Preview: UFC Fight Night 191 ‘Brunson vs. Till’

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Welterweights

NR | Alex Morono (19-7, 8-4 UFC) vs. NR | David Zawada (17-6, 1-3 UFC)

ODDS: Morono (-145), Zawada (+125)

This should be a barnburner. Morono has always brought excitement to the cage to the best of his ability, and it was nice to see that rewarded over the course of the last year. Morono has never been much of an athlete—even as he has gotten in better shape, he still carries a muffin top—but he has channeled his natural skills into an interesting mix of intelligence and aggression. “The Great White” seems to game plan well heading into his fights, and if all else fails, he is simply willing to keep trying things. That has led him to impressive wins over better athletes with less consistent games like Max Griffin and Kenan Song, and it has also gotten him knocked out by the likes of Niko Price and Kalinn Williams. Morono figured to keep chugging along in the midcard after a November win over Rhys McKee, but it was surprisingly announced that he would be fighting Anthony Pettis on a month’s notice in his most prominent spot yet; and while Morono did not walk away with the win, he did make an impact in winning a strong first round. He continued to stay ready afterwards. In May, Morono stepped in on late notice and scored the most significant win of his career, a first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone that earned him a victory with some name value. Morono easily could have waited to try and use that momentum to get a bigger fight, but in a pleasant surprise, he has stepped in on late notice once again for what is essentially an all-risk, no-reward fight.

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Zawada has not had the success in the UFC to make his own name just yet, but he has proven to be a tough out and one of the most consistently exciting fighters on the roster. The German has a constant dedication to making something happen, both on the feet and on the mat—the latter of which saw him secure a shocking submission win over Abubakar Nurmagomedov in 2019. Otherwise, Zawada has succeeded in making his fights messy and nip-tuck affairs; in an alternate universe, split decision losses to Danny Roberts and Ramazan Emeev would be wins that got Zawada the level of admiration he deserves. This is a big spot for him. Morono and Zawada are well-rounded, aggressive and defensively suspect, which should lead to a lot of action-packed moments and momentum swings as each man lets the other back into the fight. Zawada is the better and larger athlete, but Morono should be the one leading the dance most of the way, particularly as a more aggressive grappler. In an otherwise even fight, that is enough to give him a tiebreak. This one is about the action rather than the result, but the pick is Morono via decision.

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