Morales had a massive advantage in experience, but was 0-3 in his second UFC stint, 3-8 in the promotion overall.

Vince was pressing the action early, with Thicknesse on the outside, looking to land a kick or two. When Morales closed the distance, Thicknesse looked for a level change. Instead it was Morales getting the takedown, with Thicknesse getting a guillotine wrapped up. Morales pulled free, but Thicknesse did get back up.

Morales chose to pursue another takedown, only to give up his back. That put Thicknesse in control, but Morales got back on top in a scramble. It mattered not — Thicknesse got a triangle in tight then took the arm as well, going belly down for the arm-bar attempt. That was lost but Thicknesse still had the triangle. He began hammering Morales with elbows, but somehow, Morales was surviving. He eventually slipped out the back in a very determined effort. And despite still being in the fight, Morales was on his back, exhausted, with Thicknesse in side control. He wouldn’t stay there, as it was Morales finishing the round on top in a fun grappling-heavy affair.

A chaotic opening frame gave way to a more measured second, with the pair staying on the feet for the first 90 seconds. Morales ripped the body near the midway mark; Thicknesse popped off a spinning back elbow. They’d go to the fence moments later with Morales giving up his back momentarily. Despite this, Thicknesse was unable to get him down. Instead, the entirety of round two played out on the feet.

Morales pushed forward again in round three, walking towards Thicknesse. The Australian was answering with his right hand, but wasn’t hitting the mark. Roughly halfway through the final frame, Morales clinched up, but when Thicknesse went to the canvas, Morales chose to stay standing. He would go down a second time, taking the back and hunting a choke in the final minute. Morales was in the driver’s seat with 15 seconds left, and opened up with a few punches, finishing strong.

Despite the strong finish, that likely won him the round, Morales failed to win the war. It was Colby Thicknesse taking home the unanimous decision victory with triplicate 29-28 scores.

Official Result: Colby Thicknesse def. Vince Morales by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Perth: Colby Thicknesse Withstands Late Surge, Beats Vince Morales appeared first on Cageside Press.

This past weekend at UFC Vegas 110, the featherweight match-up between Yadier del Valle and Isaac Dulgarian saw a massive shift in the betting line in the hours prior to the bout. Dulgarian, 2-1 entering the fight, was later submitted via rear-naked choke in a heavily criticized performance. Given the number of wagers that had come in late picking del Valle by early finish, red flags were raised.

White confirmed as much to TMZ on Tuesday.

“Probably about one o’clock that day, we’re with a company called IC 360, and they are the best bet monitoring company in the business. They reached out to us, and they told us that there was some unusual action going on with that fight – did we know anything? We didn’t,” White said while speaking with TMZ. “So what we did was, we called the fighter and his lawyer, and said, ‘What’s going on? There’s some weird action going on in your bet, weird betting action going on with your fight. Are you injured? You owe anybody money? Has anybody approached you?’ And the kid said, ‘No, absolutely not. I’m going to kill this guy.’ And you know, so we said, ‘okay.'”

“The fight plays out and [it’s a] first round finish by rear-naked choke. Literally, the first thing we did was call the FBI. So we called the FBI, I’ve met with the FBI twice today, so that’s the whole thing.”

White disputed an online report that hundreds of fights were under investigation, calling that news “all clickbait BS.”

That said, a number of fighters have come out following the event, saying that historically, they had been approached to throw fights, without suggesting by who.

Among them, Vanessa Demopoulos and Vince Morales, the latter of whom confirmed to Cageside Press that he was approached ahead of the first UFC Vegas show at the Apex during COVID. Morales turned down the offer, saying “That was way back in the covid times. Fight week during the first week of apex. Happened in passing so I didn’t even take it serious.”

“If you try to do this, we will be your worst enemy. We will immediately go after you guns a’ blazing with the FBI and whoever else we need to get. And we will do everything we can to make sure you go to prison,” White said of anyone attempting to fix fights, before questioning why fighters claiming to have been approached to throw their bouts hadn’t come forward sooner, either to the promotion, or to the authorities.

“Really? Why didn’t you tell us that, or more importantly, why didn’t you tell law enforcement that you were approached? Now? Now you’re saying that you were approached?”

