0 of 1	0%	1	0	1:05
3	Elijah Smith	20 of 49	40%	26 of 55	1 of 2	50%	0	0	0:28

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Vince Morales	40 of 86	46%	30 of 74	8 of 10	2 of 2	36 of 81	4 of 5	0 of 0
Elijah Smith	40 of 97	41%	29 of 81	2 of 3	9 of 13	37 of 94	3 of 3	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Vince Morales	19 of 40	47%	13 of 33	4 of 5	2 of 2	17 of 38	2 of 2	0 of 0
1	Elijah Smith	19 of 43	44%	13 of 33	1 of 2	5 of 8	18 of 42	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Vince Morales	4 of 5	80%	4 of 5	0 of 0	0 of 0	4 of 5	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Elijah Smith	1 of 5	20%	1 of 5	0 of 0	0 of 0	1 of 5	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Vince Morales	17 of 41	41%	13 of 36	4 of 5	0 of 0	15 of 38	2 of 3	0 of 0
3	Elijah Smith	20 of 49	40%	15 of 43	1 of 1	4 of 5	18 of 47	2 of 2	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Vince Morales vs. Elijah Smith
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Smith (-180), Morales (+150)

Round 1
Speed kills at the lower divisions, and if their pasts are any indication, Morales (16-8, 3-6 UFC) and Smith (7-1, 0-0 UFC) would like nothing more than to clock out early and go home today. The former, currently on his second stint with the promotion, did just what any savvy fighter should do after a release: go to the regional circuit, rack up a bunch of wins in rapid succession and get a call back to the big leagues. In less than two years, Morales was in, out and in again. Referee Mark Smith will know first whether the decision to bring him back to the roster was a good idea. Gloves are not touched, and Morales is instead the aggressor as he backs Smith up to the cage. Smith presses back with a jab, and Morales dodges and moves while staying in Smith’s face. Smith prods his jabs to chain in an uppercut, snapping Morales’ head back and surprising him. Morales gathers his thoughts and keeps advancing, not cutting his foe off and drawing a finger wag from the newcomer. Smith lets go with a body kick, and when he slides away, Morales kicks him square in the groin. The clacking echo cutting through the arena, Smith collapses to the mat in serious trouble. Smith writhes in pain and slams his fist on the mat several times, and he returns to his feet a minute into the recovery time. Smith lowers himself back to a crouch as he is still greatly struggling to get his wind back, and referee Smith is attentive and giving the fighter updates as to his time. After two minutes and 45 seconds, Smith is ready to fight and claps hands with his foe to restart. Morales gets back to where he left off with pressure, and Smith sits down on a clean left hand counter that makes Morales’ nose match his red hair and shorts. Smith times a jump knee counter to clip Morales on the way in, missing by a matter of millimeters. Morales continues crowding the newcomer, until Smith frames off and his fingers slide into the eye socket. Referee Smith calls in the physician to check on Morales’ condition and help clear his vision, who complains that the poke affected both eyes. Right before the restart, Morales mentions that they are even, and they resume fighting with 2:15 to go in the round. Smith sticks out several sharp jabs to intercept Morales, only to get caught with two right hooks that shake him up. While Smith counters with a check left hook, Morales greets him with a right hand. The jabs of Smith have opened a cut around Morales’ mouth, but he pays it no mind as he hooks his right hand around the jab. Morales jabs his way into a counterattack, and Smith backs him away with a pair of chopping leg kicks. Smith is warned for outstretched fingers again, and Morales may have suffered another uncalled eye poke as he is struggling to blink out his left eye. While he is dealing with that, Smith shoots for an easy takedown he uses to throw “Vandetta” to the floor. What he doesn’t have is time, as the round wraps.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Smith
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Smith

Round 2
The second round begins where the first left off, with Morales directly in Smith’s face putting heat on him. Morales does not crowd in recklessly, keeping his guard up to block a head kick or oncoming jabs. As Smith circles away, Morales catches him with a left hand that forces him to stick around in the clinch. Smith grabs hold of his foe and lifts him up like a Country Breakfast, embodying his inner Matt Hughes to carry his opponent around the cage to his corner. Smith scrambles to take the back, and he wraps up a rear-naked choke that is more of a face crank. Morales works his neck free and scrambles with a kimura sweep attempt to turn himself over. Smith stands up and finds himself stuck on his back suddenly when Morales dumps him to the floor. Morales snakes his arms around the neck to tie up a brabo choke, and he steps over to the side to try to complete the submission. Smith lays flat on his stomach before exploding the wrong direction, keeping himself calm and not exposing himself to greater danger. Morales keeps the choke wrapped up around the neck even as Smith wisely shifts through it, and the younger fighter survives the sub and claims top position. When Morales attempts to stand, Smith looks to drag him down from behind, and this results in Morales setting up another brabo choke. Morales drives a few knees into the chin before rolling all the way through for a Japanese necktie with his legs and arms wrapped up to lock up the unorthodox maneuver. Smith works his way out of the submission and stands up, slapping Morales on the side of the head and rolling through an attempted Morales throw to control him from behind at the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Morales
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Morales

Round 3
The fighters come out firing to open the last round, with Smith whiffing on haymakers immediately. Morales walks forward and feints to draw out reactions, and he strings combinations together as Smith does the same. The pace wanes as Smith does not appear to land these big strikes often, with his sharp, direct strikes far more effective. Smith rips an uppercut that shreds a cut on Morales’ nose, and he times the strike to shoot in for a double that puts Morales on his seat. While Morales works his way up, his nose is bent entirely the wrong direction and leaking all over the mat. There is no quit despite punches likely hurting far more than usual on the shattered nose, and Morales takes them flush and still cruises forward. Morales shoots for a takedown, forces a counter shot and lays on top of Smith’s back to go for a Japanese or perhaps Peruvian variation of the necktie. Morales bails on this sub and sways around to the back, but Smith explodes his way back up. Smith puts fists on face, blood spraying and Morales trying desperately to keep a stiff upper lip. Smith pokes and prods with jabs, and Morales points at the floor as if to lure Smith into a defense-free brawl. When Smith does not oblige, Morales chases after him lobbing big strikes at him. Smith defends a suplex by landing on his hands, and Morales shockingly grabs him from behind and wraps an unorthodox side-naked-slash-bulldog choke under the chin. Smith’s eyes go wide, as the choke is tight even though no hooks are in. Knowing time is on his side, Smith works Morales to the body until time expires.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Smith (29-28 Morales)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Smith (29-28 Smith)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Smith (29-28 Smith)

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

Angelo Bodetti Expert Lean picked Feb 9, 2025 (6 days before fight)

Elijah Smith

Angelo picks Elijah Smith based on his non-stop wrestling, but he is hesitant because Smith is a UFC debutant with only eight fights. He notes that Vince Morales is a dog and has shown toughness. He does not bet this fight because of the uncertainty, but he leans Smith due to his wrestling.

