Sherdog PreviewsThe UFC's last stop at the Apex before UFC 300 has a surprisingly solid slate of prelims. Welterweight veterans take the featured spot, as Court McGee and Alex Morono square off in a well-matched fight, and it's also a big night for the women's bantamweight division: former featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie returns after three and a half years off to take on Norma Dumont, and a bout between Nora Cornolle and Melissa Dixon could set the winner up for a big spot. Past that is the return of Cynthia Calvillo, who looks to stop her years-long skid against Piera Rodriguez; other than that, it's the usual mix of Contender Series alumni trying to carve out a niche.
Advertisement
Welterweights
Court McGee (21-12) vs. Alex Morono (23-9, 1 N/C)ODDS: Morono (-298), McGee (+240)
This should be a fun fight between two veteran welterweights looking to get back into the win column. Court McGee is still chugging along, which has been the story of his life; a former addict that was once declared clinically dead, McGee found mixed martial arts and won Season 11 of TUF about three years into his professional career and has since been open about using his platform to help others. As a fighter, "The Crusher" has gotten by on solid fundamentals and that special level of toughness to win some grimy fights, with the guarantee that both McGee and his opponent would be in for fifteen tough minutes; from 2011 through 2021, the only one of McGee's fights that didn't see the final horn was a 2016 loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio. Even in his late thirties, McGee was looking as sharp as ever in workmanlike wins over Claudio Silva and Ramiz Brahimaj, but the worry is that his durability might finally begin to be betraying him; a knockout loss to powerhouse Jeremiah Wells wasn't exactly unexpected but following that up with another knockout loss to fellow veteran Matt Brown is concerning. Alex Morono might make for a safer opponent, though "The Great White" still has enough craft to be dangerous. A fairly unremarkable fighter upon his UFC debut in 2016, Morono's carved out a niche as someone who can have a fun fight with any welterweight in the division. Clearly a subpar athlete with a game that often looks a bit unorthodox, Morono's a smart game planner that can usually find some strong moments in each of his fights, even as he consistently runs up against a physical wall. A 2022 loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio is probably the clearest recent example of Morono's strengths and weaknesses; Morono was clearly staying ahead in the fight for two rounds, only for Ponzinibbio to steel himself and ramp up the aggression to find a third-round knockout. McGee's wrestling could be a bit of a concern here, but this does look like a fight where Morono's pot-shotting approach on the feet can find a lot of success, if not an outright knockout; the pick is Morono via decision.
Jump To »
McGee vs. Morono
Dumont vs. de Randamie
Falcao vs. Silva
Rodriguez vs. Calvillo
Argueta vs. Matsumoto
Budka vs. Almeida
Cornolle vs. Dixon
More