White compared it to being approached by someone putting together a bank heist. “You’re not going to tell law enforcement? It’s really weird that fighters are coming out now. They’re going to be approached now, by the FBI.”

Dulgarian has since been released by the UFC, with his full fight purse being held back by the Nevada Athletic Commission. White isn’t passing judgment just yet, but admits it doesn’t look good for his now-former fighter.

“I hate to see anybody in our sport do anything illegal, but fight fixing is absolutely insane. To get to this level and go out and be a part of fight [fixing]- and I’m not saying this kid is guilty. There is no proof that he’s done this yet, but I can tell you this: it doesn’t look good. It definitely doesn’t look good.”

The post Dana White Confirms FBI Investigation Into Suspicious Bout, Reacts to Fighters Saying They Were Approached to Fix Fights appeared first on Cageside Press.

Dulgarian, who lost after tapping to a rear-naked choke, has been highly criticized for his inability to defend the submission. Ahead of the fight, the moneyline shifted to de Valle, including sizeable amounts being placed on del Valle winning in the first round.

That raised red flags.

Now, UFC bantamweight Vince Morales has revealed that he was previously approached with an offer to throw a fight, without specifying by who or when.

“All this throwing the fight stuff is crazy! I’ve been approached about doing it and it’s not something I could live with…even though I ended up losing the damn fight anyways,” Morales wrote on social media on Monday.

In a follow-up post, Morales responded when asked about how much was at stake. “Penny’s considering how big of a deal it is. 70k,” he replied.

Cageside Press reached out to Morales regarding the incident, who clarified that the fight in question occurred during COVID. “That was way back in the covid times. Fight week during the first week of apex. Happened in passing so I didn’t even take it serious,” he stated.

Morales is 0-3 in his second stint with the company, most recently losing to Raul Rosas Jr. earlier this year. In his first run with the UFC, he posted a 3-5 record from 2018 to 2022. The timeline would likely make it his May 2020 fight with Chris Gutierrez at the Apex, which was UFC Vegas 1.

Morales obviously made the ethical decision, but that hasn’t always been the case. South Korea’s Tae Hyun Bang was handed a 10-month prison sentence in 2017 for his involvement in a fight fixing scandal at UFC Fight Night 79. Bang accepted just north of $90,000 USD to throw his fight with Leo Kuntz at the event in 2015.

Bang apparently got cold feet about the deal, and wound up going on to win a split decision. At the time, the UFC had caught wind of suspicious betting activity, and had preemptively warned the fighters about a potential investigation, according to Kuntz.

Then there was the more recent James Krause situation, which saw the former GLORY MMA and Fitness coach selling betting tips – allegedly including inside info on his own fighters. Krause, also working for an offshore sportsbook under the radar, was exposed when one of his fighters, Darrick Minner, went down early with an undisclosed injury in his November 2022 fight with Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. The bout was flagged as suspicious due once again to monitoring firms picking up irregularities, and led to an investigation by U.S. Integrity as well as the FBI.

Krause, Minner, and UFC flyweight Jeff Molina, who had helped run a betting Discord set up by James Krause, were all banished from the UFC.

8:15PM ET – Story updated with additional info from Morales

The post UFC’s Vince Morales Says He Declined 70K Offer to Throw Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the co-main event, Drew Dober was stopped by Manuel Torres. And in the main event, former UFC flyweight champion, Brandon Moreno, pulled off a well-fought unanimous decision. It was nearly a clean sweep for Mexican fighters on the main card with the only loser being Ronaldo Rodriguez. Ronaldo also has the pleasure of being the only fighter on this edition of losers that isn’t on a three-fight losing streak.

Steve Erceg

Steve Erceg lost a unanimous decision to Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC Mexico City on Saturday.  Erceg has now lost three fights in a row stemming from his unsuccessful title shot against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 last year. Tough break for Erceg as he started his UFC career off red hot, winning three fights in about nine months.

Erceg entered the bout as the #8 ranked flyweight while his opponent entered ranked at #2. Steve needs to slow down a bit. The UFC through him right into the deep end after his three-fight win streak. Well Erceg sank. It’s time to take a step back and give him a lot more manageable of a fight.