"I am going to pick Elijah because of the wrestling specifically and because of the fact that I know he'll just shoot and then right behind it shoot again but I'm likely going to avoid betting here"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Feb 12, 2025 (3 days before fight)

Vince Morales

Big Brady picks Morales as a dog, arguing Smith is too green with poor cardio and unproven striking. Morales has better cardio and striking, and Smith has slowed down in multiple fights. He notes the line is moving toward Morales, indicating public agreement.

Morales by decision

"give me Vince Morales here as a dog"

DFS by the Numbers

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Feb 15, 2025 (fight day)

Vince Morales

Morales is more well-rounded and experienced. He will wear Smith down in the striking realm and eventually find a submission in the second or third round. Smith has the hardware but Morales gets the vet lesson win.

Morales by submission, round 2 or 3

"I think Morales will be able to wear Smith down stay competitive in the striking realm and eventually get to a submission game... look for Morales to wear Smith down and eventually find the submission in the second or third …"

MMA Lock of the Night

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Feb 13, 2025 (2 days before fight)

Elijah Smith

The MMA Guru picks Elijah Smith over Vince Morales, citing Smith's prospect potential and impressive Contender Series performance. He notes Morales is a tricky veteran but old, and Smith showed grappling ability despite some weaknesses. He believes Smith's talent and UFC contract motivation will carry him.

"I'm going to go with Elijah Smith the prospect over Vince Morales"

THE MMA GURU

LOSS vs Taylor Lapilus

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis · Sep 28, 2024

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Taylor Lapilus	0	94 of 202	46%	99 of 208	0 of 1	0%	0	0	0:10
Vince Morales	0	39 of 141	27%	49 of 154	2 of 6	33%	0	0	3:02

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Taylor Lapilus	35 of 81	43%	35 of 82	0 of 1	0%	0:00
1	Vince Morales	11 of 45	24%	12 of 46	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Taylor Lapilus	30 of 58	51%	31 of 59	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Vince Morales	16 of 41	39%	20 of 46	1 of 3	33%	1:24
3	Taylor Lapilus	29 of 63	46%	33 of 67	0 of 0	---	0:10
3	Vince Morales	12 of 55	21%	17 of 62	1 of 3	33%	1:38

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Taylor Lapilus	94 of 202	46%	63 of 165	24 of 29	7 of 8	80 of 181	14 of 21	0 of 0
Vince Morales	39 of 141	27%	25 of 113	10 of 19	4 of 9	34 of 124	5 of 17	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Taylor Lapilus	35 of 81	43%	23 of 66	6 of 8	6 of 7	32 of 77	3 of 4	0 of 0
1	Vince Morales	11 of 45	24%	6 of 33	3 of 7	2 of 5	10 of 43	1 of 2	0 of 0
2	Taylor Lapilus	30 of 58	51%	19 of 46	11 of 12	0 of 0	25 of 52	5 of 6	0 of 0
2	Vince Morales	16 of 41	39%	8 of 27	6 of 10	2 of 4	13 of 34	3 of 7	0 of 0
3	Taylor Lapilus	29 of 63	46%	21 of 53	7 of 9	1 of 1	23 of 52	6 of 11	0 of 0
3	Vince Morales	12 of 55	21%	11 of 53	1 of 2	0 of 0	11 of 47	1 of 8	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Taylor Lapilus vs. Vince Morales

Round 1
Many have forgotten this, but both Lapilus (20-4, 5-2 UFC) and Morales (16-7, 3-5 UFC) are on their second stints with the promotion. The Frenchman was let go in 2016 despite going 3-1 with the organization, while “Vandetta” is on the rough side of .500 looking up. The bantamweights will be joined in the Octagon by referee Marc Goddard, and they touch ‘em up while he dons his proverbial hard hat. Even in the prelims, the crowd is nearly deafening in support of the French fighter. There is no glove touch, as Lapilus takes to the center of the cage and puts a series of hands on the American. Lapilus ends his combo with a thudding head kick, and Morales pays it no mind. Lapilus goes high with another kick that glances off the shoulder, and a third is close to chin-checking Morales. Lapilus chops at the front calf, and the two are coiled springs ready to release as they stand in front of one another. Lapilus prods out jabs, and Morales reaches him with a right hand over the top. Morales has a kick caught, and he gets tossed to the floor and kicked on his way down. Morales stands back up and delivers a clean uppercut on the chops, only to get met with two sharp elbows from up close. They nail one another with calf kicks as fans are chanting mean things, and the fighters do not slow down from engaging. Lapilus lands first, and he uses his distance strikes to keep Morales off of him. Morales gets off at the end of a left hand, and the audience shifts from saying rude words to singing the French national anthem. Lapilus turns up the heat as the song draws to a close, ringing Morales’ bell with a fast flurry of fists. Lapilus plants a knee to the chest, and a left hand opens a cut on Morales’ right eyebrow. Lapilus drives a one-two down the pipe, and he blocks a high body kick to give two punches and a knee back. Morales drops to a knee and explodes back up before the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus

