UFC Fight Night: Colby Thicknesse vs Vince Morales Preview & Prediction
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Bantamweights square off in the fifth fight of the night, with Colby Thicknesse taking on Vince Morales at 135 pounds.
Colby Thicknesse vs Vince Morales facts
What time are Colby Thicknesse and Vince Morales expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates? RAC Arena, Perth, Australia
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 275
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates main card
Jack Della Maddalena vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Beneil Dariush vs Quillan Salkilld (Lightweight)
Tim Elliott vs Steve Erceg (Flyweight)
Marwan Rahiki vs Ollie Schmid (Featherweight)
Shamil Gaziev vs Brando Pericic (Heavyweight)
Tai Tuivasa vs Louie Sutherland (Heavyweight)
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs Prates prelims
Cameron Rowston vs Robert Bryczek (Middleweight)
Junior Tafa vs Kevin Christian (Light Heavyweight)
Jacob Malkoun vs Gerald Meerschaert (Middleweight)
Colby Thicknesse vs Vince Morales (Bantamweight)
Ben Johnston vs Wesley Schultz (Middleweight)
Jonathan Micallef vs Themba Gorimbo (Welterweight)
Dom Mar Fan vs Kody Steele (Lightweight)
Colby Thicknesse: Will Volkanovski's protege kickstart his first UFC win streak?
Best known as the main training partner of current featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski, Colby Thicknesse (8-1) has gone 1-1 since joining the promotion back in early 2025, dropping a decision to Aleksandre Topuria in his debut before rebounding with a decision of his own over Josias Musasa. Thicknesse isn’t the most natural striker in recent memory, but he compensates for his shortcomings on the feet with an excellent grappling game. “Slickness” has finished half of his fights before the bell and has never been stopped in nine fights as a pro, although it’s worth noting that he was wobbled on multiple occasions during his most recent showing against Musasa.
Vince Morales: Can the veteran play spoiler and avoid his walking papers?
A seasoned veteran who has also fought in Bellator and Rizin, Vince Morales (16-10) could well be fighting for his job once again on Saturday night. While he does have the excuse that he’s been fighting extremely solid competition available to him, “Vandetta” is still 0-3 in his second stint in the UFC, after initially washing out of the promotion at 3-5 back in 2022. A well-rounded threat in all areas of the game, the Syndicate MMA representative has only earned four of his wins by decision and has proven extremely difficult to put away; Morales has only ever been stopped three times in ten defeats and hasn’t been finished since losing to Chris Gutierrez via TKO almost six years ago.
Colby Thicknesse vs Vince Morales prediction
This is a closer fight than the pair’s respective records would indicate.
Morales may be on a three fight losing streak since returning to the promotion, but he’s fought some really tricky opponents along the way. Raul Rosas Jr. has just broken into the rankings after dominating Rob Font, while Elijah Smith is widely regarded as one of the more promising prospects at 135 pounds.
Thicknesse’s clearest route to victory would appear to be his grappling. His striking, most notably his defense, has raised some major question marks; while he would eventually walk away with the “W”, “Slickness” got absolutely pieced up by Josias Musasa for large portions of their fight and was a bloody mess when the scorecards were eventually read.
With that being said, it’s his contest against Aleksandre Topuria that makes me think he’s going to walk away with the victory here. The elder Topuria brother looks to be a dark horse contender at 135 pounds and Thicknesse had more than a few good moments against him. Morales could well lean on his veteran craft to snap his current losing streak, but we’re going with the Aussie to score the decision victory as the hometown favorite.
Prediction: Colby Thicknesse to win
