UFC on ESPN+ 23 rookie report: Grading the newcomer in Busan

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For one athlete, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 23 event marked that special moment in his career.

Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression that fighter made on the sport’s biggest stage from Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea.

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Omar Morales

Division: Lightweight
Result: Omar Morales def. Dong Hyun Ma via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
Record: (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC)
Grade: B+

Even as I issue this mark, I wonder if I’m being a little harsh. After all, being asked to travel across the Pacific and face an opponent in his own backyard – especially in an environment as rowdy as South Korea can be – is a difficult task, and Omar Morales handled Dong Hyun Ma with relative ease. I guess I was just waiting to see something a little more special during the grinding 15-minute affair.

Morales was able to get a takedown in the opening round, which probably isn’t a bad idea against a capable brawler like MA. He also showed great positional awareness to battle of real kimura setups before the got too threatening. But overall, the offense seemed to lack.

In the second, the output from both men was low on the feet. Morales did let out a big scream at one point, which seemed to indicate some excitement was forthcoming, but he never really turned up the heat. Similar in the third, it was more about control than action. One highlight-reel moment saw a Morales spinning high kick land clean, but once on the ground and on top, there was no real push to finish.

Overall, it wasn’t bad work. It just left something to be desired to really stand out.