Joseph Morales is back in the UFC.
The 30-year-old veteran pulled off a major upset to open the UFC 319 preliminary card, submitting the undefeated Alibi Idiris (10-1) with a gorgeous triangle choke in the final of The Ultimate Fighter 33 flyweight tournament.
Watch Morales’ season-winning submission below.
Morales (13-2) was a 3-to-1 underdog on most betting sites, but he took the fight to the less experienced Idiris right off the bat. It was Morales’ grappling that gave him the edge as he out-wrestled Idiris and threatened with submissions before pulling away in the second round.
Idiris wilted under Morales’ body punches and then slipped on a spinning attack, allowing Morales to aggressively take his back. Though he lost that position, Morales quickly went to work from bottom position, throwing up the triangle choke that ended the fight and made him the newest TUF champion.
This marks Morales’ second chance to prove himself in the UFC after competing for the promotion from 2017 to 2018. He went 1-2 in his first run, which included a Performance of the Night-winning submission of Roberto Sanchez and a loss to future champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Morales’ victory also gives coach Chael Sonnen bragging rights as he had Morales on his team during the TUF 33 season. Idiris was a member of Team Daniel Cormier, who had a cageside seat at the commentary booth to watch the upset.