Round 2
Morales starts the round aggressively, only to walk into a number of quick jabs that rap off his forehead. Lapilus splits the guard with a left hand, and he slips Morales’ punches to back him off. Morales just manages to avoid a high kick as he slides to the side, but he cannot stop a body kick from slamming into his ribs. Morales uses the kick to lift Lapilus off the ground, where he throws the Frenchman to the mat and tries to quiet the raucous crowd. Lapilus stands back up, his back to the fence, and he elbows Morales hard on the dome. Morales responds with a knee, and Lapilus tags him with two more elbows to the cut. Lapilus lets his hands go, walking Morales down with short salvos of feet and fists. Two jabs from Lapilus get through, and Morales scores back. The French fighter scores with a pair of body kicks, and he slips and jumps right back to his feet before Morales can get to him. “Double Impact” drives a double right hand over the top, and he follows the second blow with a left hand and a body kick. Hand-fighting with his opponent, Lapilus times a left hand and a huge knee that smashes into Morales’ face and sends a gob of saliva soaring across the cage. Morales is tough as a stale baguette, not even wavering from the powerful strike. Instead, he comes back harder than before, winging a huge right hand that Lapilus cannot quite avoid. Lapilus absorbs it and fires back, leading to Morales shooting in for a single-leg takedown. Morales wraps up one leg but is unable to ground him, and Lapilus elbows him to force a break and spin away as the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus

Round 3
It takes little more than 10 seconds for Morales to shoot for a takedown, opening the round up by putting Lapilus on the defensive. Morales succeeds in driving the French fighter to the wall, where he elevates Lapilus’ right leg and deposits him to the floor. In the span of a second, Lapilus powers right back to his feet, and he pushes Morales away. As Morales backpedals, Lapilus drives a knee to the liver and puts his hands on Morales’ chin. Lapilus uses his close range to slash at Morales with elbows, and his head movement and footwork keeps him safe from the telegraphed, winging strikes of “Vandetta.” Lapilus jabs with the ball of his foot, sticking and poking with strikes from his preferred berth. Lapilus lands the better of an exchange with a left hook, but Morales connects with his own power punches to get Lapilus’ attention. Four punches get through before Lapilus can make him pay with a knee, and blood flows from the American’s cut once more. Lapilus times a left hand to drive a knee into Morales’ sternum, and Morales desperately responds with a tackling takedown where he pushes Lapilus from one end of the cage to the other. Morales manages to take Lapilus for a ride, lifting him up and slamming him down while landing in a top-side leg triangle out of the Khabib Nurmagomedov playbook. Lapilus does not care about the leg position, exploding upright and surging into action. Two big knees score cleanly for the Frenchman, and Morales knows this is his last time to shine. Morales rushes after Lapilus, putting everything he has into swinging fists. Lapilus absorbs some punishment and doles it out, with the two laying into one another until a clinch ensues. Lapilus pushes out of it, and he spins with an elbow that grazes the melon of “Vandetta.” The match draws to a close, and the crowd is on its feet.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus (30-27 Lapilus)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus (30-27 Lapilus)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Lapilus (30-27 Lapilus)

The Official Result
Taylor Lapilus def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Sep 22, 2024 (6 days before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

Angelo is very confident in Taylor Lapilus. He praises Lapilus's footwork, counter-striking, and takedown defense. He expects Vince Morales to come out looking for an early finish, but Lapilus will weather the storm and piece him apart. The only concern is if Morales has improved like Youssef Zalal did after being cut, but Angelo doesn't think so.

"I think Taylor runs right through him... he weathers an early storm and then pieces Vince apart the rest of that fight."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Sep 27, 2024 (1 day before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

Big Brady picks Taylor Lapilus by decision, noting Lapilus has superior striking and takedown defense. He mentions Morales has been on a good run since being cut but is being brought back against a tough opponent in Paris. He expects Lapilus to win a clear decision with home-cage advantage.

Lapilus by decision

"lapis lapis by decision I think is the the pretty pretty clear pick"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Sep 24, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

Cody picks Lapilus, citing his superior striking and takedown defense. He notes that Morales' wrestling hasn't translated to the UFC and that Lapilus should outpoint him with volume and movement. He expects a unanimous decision win for Lapilus.

"lapas just it may be uh decision it might just be Point fighting from the outside"

Bookie Beatdown

Connor Ruebusch Expert Confident picked Sep 27, 2024 (1 day before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

Connor agrees, noting that Morales is a good regional fighter but not a good UFC fighter. He points out that Morales has a slow pace, can get kicked to hell, and is easy to put on his heels. Lapilus should be able to out-slick him.

"Gotta take Lapolas here."

MMA Vivisection

Daniel Vreeland Expert Confident picked Sep 24, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

Daniel Vreeland picks Taylor Lapilus to win by decision. He thinks Lapilus is a solid striker with good defense and takedown defense, and that Morales is a step below. He notes that Lapilus has been taken down in every UFC fight but has good get-up game. He expects Lapilus to use leg kicks and movement to win a clear decision.

"I think laus win I was like maybe they give us a decent price on laus decision"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Sep 25, 2024 (3 days before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

JP picks Taylor Lapilus because he thinks Lapilus is better everywhere and has power. He notes Morales was released from the UFC in 2022 and came back, which he views negatively. He predicts Lapilus will starch him by KO.

"I think lapis is uh starching him I think he's better on the feet I think he's powerful I like lapis a lot give me a lapolis by KO"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Sep 24, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

Paul agrees, noting Lapilus' excellent get-up game and striking. He believes Morales' wrestling won't be effective and that Lapilus will out-strike him clearly. He expects a unanimous decision.

"lapis should double him up in strikes and uh probably win a very clear unanimous decision"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Sep 24, 2024 (4 days before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

The MMA Guru picks Taylor Lapilus over Vince Morales, describing Lapilus as awkward and tricky to fight. He notes Morales' past UFC struggles and Lapilus' reach advantage despite being shorter. He predicts a split decision win for Lapilus.

"I'm going to go with Taylor laulis getting this one done split the decision"

THE MMA GURU

Zane Simon Expert Confident picked Sep 27, 2024 (1 day before fight)

Taylor Lapilus

Zane thinks Lapilus is a quintessential back-foot counter striker and that Morales will struggle to come forward effectively. He notes that Morales has a fatally flawed game, is susceptible to leg kicks, and fights at a slow pace. Zane expects Lapilus to win a technical showcase.

"It's a pretty easy technical showcase for him to get Morales chasing him and just not really being able to do anything effective through chasing him at all."