Erceg should fight Tim Elliot in his next fight. Elliot is a tenured fighter that is currently ranked at #11 in the UFC’s flyweight division. Tim might be 38 years old, but he has won three of his last four fights. Elliot was last in action in December of 2023 with his performance bonus winning submission of Sumudaerji. Elliot was matched up with Tatsuro Taira last May but withdrew from that bout. This would be a great scrap as Tim is such an awkward fighter that always pushes the pace.

Erceg’s next fight: Tim Elliot 

Drew Dober

Manuel Torres stopped Drew Dober in the opening round of the co main event Saturday. Dober is now on a three-fight losing skid. Drew has lost four of his last five fights and been stopped in three of those. It’s been a rough 13 months for Dober who took to X (formerly known as Twitter) after the bout, to hint that he could potentially be taking a little bit of time off until his next fight.

With that in mind, Dober’s next fight can’t be a rapidly ascending prospect. A fight against Claudio Puelles could make sense. The 28-year-old is 5-3 with the UFC but is on a two-fight losing streak. The submission specialist was finished by Dan Hooker in 2022 and dropped a split decision to Fares Ziam in his most recent bout last February. Claudio has three kneebar submission finishes in his UFC career thus far. Dober has faced serious striking threats in his most recent bouts so this could be a welcome change of pace.

Dober’s next fight: Claudio Puelles

CJ Vergara

Edgar Chairez submitted CJ Vergara in the first round of their bout with a rear naked choke. With the loss, Vergara has now lost three fights in a row. And Vergara has now been finished twice in a row in the first round.

Obviously in a weight class like flyweight (where ranked fighters have been cut), Vergara is in real danger of being released. Vergara needs a good showing in his next bout.

CJ should fight the loser of Ode Osbourne vs Luis Gurule. That fight is going down on April 5th, so the timing is perfect. Luis Gurule is a 10-0, 31-year-old, 2024 Contender Series alumni. The LFA and Fury FC veteran earned a contract from a split decision victory over Nick Piccininni last year. Ode Osbourne is 4-6 with the UFC since coming off the Contender Series in 2019. Ode has lost his last three fights and was stopped in two of them. Depending on how that fight goes, the loser could be in a very similar position as Vergara. If Ode loses this has the potential to be a wild striking battle but either way the bout would be a high stakes scrap.

Vergara’s next fight: Loser of Ode Osbourne vs Luis Gurule

Vince Morales

The UFC’s golden boy, Raul Rosas Jr. snagged a unanimous decision victory opposite of Vince Morales on Saturday at UFC Mexico City. Morales is now riding a three-fight losing streak in his second stint with the UFC. Morales was with the UFC between 2018 and 2022 going 3-5 in his first stint with the promotion.

The 2018 Contender Series alum is now 3-8 with the UFC. Morales is in danger of losing his roster spot. It makes sense for him to take on another guy in a similar position. Vince should fight Saimon Oliveira in his next fight. Oliveira also fought on UFC Mexico City and is in a very similar position to Morales.  Stylistically, Morales has threats while both standing and on the ground. Hes a fighter that has fought for a few flagship promotions and taken on some high-level competition. A scrap vs Saimon would be entertaining as the loser would likely be sent packing.

Morales’s next fight: Saimon Oliveira

Saimon Oliveira

Saimon Oliveira was stopped in the opening round of his bout against UFC debutant, David Martinez, on the main card of UFC Mexico City. With the loss, Saimon is now 0-3 with the UFC. It’s worth noting the 2021 Contender Series alum has faced some solid competition during his tenure, his other losses coming to Tony Gravely and Daniel Marcos. Despite this fact, Oliveria is undoubtedly on the short list to be cut.

Oliveira’s next fight should be against Vince Morales. Vince fought in the fight following Oliveira’s on Saturday. Oliveira hasn’t shown it yet in the UFC, but he looks to be something of a submission specialist. This fact could make for a fun and unpredictable fight against Vergara. One thing is for sure, this fight would be action packed as two Contender Series alum fight for their spot on the UFC roster.

