The Ultimate Fighter 33 flyweight finale took place at Saturday’s UFC 319, where former UFC veteran Joseph Morales looked to win his way back into the promotion against Kazakh Alibi Idiris.
Morales had gone 1-2 in his first stint, but bounced back on the regional scene. Idiris was a perfect 10-0 to start the night.
The fight opened with a wild exchange as both Idiris and Morales came out firing. Morales pressed forward with early pressure, forcing Idiris to look for a momentum-shifting flying knee that instead led to a clinch. From there, Idiris secured a body lock and tripped Morales to the mat, but Morales quickly scrambled back up, refusing to give up ground time.
Back at range, they traded teeps until Morales capitalized on a missed spinning backfist from Idiris, shooting in for a well-timed takedown. Morales advanced methodically, using an arm-triangle setup to pass into mount before transitioning to the back. With a body triangle secured, Morales stayed sticky even as Idiris impressively worked back to his feet, broke the grip, and rolled for a kimura. Morales followed the scramble perfectly, retaking the back and sinking in a rear-naked choke, but the round ended before he could finish.
Round two showcased a more varied striking attack from Idiris, but Morales walked through it unfazed, keeping the pressure constant. Cutting off the cage and targeting the body, Morales eventually dropped Idiris. Though he briefly lost position after sliding too high on the back, Morales never stopped attacking—snatching up a triangle choke soon after. This time, Idiris had no escape and was forced to tap.
Joseph Morales is your flyweight TUF 33 champ, and looked dominant on Saturday!
Official Result: Joseph Morales def. Alibi Idiris by submission (triangle), Round 2, 3:04
