Vince Morales Draws Colby Thicknesse at UFC Perth After Year Layoff

vince morales is back on a UFC card after more than a year away, and Saturday’s bout at UFC Perth carries real weight. He meets Colby Thicknesse in a bantamweight fight while trying to halt a three-fight losing skid and protect his place on the roster.

Morales Returns In Perth

The layoff stretched far beyond the usual reset between fights. Morales had knee surgery after his last outing, calling it a minimal meniscus procedure, and said it took forever for a new booking to come together.

He described it as the longest time off he has ever had. Even so, he said he feels great now, which gives him a sharper landing point than the wait might suggest.

Thicknesse Gets Morales Next

Thicknesse is the opponent at UFC Perth, and Morales is treating it like the kind of fight that can cut through the rust. He said he hopes Thicknesse will “dog it out” with him because he needs that kind of fight after a year out.

Morales was direct about what he wants from the matchup. “I’m itching. I need to get in there, get bloody, and get a real fight,” he said, adding that he is looking for a finish and expects “a war of attrition.”

Kody Steele On The Card

The Australia trip had extra pull because Morales wanted to share the card with his teammate and close friend Kody Steele. He said it would be crazy if both of them made the lineup, and he noted that Australia is one place he has not been.

That personal link sits beside the professional pressure. Morales is on a three-fight losing skid, his last fight came against Raul Rosas Jr., and he said flatly that he knows he is fighting for his job on Saturday.

He framed the stakes in the clearest way possible: “My whole plan is to go out there and show out and prove why I belong in the UFC and get a new contract.” After a year on the sideline and a run of losses, that is the fight in front of him now.