Oliveira’s next fight: Vince Morales

Ronaldo Rodriguez

Ronaldo Rodriguez lost a unanimous decision to Kevin Borjas to open the main card of UFC Mexico City Saturday. “Lazy Boy” missed weight ahead of what was his first loss in seven fights. Rodriguez had not lost since his 2020 appearance on the Contender Series to Jerome Rivera. Ronaldo is now 2-1 with the UFC.

What a momentum destroying appearance for Ronaldo. Between the loss, the weight miss and the fact that he was a favorite, it was definitely his worst fight with the promotion. Rodriguez has a couple different plays here: He could take on another prospect like Rei Tsuruya (who also suffered his first loss with the promotion recently). Or he could take a step back a face a guy like Daneil Barez. Daniel is a 2021 Contender Series alum who is 1-2 in his UFC career. Barez last fought earlier this month, when Andre Lima submitted him in the final round of their bout.

High risk, high reward, fighting a guy like Rei as he’s very skilled but still doesn’t have much of a name within the promotion. Rei’s most recent fight was also earlier this month when he lost a unanimous decision to Joshua Van (who is now ranked at #14 at FW). For that reason, a fight against Daniel Barez makes the most sense at this point for Rodriguez. A win, especially in an impressive fashion would get “Lazy Boy” right back on track.

Rodriguez’s next fight: Daniel Barez

The post What’s Next: UFC Mexico City Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bantamweight fight was a huge part of Saturday’s main card at the Arena CDMX, with fans booing and jeering Morales as he walked out and roaring in approval for Rosas Jr.’s arrival.

The start of the fight was very much a Raul Rosas Jr. start, as he came out strong and landed a big takedown early, slamming Morales to the canvas. Rosas punching his way in, setting up the takedown with his striking, showed a more polished blend of techniques than the youngster had demonstrated previously.

On the ground, Rosas was methodical, eventually taking the back, and staying all over Morales. Try as he might, Morales could not escape out or power back to his feet. However at the end of the round, Morales was able to reverse, briefly getting on top. A late submission attempt by Morales was the bulk of the offense he was able to show in a round that quite clearly went to Rosas Jr.

Rosas Jr had the fight back down in the top half of round two, again controlling Morales from the back. Once again showing considerable patience, he worked doggedly to improve position. When he did attempt to mount the back, Raul was a little too high up, but adjusted, sliding back down while maintaining the position, clamping down on Morales’ left leg.

At the end of 10 minutes, it was almost certainly 20-18 in favor of Raul Rosas Jr., leaving Vince Morales in need of a finish.

Early in the third, the fight went to the ground again, but this time, Vince Morales was able to lock up an Anaconda choke. The choke got tighter, and Rosas looked to be in real trouble. Perhaps seconds away from catastrophe, he found just enough space to move, with Morales unable to hold onto the choke. Freed, Rosas went back to work, though Morales would show a little more creativity off his back in the third, rolling into a leg lock attempt. Still, short of a finish, the fight was out of reach for Morales.

Raul Rosas Jr., however, gave Morales one more opening for a Peruvian necktie. Morales had it in, and Rosas was stuck. Not stuck was the clock, however, and Rosas knew it. Time ran out, and Rosas Jr. stood up and celebrated what would almost certainly be a decision win for him.

Official Result: Raul Rosas Jr. def. Vince Morales by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Mexico City: Raul Rosas Jr. Triumphs Over Vince Morales appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It felt like when the fight ended, the way it ended and the position we ended, I was like, that third round is kind of up for grabs. All I know is I was pushing and I think I had that choke locked in. I’m like, maybe they see that and I win that round and win the fight,” Morales explained. “I remember Coach Wood pulling out his phone to record them announcing the decision. And I’m like, okay, cool. We got it. We got it.”

While not taking anything away from Smith, who he noted fought an excellent fight, he did blame his tendancy to bleed as one of the reasons for the judges’ decisions. Regardless of the reason, Morales resolved to get right back at it and get booked as soon as possible.