MMA Vivisection

LOSS vs Miles Johns

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cutelaba · Nov 19, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Miles Johns	0	39 of 131	29%	47 of 139	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:05
Vince Morales	0	38 of 103	36%	45 of 110	1 of 12	8%	0	0	2:08

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Miles Johns	8 of 32	25%	8 of 32	0 of 0	---	0:00
1	Vince Morales	10 of 26	38%	10 of 26	0 of 1	0%	0:02
2	Miles Johns	11 of 43	25%	13 of 45	0 of 0	---	0:02
2	Vince Morales	13 of 32	40%	13 of 32	1 of 3	33%	0:35
3	Miles Johns	20 of 56	35%	26 of 62	0 of 0	---	0:03
3	Vince Morales	15 of 45	33%	22 of 52	0 of 8	0%	1:31

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Miles Johns	39 of 131	29%	28 of 112	9 of 15	2 of 4	36 of 127	3 of 4	0 of 0
Vince Morales	38 of 103	36%	28 of 92	4 of 5	6 of 6	38 of 102	0 of 1	0 of 0

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Miles Johns	8 of 32	25%	6 of 27	1 of 3	1 of 2	8 of 32	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Vince Morales	10 of 26	38%	7 of 23	1 of 1	2 of 2	10 of 25	0 of 1	0 of 0
2	Miles Johns	11 of 43	25%	6 of 35	5 of 7	0 of 1	9 of 41	2 of 2	0 of 0
2	Vince Morales	13 of 32	40%	8 of 27	2 of 2	3 of 3	13 of 32	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Miles Johns	20 of 56	35%	16 of 50	3 of 5	1 of 1	19 of 54	1 of 2	0 of 0
3	Vince Morales	15 of 45	33%	13 of 42	1 of 2	1 of 1	15 of 45	0 of 0	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Miles Johns vs. Vince Morales
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Johns (-165), Morales (+140)

Round 1
The bantamweight ride continues with two more heavy-handed and fast-paced competitors, as Morales (11-6, 3-4 UFC) throws down with recent Glory MMA trainee Johns (12-2, 3-2 UFC). Referee Chris Tognoni steels himself for the action, whether it lasts 15 seconds or 15 minutes, and the two would rather battle it out than touch gloves – the bad blood appears to be high, as the commission had to separate them ahead of the introductions. Now that the fight is on, the two 135ers do not engage, with over 30 seconds elapsing before either man throws a single strike. Johns reaches out with a straight left hand and a leg kick, and Morales responds with a left hab. Johns pushes him back with a jab of his own, and he doubles up on it while Morales is measuring his range. The two collide with heavy blows at the same time, but neither man budges an inch. The inactivity continues as they are not willing to commit on their strikes, and any power punches go well away from their intended targets. Johns steps in with a quick calf kick, and Morales takes a funny step back after absorbing it. A quick jab from “Chapo” makes Morales backpedal, but it is one-and-done until Morales gets his gumption to toss out a single low kick. Johns loads up on a right hand, but Morales ducks it in the nick of time. Johns pokes out with a jab, and he slides back as Morales whips a left hook towards him. Morales attempts to get his own jab doing, snapping it out a few times and ducking when Johns throws a right hand that would have knocked down a building. Johns crashes forward suddenly to snag a single, and Morales hops back and yanks his leg out. Johns loads up on another massive overhand right, and he does not find the target with that but gets off a clean left hook. The activity spikes, relative to the other action, when Johns scores a few left hands before the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Johns
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Johns
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Johns

Round 2
Johns lords over the center of the cage when the round begins, and neither man is willing to throw anything effective. The two jab at one another, and Johns’ mouth begins to bleed. Johns thumps the lead calf with his shin, and he pushes out a jab that makes Morales blink a few times. As Morales marches forward, he throws hard, and Johns dips down and grabs hold of a single. “Vandetta” wriggles the leg out and races away, resetting in the middle of the Octagon and preparing to throw. As Morales comes forward, he walks into one of Johns’ outstretched fingers, and Tognoni recognizes this and pauses the bout. To give Morales additional time to recover, Tognoni calls in the doctor to check on the condition of Morales’ eye, and Morales explains that he is good to go and holds no ill will towards his opponent. After about 90 seconds, the two get back to business, the jabs come from the fighters at the restart. Johns walks his man down and swats out several jabs, and he releases several booming hooks that all miss one after the other. Morales circles out and into a low kick, but he shows no concern and reaches out with a front kick to the sternum. Morales catches a low kick and swipes out with a right hand, but Johns replies with a swiping right hand on the way out. Johns blocks a high kick and eats a jab, and he charges with a small barrage that bounce off the guard. Johns glances a right hand over the top, and he finds himself eating a kick to the belly for his work. “Chapo” loads up on another right hand, following it with a high crotch single-leg but not succeeding with it. Morales defends with elbows to the side of the head, and this distracts him enough for Johns to elevate him and slam him down one second before time expires.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Johns
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Johns
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Morales

Round 3
Jabs are exchanged to start off the final round of what has been a tepid and tentative affair. The striking accuracy totals of both bantamweights are likely extremely low, especially in the significant strike category. Johns ducks in for a single without setting it up, and he lifts Morales’ left leg up in the air and chases him from one side of the cage to the other. Morales trips to the floor, and he bounces right back up without a care in the world. On the reset, Morales picks and pokes with a jab, and Johns sits down with a calf kick that lands with an audible thud. Morales replies with a slapping body kick, but the bantamweights are largely targeting one another with single strikes. Johns misses with a right hand, Morales is similarly inaccurate, and they return to their jab-centric approach. Morales chains a jab into a right hand, and Johns gives chase and swarms him with winging but missing punches. “Chapo” attempts another single, and this is nowhere near secure as Morales springs away. Morales makes him pay for this attempt with another body kick, and Johns blitzes him with a single-leg takedown effort. “Vandetta” keeps himself from hitting the mat once more, and he plants a front kick on the torso while Johns swings at air. They alternate with jabs, and the follow-up strikes from both fighters miss the mark again and again. Johns fires off huge overhand rights, but the evasiveness of Morales keeps him safe from harm. Johns attacks with one final takedown, and he bullies Morales to the wall and holds him there until the fight comes to a merciful end. The judges will have their hands full evaluating this lackluster contest.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Johns)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Johns)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Morales)

