WSOF 28 results: Vicious Marlon Moraes leg kicks lead to easy title defense vs. Barajas

Marlon Moraes

In a fight that had him a bigger favorite than ever before, bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes was perfect for a first-round TKO win over Joseph Barajas in the WSOF 28 main event.

Moraes (16-4-1), a 10-1 favorite, took Barajas (12-2) out courtesy of several brutal kicks to his right leg that eventually crumpled the title challenger, who grabbed his knee in agony 73 seconds into the first round.

The bantamweight title fight headlined WSOF 28, which took place Saturday at Next Level Sports Complex in Garden Grove, Calif. The main card aired on NBCSN following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Moraes kicked low quickly, then went back to it twice more in the first 30 seconds. A minute in, he kicked high and came right behind it with yet another kick to Barajas’ right leg. And seconds later, he threw one more, connected and a second later, Barajas grabbed at his knee and hit the canvas. The champion pounced on him and with Barajas essentially giving a verbal submission with the pain from the kick to the right knee, referee John McCarthy was in to shut things down.

“We trained hard. This camp was very hard,” Moraes said. “That was part of the game plan – kick him – but I wanted to mix it up. I think right now, I’m the best 135-pounder in the world. I can fight with anybody, and I’m not joking. No one can take that leg kick.”

Moraes said a controversial split-decision loss for Timur Valiev in the co-main event means he might be without an obvious next opponent, since WSOF is not likely to give newcomer Chris Gutierrez a title shot the way they would have for Valiev. But he said he’d be willing to fight the WSOF champs at 145 or 155 pounds, in the meantime.

Moraes won for the 11th straight time and once again defended his bantamweight title. Barajas had a modest two-fight winning streak snapped.

Chris Gutierrez steals one from Timur Valiev

There was a lot on the line for Chris Gutierrez and Timur Valiev in the WSOF 28 co-main event. Valiev was set to move on to the likely next shot at the bantamweight title with a win. But in a competitive fight, Gutierrez walked away with a split decision, leaving Valiev and his corner stunned at the outcome. With so much at stake, the fighters were cautious in the first round. But that didn’t mean they weren’t trying to trade highlight-reel strikes. The two canceled each other out in the first – and it was as if either fighter was just one strike away from ending things. In the second, that continued, and at one point two minutes in, the pair traded spinning kicks at the same time and nearly took each other off their feet. Valiev was able to get Gutierrez to the ground midway through the round, and he was able to land some solid ground-and-pound from up top there. The third round stayed on the feet, save for the final few seconds when Valiev slipped, but Gutierrez couldn’t take enough advantage. It looked as if Valiev was headed for a decision win. But instead, he got a 30-27 score from one judge – but the two dissenters gave Gutierrez a pair of surprising 29-28 scores for the upset win. Gutierrez (9-1-1) won for the seventh straight time. Valiev (10-2) lost for the first time since his pro debut and had a 10-fight winning streak snapped.

Jamie Yager returns after three years, taps Daniel McWilliams

Jamie Yager hadn’t fought in more than three years. For his return after such a long layoff, the WSOF gave him someone with more than four times as much experience as him. But Yager’s opponent, Daniel McWilliams (who took the fight on short notice), featured a brutal 13-32 record – and all 32 of his losses had come by stoppage. So it should come as no surprise that despite Yager’s potential cage rust, he had no problem submitting McWilliams in just 38 seconds. McWilliams shot in on Yager immediately and pushed him to the fence. But Yager latched on to his neck and worked for a choke. He dragged the fight to the canvas and kept the neck. Squeezing on a modified scarf choke, Yager moved to side control and trapped McWilliams’ arm. It took no time to get him to tap to the armbar. And when he tapped, he tapped furiously. After the loss, his corner was icing his right elbow. Yager (7-4) snapped a two-fight skid and won his WSOF debut – his first victory in four years. McWilliams (13-33) now has 21 of his 33 losses by submission.

Alvarez lands highlight-reel kick in decision over Ramm

In a mostly slow-paced main-card opener, Andrew Ramm couldn’t often find a home for his punches and instead found himself on the receiving end of Ozzie Alvarez’s counterpunches. When Ramm did connect with a minute left in the second round, Alvarez felt it, wanted nothing to do with it, and scooped Ramm up for a takedown. Quickly in the third, Alvarez took Ramm to the canvas. That forced Ramm to look for submissions from his back, likely down two rounds. But Ramm’s strong grappling game – he had four submissions in four wins going in – couldn’t get anything done there. With two minutes left, John McCarthy stood them up after a stalled bit of action. But Ramm couldn’t find a Hail Mary. With just a second before the bell, Alvarez landed the fight’s highlight – a spinning back kick that was right on the money. It was easily his best offense of a fight he likely already had in the bag. He took a pair of 30-27 scores and a 29-28 from the judges. Alvarez (7-3) got back in the win column after a September loss that snapped a five-fight winning streak. Ramm (4-4) fell back to .500 and has dropped three of his past four.

Official WSOF 28 results include:

MAIN CARD (NBCSN, 9 p.m. ET)

• Champ Marlon Moraes def. Joseph Barajas via TKO (kicks) – Round 1, 1:13 – to retain bantamweight title
• Chris Gutierrez def. Timur Valiev via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jamie Yager def. Daniel McWilliams via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:38
• Ozzie Alvarez def. Andrew Ramm via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMAjunkie, 6:45 p.m. ET)

• Steve Ramirez def. Kyle Estrada via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:01
• Isaias Alvarado def. Garrick Evans via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:21
• Heinrich Wassmer def. Keenan Lewis via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:02
• Jalin Turner def. Eric Steans via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:38
• Fard Muhammad def. Mike Kubeska via majority decision (28-28, 29-27, 28-27)
• Chris Saunders vs. Darren Smith
• Albert Morales vs. Anthony Paredes

For more on WSOF 28, check out the MMA Events section of the site.