Joseph Morales’ second life inside the octagon could not be off to a better start after UFC Fight Night 264.
After claiming “The Ultimate Fighter 33” flyweight crown in August, Morales (14-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) got perhaps the biggest victory of his career when he snatched the neck of Matt Schnell (17-10 MMA, 7-8 UFC) and tapped him with a guillotine choke at the 2:54 mark of Round 1 in Saturday’s co-headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
It was an impressive show of grappling from “Bopo,” and you can watch the replay of his finish below (via X):
Following the win, Morales, who trains at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif., expressed his gratitude for this second UFC run and has high hopes for his future as a 125-pound title contender.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Morales said in his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “Yo, Dana White, Mick Maynard, Sean Shelby: Bring the f*cking UFC to Sacramento. Come on. We need a card. Please. Please.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 264 results:
- Joseph Morales def. Matt Schnell via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:54
- Uros Medic def. Muslim Salikhov via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:03
- Chris Padilla def. Ismael Bonfim via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:30
- Christian Leroy Duncan def. Marco Tulio via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:20
- Jamall Emmers def. Hyder Amil via unanimous decision (29-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Raoni Barcelos def. Ricky Simon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jacqueline Cavalcanti def. Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Josh Hokit def. Max Gimenis via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:56
- Denise Gomes def. Tecia Pennington via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Daniel Marcos def. Miles Johns via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:23
- Zach Reese def. Jackson McVey via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:38