The Official Result
Miles Johns def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

LOSS vs Jonathan Martinez

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) R3 5:00 · UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Vieira · May 21, 2022

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Jonathan Martinez	0	88 of 154	57%	88 of 154	2 of 2	100%	0	0	0:41
Vince Morales	0	51 of 153	33%	62 of 164	0 of 0	---	0	1	0:14

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Jonathan Martinez	24 of 40	60%	24 of 40	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
1	Vince Morales	15 of 35	42%	15 of 35	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
2	Jonathan Martinez	36 of 56	64%	36 of 56	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
2	Vince Morales	16 of 56	28%	16 of 56	0 of 0	---	0	0:00
3	Jonathan Martinez	28 of 58	48%	28 of 58	2 of 2	100%	0	0:41
3	Vince Morales	20 of 62	32%	31 of 73	0 of 0	---	1	0:14

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Jonathan Martinez	88 of 154	57%	41 of 98	18 of 22	29 of 34	86 of 151	2 of 3	0 of 0
Vince Morales	51 of 153	33%	33 of 127	15 of 23	3 of 3	48 of 149	2 of 3	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Jonathan Martinez	24 of 40	60%	6 of 17	4 of 5	14 of 18	24 of 40	0 of 0	0 of 0
1	Vince Morales	15 of 35	42%	8 of 27	5 of 6	2 of 2	15 of 35	0 of 0	0 of 0
2	Jonathan Martinez	36 of 56	64%	18 of 37	5 of 6	13 of 13	34 of 53	2 of 3	0 of 0
2	Vince Morales	16 of 56	28%	10 of 45	5 of 10	1 of 1	15 of 54	1 of 2	0 of 0
3	Jonathan Martinez	28 of 58	48%	17 of 44	9 of 11	2 of 3	28 of 58	0 of 0	0 of 0
3	Vince Morales	20 of 62	32%	15 of 55	5 of 7	0 of 0	18 of 60	1 of 1	1 of 1

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Jonathan Martinez vs. Vince Morales
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Morales (-150), Medic (+130)

Round 1
The third man inside the cage for this bantamweight contest is Herb Dean. Both men take their time feeling out the other with each fighter looking to find their distance with leg kicks and jabs over the opening minute. Martinez snaps a body kick that lands and Martinez lands a solid counter punch a few moments later. Martinez throws two other kicks that connect and begins walking down Morales. Martinez continues to land damaging leg kicks as Morales is unable to counter. Another leg kick slows down Morales as Martinez remains the aggressor, who is just one step ahead on the feet but not getting his opponent in any real danger. The round ends with Martinez throwing a jumping knee.

Sherdog Scores
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Martinez
Keith Shillan scores the round: 10-9 Martinez
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Martinez

Round 2
Morales throws a leg kick and a right ot the body, but Martinez answers with a leg kick that lands much harder. Martinez lands a couple more whipping leg kicks as he controls the center of the cage. Morales blocks a high kick with his forearm. They clinch briefly and separate. Morales is struggling to find the range on his attacks. Martinez with another inside low kick. He’s varying his kicks to the legs well, going to both legs and working the inside and outside. Martinez with a kick to the body followed by a front kick down the middle. Morales pressures and eats a knee down the middle from Martinez for his efforts. Martinez with another outside low kick and he avoids the counter from Morales. Morales wings punches moving forward but can’t connect. Martinez whips another outside leg kick, then he follows a knee with a left hand. Martinez shoves his foe away before the horn.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Martinez
Keith Shillan scores the round: 10-9 Martinez
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Martinez

Round 3
Martinez lands a push kick and then connects to Morales’ lead leg with an inside low kick. Morales closes the distance but he gets hit with punches. Morales blocks a high kick with his forearm. Martinez flicks out a jab and then connects with a left hook to the chin of his opponent. Martinez continues to dictate the range and the tempo of the exchanges. A knee and a left hand from Martinez land flush. Morales is trying to press the action, but Martinez is countering well. A right hand finds the mark for Morales. Martinez sticks a counter left and then throws a high kick that his foe blocks with his forearm. With about a minute remaining, Martinez executes a nicely timed level change for a double-leg takedown. Morales posts and stands against the fence, but Martinez is driving for another takedown, and he dumps Morales on the canvas. Morales reverses into top position but can’t make anything happen before the horn.

Sherdog Scores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Martinez (30-27 Martinez)
Keith Shillan scores the round: 10-9 Martinez (30-27 Martinez)
Tudor Leonte scores the round: 10-9 Martinez (30-27 Martinez)

The Official Result
Jonathan Martinez def. Vince Morales via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

Angelo Bodetti Expert Hesitant picked May 15, 2022 (6 days before fight)

Jonathan Martinez

Angelo picks Jonathan Martinez but is hesitant because he thinks Vince Morales's pressure style could cause problems. He notes that Martinez looked terrible in his last fight against Alejandro Perez, only kicking and crumbling under pressure. However, he believes Martinez is the better overall fighter and will squeak out a win. He also mentions a prop bet on Vince Morales winning a round via a plus 3.5 round bet.

Vince Morales plus 3.5 round bet (buy a round on judge's scorecard) - available at BetOnline

"i really want to pick vince morales as an underdog here i think this fight's going to look exactly like jonathan martinez's last fight"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked May 17, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Jonathan Martinez

Big Brady picks Jonathan Martinez to win by decision, favoring his diverse striking (leg kicks, body kicks, head kicks) over Vince Morales. He notes Morales has a wrestling background but rarely uses it, and the fight should stay standing. He questions Martinez's chin but believes his volume and kicks will be too much. He does not like the -220 price but picks Martinez to win.

"i think martinez does win a decision but um i'll be honest i don't really like the price tag of minus 220 but i'll pick on the win and i'll pick him to win by decision"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Lean picked May 18, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Jonathan Martinez

Cody leans Martinez but is wary of his tendency to get caught in fights. He notes Martinez's leg kick game should be effective against Morales, who is susceptible to low kicks. However, he acknowledges Morales' durability and underdog success, making this a tough call.

