Big shots from @AndreSoukMMA! How do you have it scored through two? #UFC209 pic.twitter.com/65Yp2argZS
— #UFC209 (@ufc) March 5, 2017
Albert Morales and Andre Soukhamthath kicked off “UFC 209” on UFC Fight Pass with their bantamweight bout. The fans in the T-Mobile Arena were still pouring in and those who were already there in attendance were treated to an exciting scrap.
Soukhamthath made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut and did not show any signs of octagon jitters throughout the even opening round. While Morales got the best of Soukhamthath in most of the exchanges, Soukhamthath gained momentum by not being deterred from his gameplan.
Morales tried to take the fight down to the mat at the start of the second round, but Soukhamthath stuffed the takedown and ultimately ended up in top control on the mat. He tried to make a submission of the advantageous positioning, but as the round approached its end, both fighters made their way back to the feet.
Soukhamthath found his bread-and-butter strike in the final round, landing several hooks to the body of Morales before bringing the action back to the fence. Soukhamthath mixed in some knees to further break Morales down more before working for a double leg takedown.
Soukhamthath gave up his back and Morales pummeled him, gaining top control time before locking in the rear naked choke. He didn’t get all of it and his back was against the fence, preventing him from cranking. With the body triangle locked in, Soukhamthath didn’t have much room to work with so he spent the majority of the round fighting off the hold.
Albert Morales def. Andre Soukhamthath by way of Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
