In the wake of the exciting main event between Paul Felder and Rafael Dos Anjos, the preliminary fights kick off with an exciting Welterweight bout between veteran Alex Morono and the up and coming Rhys McKee.
The fight takes place in Las Vegas Nevada and is scheduled for three, five-minute rounds.
Alex “The great white” Morono
Professional record: W17 L6 D0
UFC ranking: #47
Weight: 77 Kg – Height: 1.8 m
Embed from Getty ImagesHe may not be a household name but Morono is a seasoned veteran of MMA.
Morono is making a late fight in his career to push himself towards the top rankings in the UFC Welterweight division and believes he can make quick work of the inexperienced Mckee.
A Brazilian Jui-Jutsu fighter, Morono looks to exhaust his opponents through arduous clinches and thumping takedowns. The man is tough and is an extremely heavy hitter for a Welterweight fighter.
Rhys “Skeletor” McKee
Professional record: W10 L3 D0
UFC ranking:#71
Weight: 77 Kg – Height: 1.88 m
Embed from Getty ImagesTo call Mckee inexperienced is an understatement, this is only his second ever fight in the UFC, but to underestimate him would massive mistake.
The young lion Mckee has only had thirteen profesional UFC fights and looks to make a name for himself by climbing further up the Welterweight rankings.
McKee doesn’t adhere to a fighting style, he is extremely versatile winning seven fights by KO and three by submission. His impressive reach allows him to control the fight and stay at distance picking off his opponents.
Tale of the tape
Both fighters are coming off crushing losses after McKee was outclassed by Khamzat Chimaev in his UFC debut and Morono got knocked out convincingly by Khoas Williams.
Embed from Getty ImagesIts an interesting fight to predict, both fighters have fairly different styles.
Morono is like a shotgun looking for close quarter combat to take out his opponents with one heavy hit.
McKee is more of a sniper, he looks to pick his opponents off from range with an accurate jab and with a six inch reach advantage over Morono he will be looking to do just that.
If McKee can control the Octagon and pick Morono off from range he will have a very successful night and that’s why Morono will look to keep the fight up close and personal with the Northern Irishmen through clinches and big hits.
Moronos experience and the gulf in class of twenty-four ranks between them leads me to believe we will see a convincing win for the Great White here.
The best in the business is here tonight
McKee looking as cool as a cucumber for the biggest fight of his career.
The fighters have made their way to the Octagon, the legendary Bruce Buffer’s voice has been heard, here we go.
Round one
5:00 We are underway
4:26′ McKee comes out of the gate quickly getting some good shots off but circles back at the daunting swings of Morono.
3:15′ Morono’s corner is screaming at him to use speed rather than power as we see Morono already looking for a knockout blow.
2:10 Huge right-hand
McKee puts his hands to his head as Morono swings a heft right-hand towards the Nothern-Irish man. Clearly feeling that one.
Embed from Getty Images0:19′ McKee buckles from a huge Morono hit and once again he scurries away, both fighters well up for the contest.
End of round-one
McKee may tower over Morono but he is looking very insignificant against the Great White, round one arguably going to the American.
Round two
3:45′ McKee is eating shot after shot from Morono here, one of those surely has to put him on the floor but no, he has one hell of a chin.
2:37′ McKee is starting to pick up some momentum here landing a flurry of clean strikes.
Embed from Getty Images1:43′ One fighter looks fresh as a daisy while the other is showing clear signs of a scrap, McKees face shrouded in red. Morono dealing some huge damage.
End of round-two
Both fighters are showing extremely impressive pace during this fight, what a character McKee is, there is no quit in this guy whatsoever.
Round three
4:22′ McKee needs a finish here if he is going to win this fight, Morono won the first two round pretty comfortably.
3:26′ You would think McKee would try and pick Morono off from distance but no, he is right in the pocket trading shot for shot with Morono.
That’s one hell of a compliment to Rhys Mckee.
2:17 WELL THIS IS AWKWARD
Time called as McKee’s mouth piece falls out, they seem to be struggling to find it here as they break out the torches.
Both fighters will use this time wisely and we could be in for an explosive last two minutes.
2:16‘ We are back underway
1:37′ Our first successful takedown of the fight as Morono looks to keep McKee on the floor to ensure a three-round victory.
0:54′ If the young gun is to win here he really needs to look for a submission here, he is desperate for a finish.
0:16′ Massive ground and pound from the Great White, looks as if the fight is done and dusted here.
End of round three
I would be surprised not to see Morono get the decision here, it was a comfortable three-round performance and its clear to see the experience of the fighter.
Official decision
All three judges score the contest 30-27 in favour of Alex Morono, another win to add to the record while McKee is still in search of his first UFC victory
It was a convincing performance from the veteran just as we predicted but with time McKee could become a superstar in the sport, he can take shot after shot and certainly has the heart for it.
That’s all from me tonight, hope you enjoyed the fight.
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