"part part of me thinks that jay martin stays the outside chips away and i think that's what everybody's believing like most people are on the same page but uh when i try to think of who who's that guy …"

Bookie Beatdown

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked May 21, 2022 (fight day)

Jonathan Martinez

The host picks Jonathan Martinez to win. He believes Martinez's kicking game, including leg kicks, body kicks, and head kicks, will be the difference. He thinks Morales has a puncher's chance but will get stuck on the end of Martinez's strikes and be outworked. He does not expect the fight to be as close as some people think.

over 2.5 rounds (part of totals parlay)

"i don't think martinez is going to be as close as people are making it out to be"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert picked May 18, 2022 (3 days before fight)

Paul does not give a clear pick. He discusses both sides, noting Martinez's leg kicks and Morales' durability and underdog value. He says he is struggling to pull the trigger on either side.

"i'm struggling to pull the trigger myself of course underdogs are gonna come through lately i've been picking underdogs it's just the ones i picked and don't come through and the ones i fade do"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked May 17, 2022 (4 days before fight)

Jonathan Martinez

The MMA Guru sides with Jonathan Martinez, citing his technical striking on the outside and experience. He acknowledges Vince Morales has power but notes Morales hasn't lived up to his KO reputation in the UFC. He trusts Martinez not to make a mistake and get KO'd, predicting a unanimous decision with some hairy moments.

"i'm gonna side with jonathan martinez here"

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Louis Smolka

KO (punches) R1 2:02 · UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo · Dec 04, 2021

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Vince Morales	0	23 of 32	71%	23 of 32	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00
Louis Smolka	1	27 of 49	55%	27 of 50	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
1	Vince Morales	0	23 of 32	71%	23 of 32	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00
1	Louis Smolka	1	27 of 49	55%	27 of 50	0 of 0	---	0	0	0:00

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Vince Morales	23 of 32	71%	5 of 14	10 of 10	8 of 8	19 of 28	4 of 4	0 of 0
Louis Smolka	27 of 49	55%	16 of 34	8 of 12	3 of 3	18 of 38	4 of 6	5 of 5

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Vince Morales	23 of 32	71%	5 of 14	10 of 10	8 of 8	19 of 28	4 of 4	0 of 0
1	Louis Smolka	27 of 49	55%	16 of 34	8 of 12	3 of 3	18 of 38	4 of 6	5 of 5

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Vince Morales vs. Louis Smolka

Round 1
The UFC is back for three more weeks to end the year, and the first of three comes on the main ESPN network. UFC on ESPN 31, which now has 13 fights after losing a pair of matches in the last 24 hours, will commence in the bantamweight division. Flyweight-turned-135er Smolka (17-7, 8-6 UFC) will try to win his second in a row at the expense of Morales (10-5, 2-3 UFC). Referee Chris Tognoni draws the first charge of the night, and with a touch of gloves, we are underway! Smolka leads the dance with two jabs and a right hand, and follows it with a low calf kick to frustrate Morales right out of the gate. Smolka walks his foe down, reaching out with push kicks and avoiding a swiping left hand coming his way. Morales settles down and snaps out a few jabs to find his range, and the punches have already marked Smolka up. “Vandetta” chains together a lengthy combination ending with several body shots, doing some decent work and making Smolka shell up. Morales backs off so he can flick out his jab a few times. Smolka continues to march forward but walks straight into jabs, and he is still able to push a kick out. Morales paws out a left hook a few times to solid effect, and Smolka comes right back at him but is not landing nearly as flush. Smolka rips a left hand to the body, and he latches on to a Thai clinch to blast Morales in the body with knees.
Not remotely concerned by the strikes, Morales gathers himself, lands to the body and wings a huge right hand over the top that sends Smolka crashing face-first on the canvas.
Morales surprised himself with the strike, as he takes a second before pouncing to deliver some ground-and-pound. The blows are merely academic, as Tognoni rushes in to pull him off and stop the fight. What a way to start the night, as Morales becomes the first fighter to ever knock out the durable Smolka!

The Official Result
Vince Morales def. Louis Smolka R1 2:02 via KO (Punches)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Confident picked Dec 1, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Louis Smolka

Angelo picks Louis Smolka, citing his volume, wrestling, and chin. He notes Smolka averages two takedowns per fight and works in grappling well, while Morales relies on power but may be a step behind. Angelo is confident Smolka's chin holds up and he outpaces Morales to a win.

1 unit moneyline at -150

"i'm gonna go with luis smoka here i see him avoiding the big shots working in wrestling outpacing to a win"

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Nov 30, 2021 (4 days before fight)

Louis Smolka

Big Brady picks Louis Smolka to win inside the distance, specifically by submission. He notes Smolka's 89% finish rate and 42% submission rate, and highlights Vince Morales' poor takedown defense and history of being submitted. He references Morales' fight against Domingo Pilarte where he was easily submitted after being taken down. Brady believes Smolka's grappling advantage will be decisive.

by submission

"give me luis smolka inside the distance... vince morales by submission"

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Confident picked Dec 1, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Louis Smolka

Cody picks Smolka, noting his grappling advantage and that Morales is a warm body. He thinks Smolka's striking is even with Morales and that his ground game will be the difference. Cody believes Smolka is the rightful favorite.

"i do think that louis smolka is the rightful favorite and i do think this is a spot where the favor does win"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Levi Expert Confident picked Dec 2, 2021 (2 days before fight)

Louis Smolka

Daniel Levi picks Louis Smolka to win, citing his scrambling ability, durability, and experience. He notes that Smolka has an insane chin and can take shots, and that he has a little sneaky power. He thinks Smolka can get on top of Morales and either ground-and-pound or submit him. He acknowledges that backing Smolka as a favorite can be sketchy but notes his decent history as a slight favorite.

"I'm gonna go with louis smoker to get it done"

Half the Battle

Jacob Lines Expert Lean picked Dec 1, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Louis Smolka

Jacob agrees with Smolka, emphasizing he must end up on top in grappling exchanges. He notes Smolka's wrestling and jiu-jitsu from top position are key, and that Morales is a wrestler but only a blue belt. Jacob is not overly confident but leans Smolka.