“My initial thought right after, cause I went and spoke with one of my managers. I was like, dude, I don’t know why I can’t get right on these decisions, but that’s not sitting well with me. And the sooner I can get back in there, the sooner I’m going to feel better,” he said. “[My manager] said, well stay ready. As those stitches were out, I was right back to the, right back on the grind.”

The call came not that far down the road with a offer and not much time to prepare. The UFC wanted him to fight this weekend in Mexico City against Raul Rosas Jr. – just six weeks after his last fight. Not only was the timing right for him, but the situation was one he couldn’t turn down.

“I owe it to myself to put my best foot forward and really try to make the most I can out of the opportunity to go fight somebody with that kind of hype and in an area like Mexico city with a giant crowd,” Morales said. “I’m just trying to do everything I can to really enjoy every moment and make the most of it and make sure these guys know that like I’m here to stay.”

You can catch his fight with Rosas Jr. as part of the UFC Mexico main card. That portion of the card begins this Saturday at 7pm EST on ESPN+ and ESPN2.

The post UFC Mexico’s Vince Morales Discusses Quick Turnaround Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

Rosas Jr (10-1) was supposed to fight in Mexico City but his opponent, Ricky Turcios, had to withdraw due to medical issues. It was disappointing for Rosas Jr to say the least.

“I’m excited. I left that in the past already. I believe God has a plan for me and God’s plans are greater than mine,” Rosas Jr told reporters on Wednesday.

“Just wasn’t my turn that night. I’m just glad I was able to get that over with and we got it done in Kentucky. I’m excited to be back in Mexico City. Be able to perform in front of my family, in front of my people, so I’m pumped.”

In Mexico City he’ll get the veteran Morales who’s coming in seemingly on the ropes with a two-fight losing streak. Rosas Jr wanted a top 15 opponent originally, but getting a matchup against an experienced and hungry veteran may be a blessing in disguise.

“There’s a lot that goes into this. At this point I just wanted to stay active. I just wanted to fight. I’m excited to go out there and fight somebody like Vince Morales that he’s a veteran, and be able to finish him,” he said.

“That way I also get more experience and I just keep proving that I’m ready for the next step. Hopefully my next one will be a top 15.”

Regardless of opponent Rosas Jr remains focused on one thing. Getting to gold.

“I’m just concentrated on my path, on every fight, I just want to get that belt,” he said.

“So whatever I need to get me there I’m ready to do it.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Raul Rosas Jr above. He takes on Vince Morales at UFC Mexico on Saturday night.

The post Raul Rosas Jr Excited To Fight Veteran Morales, Wants Top 15 Next appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this UFC Mexico City edition of TTP is our interview with UFC bantamweight, Vince Morales. Morales enters this weekends fight with Raul Rosas Jr. after being out of the cage for only five weeks. He discusses with us why he felt so ready to get back in there despite the short layoff. Plus, he talks about the stylistic matchup of the fight with the prospect Rosas – particularly as it pertains to grappling. Could ‘Vandetta’ submit the submission specialist? Don’t rule it out.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Mexico City (14:19)

After a the crazy main event at UFC London, we get another banger of a headliner this weekend. A pair of flyweights vie for a spot in the the 125lbs title picture. Steven Erceg will look to earn his second shot at the belt, but standing in his way is a former champion in his own right. Brandon Moreno is looking to reclaim what was once his and has looked good as of late. Plus, in the co-main event, Drew Dober looks to fend off Manuel Torres as he vies for a top-15 spot. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Vladimir Matyushenko Interview (22:01)

Closing out this UFC Mexico City edition of TTP is our interview with UFC and IFL light heavyweight legend, Vladimir Matyushenko. Matyushenko shares with us what his life after retirement has been like. From judging and reffing to coaching and training – ‘The Janitor’ is still firmly within the sport. Plus, he shares stories from his days of wrestling and MMA.

The post TTP Ep. 473 with Vince Morales, Vladimir Matyushenko, and UFC Mexico City appeared first on Cageside Press.

First reported by ESPN.

Rosas Jr (10-1) returns to the octagon for the first time since September 2024 when he beat Aoriqileng at Noche UFC. That capped off a three-fight win streak with wins over Ricky Turcios and Terrence Mitchell.

