Shane Young was expecting to share the UFC 260 card with City Kickboxing teammate Alexander Volkanovski. While Volkanovski’s fight won’t happen due to COVID-19 protocols, Young’s own featherweight fight with Omar Morales remained on the card, kicking off the televised prelims on Saturday.
Morales was looking to bounce back from the first loss of his pro career. He did just that, but Young wouldn’t make it easy, taking him the distance.
There was plenty of feeling out early on in Young vs. Morales on Saturday. Through the first half of the opening round, engagements were scarce. Morales would go upstairs with a kick, and later fire a knee up the middle. As the action began to pick up, Morales controlled from the back and slammed Young down, only for Young to immediately get back up. Not a ton of action, but Young acquitted himself better as the round went on.
In the second, Young was able to get on top early, though he had to contend with Morales being active from his back. Young then committed to a leg lock, which resulted in the loss of a dominant position. Young managed to put the pressure on a fair amount in the second. But in the final minute, Morales turned up the pace. He put Young on the back foot, moving forward, mixing in a wheel kick, and winning the exchanges.
In the third, the back-and-forth continued. Young targeted the body. Morales returned the favor by landing a knee to the midsection. When Young pressed for the takedown, Morales stuffed it, as he did frequently throughout the fight. Morales found some success with his low kicks, and his movement was giving him an edge. Morales might have been smelling some blood in the water as the fight wore on, but Young was crafty and game enough to stay competitive, taking it the distance.
Official Result: Omar Morales def. Shane Young by decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