"i agree i think i like smoking in this matchup i think the big... the most important thing for him in this fight is in the grappling exchanges in the wrestling he has to end up on top"

We Want Picks

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Confident picked Dec 3, 2021 (1 day before fight)

Louis Smolka

I like Smolka here. He is much more physical, hits harder, and throws more volume than Morales. Morales is a good technical boxer but lacks power and athleticism; he tends to collapse when backed up and is poor on bottom. Smolka will pressure non-stop and eventually break him, likely finishing via submission or TKO. I also like the inside the distance prop at plus 200.

Smolka by submission +365, Smolka inside the distance +200

"I like smoker here smoke inside the distance please let me know what you feel about this matchup brother"

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert Confident picked Dec 1, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Louis Smolka

Paul picks Smolka, citing his grappling and recent win over Quinones. He thinks Smolka's ground game is slick and that he can capitalize on scrambles. Paul notes that Smolka's losses are to elite competition and that he seems to have turned his life around.

"i'm gonna go smoke it here um uh hopefully you can get the fight to the mat and and style from top"

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Dec 4, 2021 (fight day)

Louis Smolka

The MMA Guru picks Louis Smolka to win by submission in the second round. He expects a competitive stand-up fight early, with both landing shots, but Smolka's superior grappling will be the difference. He predicts Smolka will secure a takedown at the end of the first round, building confidence, then finish with a rear-naked choke midway through the second.

second round rear naked choke

"i'm gonna go the lewis smoker second round rear naked choke against vince morales"

THE MMA GURU

WIN vs Drako Rodriguez

Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 29–28) R3 5:00 · UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane · Aug 07, 2021

Totals

Fighter	KD	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Sub. Att	Rev.	Ctrl
Vince Morales	0	76 of 196	38%	84 of 204	1 of 4	25%	0	0	0:40
Drako Rodriguez	0	55 of 151	36%	60 of 156	3 of 5	60%	0	0	1:14

Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Total Str.	TD	TD %	Ctrl
1	Vince Morales	27 of 54	50%	30 of 57	0 of 1	0%	0:14
1	Drako Rodriguez	14 of 49	28%	14 of 49	0 of 0	---	0:00
2	Vince Morales	18 of 48	37%	22 of 52	1 of 1	100%	0:15
2	Drako Rodriguez	17 of 40	42%	19 of 42	3 of 3	100%	1:13
3	Vince Morales	31 of 94	32%	32 of 95	0 of 2	0%	0:11
3	Drako Rodriguez	24 of 62	38%	27 of 65	0 of 2	0%	0:01

Significant Strikes

Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
Vince Morales	76 of 196	38%	46 of 150	26 of 40	4 of 6	69 of 183	7 of 12	0 of 1
Drako Rodriguez	55 of 151	36%	45 of 138	2 of 3	8 of 10	49 of 143	5 of 7	1 of 1

Significant Strikes Per Round

Rd	Fighter	Sig. Str.	Sig. Str. %	Head	Body	Leg	Distance	Clinch	Ground
1	Vince Morales	27 of 54	50%	14 of 37	11 of 14	2 of 3	24 of 51	3 of 3	0 of 0
1	Drako Rodriguez	14 of 49	28%	12 of 45	0 of 0	2 of 4	13 of 48	1 of 1	0 of 0
2	Vince Morales	18 of 48	37%	10 of 36	7 of 10	1 of 2	17 of 43	1 of 4	0 of 1
2	Drako Rodriguez	17 of 40	42%	12 of 34	0 of 1	5 of 5	15 of 36	1 of 3	1 of 1
3	Vince Morales	31 of 94	32%	22 of 77	8 of 16	1 of 1	28 of 89	3 of 5	0 of 0
3	Drako Rodriguez	24 of 62	38%	21 of 59	2 of 2	1 of 1	21 of 59	3 of 3	0 of 0

Play-by-Play

View on Sherdog

Vince Morales vs. Drako Rodriguez

Round 1
Up next at bantamweight, it’s a battle between the unusually nicknamed when “Vandetta” Morales (9-5, 1-3 UFC) tries to run over 1930s vaudevillian “The Great Drakolini” Rodriguez (7-2, 0-1 UFC). With both coming off losses, they have something to prove and look to make a big splash in front of this raucous crowd. They do not touch gloves, and referee Jeff Rexroad looks on in what could be a fun one. Morales looks for right hands and leg kicks, and Rodriguez is content to just watch Morales throw at him. Morales scores a left hand, and Rodriguez paws back at him while standing there. Rodriguez catches Morales coming in at him with a straight left hand, shaking Morales up and forcing him reset. Morales charges and whiffs, but Rodriguez is not as inaccurate as he clips Morales with a short right hand and a leg kick to follow. A few jabs from Rodriguez have marked Morales up early, and Morales tries to swing a body kick but Rodriguez closes the distance on him to break it up. Both men trade leg kicks, and Morales ducks down but ends up headbutting Rodriguez in the chest. Morales swings and misses with punches while Rodriguez is light on his feet flicking his jab out there to dramatic effect. The jab from Rodriguez and the leg kicks have reddened Morales considerably, and he celebrates his work after scoring a left hand. Morales comes back at him over the top with a looping right hand, and it collides with the temple as Rodriguez rolls with it. The one-and-done striking exchanges are not exciting the Houston crowd, which starts to rain boos down as they pick and poke at one another. Morales crashes forward to duck a blow and aims for a takedown, and even though he does not land it, he presses Rodriguez into the fencing. “The Great Drakolini” escapes with relative ease and breaks free, before landing a solid body kick as the two get back after it. Both men land big punches, and Morales scores the better one as the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez

