UFC 319: Alibi Idiris vs Joseph Morales Preview & Prediction
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Flyweights are on deck to kick off the UFC 319 early preliminaries as Alibi Idiris and Joseph Morales throw down to determine the winner of TUF 33's 125 pound tournament.
Alibi Idiris vs Joseph Morales facts
What time are Alibi Idiris and Joseph Morales expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 319: De Plessis vs Chimaev? United Center, Chicago, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 319: De Plessis vs Chimaev? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 319
What TV channel is UFC 319: De Plessis vs Chimaev on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC 319: De Plessis vs Chimaev? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 319: De Plessis vs Chimaev main card
Dricus du Plessis vs Khamzat Chimaev (Middleweight)
Lerone Murphy vs Aaron Pico (Featherweight)
Geoff Neal vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Jared Cannonier vs Michael Page (Middleweight)
Tim Elliott vs Kai Asakura (Flyweight)
UFC 319: De Plessis vs Chimaev prelims
Gerald Meerschaert vs Michal Oleksiejczuk (Middleweight)
Baysangur Susurkaev vs Eric Nolan (Middleweight)
Jessica Andrade vs Loopy Godinez (Women’s Strawweight)
Chase Hooper vs Alexander Hernandez (Lightweight)
Edson Barboza vs Drakkar Klose (Lightweight)
Bryan Battle vs Nursulton Ruziboev (Middleweight)
Karine Silva vs Dione Barbosa (Women’s Flyweight)
Alibi Idiris vs Joseph Morales (Flyweight)
Alibi Idiris: The Kazakhstani knockout artist aims to make a statement in his first UFC appearance and land as the latest TUF winner
One of the more exciting competitors to appear on TUF in recent years, the undefeated Alibi Idiris (10-0) is the rare flyweight with the power to end a fight at any given second. The flashy Kazakhstani striker fights with a relentless pace and has finished more than half of his professional contests before the final bell, a run that notably included a spectacular spinning wheel kick KO prior to his selection for The Ultimate Fighter. Team Cormier's third pick initially dispatched Furkatbek Yokubov via decision before destroying Roybert Echeverria with an outrageous jumping knee in the semi-finals to rubber-stamp his ticket to the tournament final.
Joseph Morales: Team Sonnen's first pick on TUF 33 looks to play spoiler and hand the undefeated Idiris his first professional loss
Joseph Morales (12-2) returns to the world's premiere MMA organization after a seven year absence, looking for redemption after washing out of the promotion with an 1-2 record in his first run. A well rounded competitor, the best weapon in the American's arsenal is his grappling, with six submission victories to his name. The quintessential example of a fighter who is clearly head and shoulders above regional competition but hasn't quite proved their ability to cut it in the big leagues, Morales is 3-0 outside the UFC following a two-year hiatus in the aftermath of his release. "Bopo" choked out Eduardo Henrique and took Imanol Rodriguez to a contentious split decision across the course of TUF 33 to earn his spot in the finale.
Alibi Idiris vs Joseph Morales prediction
While a Morales win in at UFC 319 would represent a fairytale redemption arc for the former flyweight contender, MMA is rarely the sport of happy endings.
Make no mistake, "Bopo" is the more experienced of the two fighters and could conceivably score the upset in this one. However, it's hard to ignore the fact that his victory over Imanol Rodriguez in the semi-finals was not convincing by any stretch of the imagination, with many fans crying foul and arguing that his Mexican dance partner had done enough to earn the decision.
By contrast, Idiris is not a flawless finished product, but he's younger, more dynamic, and arguably has a considerable edge in overall physicality and finishing potential over his older opponent. Morales has been chinned before, and it could well be that the Kazakhstani prospect capitalizes on an opening to nuke him with something lethal before the final bell sounds.
If Morales can slow the pace of this contest and lean on his grappling to make Idiris overly cautious of the submission threat, there's a strong chance that he takes the win here. With that being said, the more probable outcome here is that Idiris' aggressive style and technical finesse sees him outwork the American over three rounds to become the latest TUF winner.
Prediction: Alibi Idiris to win