Morales (16-9) returned to the UFC late last year after bouncing around promotions for a couple of years. Unfortunately for the bantamweight he’s back on the hot seat with two consecutive losses to Taylor Lapilus, and Elijah Smith respectively.

Headlining the event will be former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, and recent title challenger Steve Erceg.

UFC Mexico City takes place at Arena CDMX on March 9 in Mexico City, Mexico.

The card, as of now, looks as follows:

• Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg
• Manuel Torres vs. Drew Dober
• Ronaldo Rodriguez vs. Kevin Borjas
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer
• David Martinez vs. Saimon Oliveira
• Daniel Zellhuber vs. Austin Hubbard
• Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Vince Morales
• Edgar Chairez vs. C.J. Vergara
• Ateba Gautier vs. Jose Medina
• Julia Polastri vs. Lupita Godinez
• Rafa Garcia vs. Vinc Pichel
• Melquizael Costa vs. Christian Rodriguez

UFC Mexico City will stream on ESPN+

The post Raul Rosas Jr vs. Vince Morales Set For Mexico City appeared first on Cageside Press.

The DWCS veteran was also just the second second-generation UFC fighter in promotion history. Smith’s father, Gilbert, had appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 17, the Jon Jones-Chael Sonnen season that saw stars like Kelvin Gastelum and Uriah Hall emerge. The elder Smith had last competed in MMA in 2017, earning a win under the LFA banner; he’d fought once for the UFC, losing to Bubba McDaniel at the TUF 17 finale.

Win or lose on Saturday, Smith was likely to surpass his father in terms of number of fights for the promotion. And the pair joined Randy and Ryan Couture in the history books as the second father-son duo to fight for the company.

Smith found himself on the outside early in Saturday’s preliminary card fight, with Morales pressing. Unfortunately, the first significant strike to land was a low blow that left Elijah Smith writhing in pain on the canvas. After taking several minutes to recover, Smith was ready to go, and the action got back underway. He circled on the outside, back to the cage, while Morales hunted, only for an eye poke to halt the action. This time, it was Morales who was the victim. After being checked over by the doc, Morales was cleared to continue and the fight got back underway. Smith found some success with his hands, and late in the round, changed levels and landed a late takedown, with Morales attempting an awkward guillotine in response.

Round two once again found Smith with his back to the fence; Morales closed the distance, tied things up, dropped for a level change then scooped Smith up. Rather than immediately finishing the takedown with a slam he actually carried Smith over to his corner and dropped him there, hard. But in a scramble, it was Smith threatening with a rear-naked choke. Morales was able to prevent Smith from getting hooks in, and with Smith at an angle he couldn’t finish the choke. Morales reversed for a bit but Smith would scramble, nearly reverse, and get to his feet. Morales, however, got him back down and latched on with a D’arce choke. It wasn’t in initially, but after some adjustments, Smith was in trouble. He gutted it out however, finding some space and finally pulling his head free.

If nothing else, Elijah Smith displayed grace under pressure that belied his 22 years. Morales, however, went after the choke again as Smith got to his feet. This time, he shifted to a Japanese neck tie, but didn’t have it. What he did have was the round, more than likely.

With five minutes to go and the fight up for grabs, Morales held center early in the third, with the opening mimicking the first two rounds. Smith, however, worked his way off the cage as the pair exchanged fire. Smith, in addition to fast hands, was mixing in kicks; the pair tied up 90 seconds in, with Morales initiating put Smith reversing. He caught Morales with an uppercut, bloodying his nose and landing a takedown immediately after, though Morales wouldn’t stay grounded. Still, on the feet, it was Smith landing a left hand, and more leg kicks. Morales’s nose was a mess; he would look to set up another choke after a takedown attempt, but Smith was able to free himself. A pair of outside kicks followed by Smith doubling up on his jab saw Morales slowly tenderized. The blood on his face was matching his fiery red hair, and Morales was starting to look like a victim of Hannibal Lecter. Yet he had enough in him to try for one more choke, standing alongside the fence, before the final horn.

Official Result: Elijah Smith def. Vince Morales by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 102: Second-Gen Star Elijah Smith Busts Open Vince Morales in Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.