Round 2
The bantamweights come out to the center of the cage, and Morales looks to set up a left hand but cannot quote score it. As Rodriguez throws a naked low kick, Morales connects with a picture-perfect right hand that sends Rodriguez flying to the ground. Although Morales considers diving after him and doing some damage, he elects to instead let Rodriguez up so they can keep striking. Both men start up with wide exchanges, and they trade big single blows and both nearly fall over. Rodriguez changes levels and looks to take his foe down, but “Vandetta” stuffs the double. Rodriguez chains the attempt into a single, and he puts Morales on his back for a moment. Morales springs back up, and Rodriguez is there to hit a quick mat return. Once more, Morales stands up, and he absorbs a sharp strike to the body. Rodriguez lifts Morales up and slams him down, and this time Morales needs to get to his knees a little slower before exploding back to his feet. He does this, and the two separate. Morales stings Rodriguez with a one-two, even walking through a counterpunch to get there. Morales targets the body and the head, and he walks Rodriguez down right into a right hand that splits his guard. A short but ferocious brawl ensues, with each fighter landing flush and giving it right back, before Rodriguez backs off to score a leg kick. Rodriguez gets his jab going again, and Morales finds a right hand that clatters off the side of Rodriguez’ head. Rodriguez sits down on a two-punch combination, and Morales pays him back with a heavier right hand. They come together in the pocket and trade, with Rodriguez clipping his foe with a solid left hand. The round ends as they both swing wildly.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Morales

Round 3
The close fight enters its third round, and Morales leads the dance as he follows Rodriguez around the cage. Morales partially connects with a left hand, and the right that comes after gets blocked. Rodriguez tries to keep his advancing foe at bay with a few jabs, and they land blows at the same moment. Both men dodge and weave as they throw heavily at the other, with counters missing as they try to trade. Rodriguez stretches out with a left hand, and Morales swarms him with a short salvo of punches that largely do not get in. Rodriguez parries a few shots to land a solid right hand, and Morales is right in front of him ready to string a few more punches together. “The Great Drakolini” lands a few punches as they clinch up, and right at the break, he clips Morales with a stern right hand. Morales wheels out of the way and puts on the gas, landing a solid right hand that surprises Rodriguez momentarily. Rodriguez looks to land a takedown, and Morales hops out of the way and stops the advancing effort. The bantamweights go punch-for-punch, with one landing and the other responding nearly in sequential order. Morales tries to break up this rhythm with a few punches and a takedown attempt, and when he does not get, he rips the body with a left hand and brings a right over the top. Rodriguez chains a one-two that misses the mark, and Morales stings him back with a right hand. Morales keeps after his retreating foe, scoring a few left hands while Rodriguez is slowly and throwing less. Both men start throwing heavy leather, and Morales slaps away the oncoming fire so he can pin his right hand on Rodriguez’ chin. They both flurry briefly, and Morales gets the better of the exchange as Rodriguez is forced to back off and throw a body kick. Morales gives him chase and lands to the head and body, with Rodriguez bouncing off the cage wall. Morales rips the body, and Rodriguez counters him with a sharp right hand that makes Morales wave him on. With seconds to spare, both men throw caution to the wind and swing wildly, connecting practically at will and not budging until the final horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Morales)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Rodriguez)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Morales (29-28 Morales)

The Official Result
Vince Morales def. Drako Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Angelo Bodetti Expert Lean picked Aug 8, 2021 (fight day)

Vince Morales

Angelo leans Morales, noting that Rodriguez has a weak chin and Morales comes forward aggressively. He thinks Morales can touch that chin and get a finish. He calls it a 50/50 fight but likes Morales as an underdog pick.

"I think Morales could finish Rodriguez... we've seen Rodriguez have that soft chin syndrome."

We Want Picks

Big Brady Expert Confident picked Aug 3, 2021 (4 days before fight)

Vince Morales

Big Brady likes Morales returning to his natural bantamweight after a loss at featherweight. He thinks Morales has power and will have a striking advantage against Rodriguez, who has poor striking defense and a questionable chin. He notes Rodriguez will try to grapple but Morales has a good get-up game. He predicts a third-round knockout as Rodriguez slows down.

third round knockout

"I'll say third round knockout for Vince Morales."

DFS by the Numbers

Cody Saftic Expert Lean picked Aug 4, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Drako Rodriguez

Cody picks Rodriguez, citing his sharper technical boxing and speed. He notes that Morales has poor ring IQ and doesn't use his wrestling, while Rodriguez has better output. Cody expects a decision win for Rodriguez.

Rodriguez by decision

"i think draco rodriguez is going to get the job done and again i think this one goes 15 minutes and it'll be rodriguez by decision"

Bookie Beatdown

Daniel Levi Expert Lean picked Aug 6, 2021 (1 day before fight)

Drako Rodriguez

Daniel Levi picks Drako Rodriguez, though not confidently. He criticizes Vince Morales as 'harmless' at the UFC level, lacking power and takedown options. He notes that Rodriguez has submission threats off his back and decent hands, but acknowledges that Rodriguez has been stopped in his two fights against UFC-caliber opponents. He believes Rodriguez will come with urgency after a surprising loss and that Morales is a favorable matchup for him.

"I'ma come in on the other side I mean it's not a confident pick here on Drako Rodriguez"

Half the Battle

MMA Lock of the Night Expert Lean picked Aug 5, 2021 (2 days before fight)

Vince Morales

Morales has better footwork, hand speed, and boxing. Rodriguez's best chance is to get the fight to the ground and use his jiu-jitsu, but he may struggle to take Morales down and hold him there. Morales should stuff takedowns and outwork Rodriguez on the feet, likely winning a decision. No big money on this fight.

"I like morales morales by decision again no real big read in the spot."

MMA Lock of the Night

Paul Shaughnessy Expert picked Aug 4, 2021 (3 days before fight)

Paul does not make a clear pick for this fight. He acknowledges the close nature and does not add his own analysis.

Bookie Beatdown

The MMA Guru Expert Confident picked Aug 1, 2021 (6 days before fight)

Vince Morales

The MMA Guru picks Vince Morales over Drako Rodriguez. He acknowledges it's a tough pick but favors Morales' scrappiness, toughness, and better chin. He criticizes Rodriguez's poor striking defense and notes Morales has better cardio and output. He predicts Morales will out-hustle Rodriguez to a 30-27 unanimous decision.

"i'm gonna go vince morales being a little bit better overall as a fighter"

THE MMA GURU

View all 12 fights

Chris Gutierrez

Vince Morales

Career Averages - Chris Gutierrez

Career Averages - Vince Morales

Chris Gutierrez - Fight History

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