While the UFC packed up and left Salt Lake City early Sunday in the aftermath of UFC 307, the combat sports world is by no means out of Utah just yet. Six days after MMA‘s top promotion staged a pay-per-view event from Delta Center, karate and submission-only grappling take center stage in Salt Lake City on Friday night.
It’ll be a momentous occasion that night, too. Six and a half years after Karate Combat began its promotional life with Karate Combat 1, the organization is just a few short days away from the landmark Karate Combat 50 from Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.
Live coverage begins with the countdown show Friday evening at 6:30 pm ET/ 3:30 pm PT on the promotion’s official YouTube channel, followed by the fights at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT. In addition to the free stream on YouTube, Friday’s card will also be streamed over UFC Fight Pass.
Welterweights Do Battle in Karate Combat 50 Main Event Friday
All told, absent of any cancellations or postponements between now and fight night, the final version of Karate Combat 50 features 19 fights among karate bouts and submission-only grappling from the Karate Combat Pit. Highlighting is a welterweight contest in the Karate Combat 50 main event.
UFC, Bellator, and Contender Series alumnus Omar Morales (13-4 combat sports, 2-0 Karate Combat) heads to the Pit to take on Combat Night veteran Alejandro Brugal (2-0 combat sports, 2-0 Karate Combat) in the headlining bout. As with all Karate Combat main events, this one is an advertised maximum of five rounds at three minutes per round to close the show.
We’ve come a looooong way from when we first started Karate Combat, we’ve gone through lots of changes, we’ve evolved the Karate sports league to be more fan-friendly and more entertaining.
We are celebrating our 50th event next week in Salt Lake City, and we’ve made sure it’s… pic.twitter.com/ACtza0CsY9
— Karate Combat (@KarateCombat) October 6, 2024
Karate Combat 50 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the Karate Combat 50 main event on Friday night, Omar Morales stands as the taller man at 5-foot-11, compared to Alejandro Brugal’s 5-foot-9 frame. The latter owns a half-inch reach advantage (74 1/2 inches to 74 inches even) over the former.
Currently, the oddsmakers have yet to release money lines for Karate Combat 50. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening in combat sports this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Morales Looks for Third Straight Win Friday
Omar Morales enters the Karate Combat 50 main event having posted a record of 2-3 in his last five fights. At present, he’s on a two-fight winning streak dating back to Dec. 15 of last year.
Last time out, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Antonio Molloy (2-3 combat sports, 0-2 Karate Combat) after three rounds on March 24 during Karate Combat: Kickback II in Cancun. This is a man who’s fought in MMA’s top promotion for four years and fell on hard times in the famed Octagon, yielding to his release from the organization.
Since joining the Karate Combat active roster in December of last year, his fortunes have changed for the better, having entered the Pit twice and getting his hand raised each time. The stakes are higher for Morales this time round, with Friday’s fight being his first main attraction in Karate Combat. Will he emerge victorious for the third time in almost 10 months?
Only time will tell.
Brugal Making 10th Combat Sports Appearance
In the other corner, Alejandro Brugal, who went 5-0 in amateur MMA, has yet to lose in his combat sports career. Counting victories in Karate Combat’s Kumite Tournament, he’s posted a record of 9-0. Both of his professional wins in Karate Combat have been recorded inside the distance.
Most recently, he bested Armus Guyton (8-7 combat sports, 0-2 Karate Combat) with a third-round knockout (ground and pound shots) during Karate Combat 47 at the end of June from Universal Orlando. Brugal not only has won battles in the world of combat sports, but he’s also got plenty of mental toughness stemming from his time as a member of the United States Marine Corps.
Anybody doubting the acumen of Brugal ahead of the Karate Combat 50 main event should think again. Can he use that toughness as momentum toward victory in this, his 10th career appearance in a fight?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
The Karate Combat 50 main event looks to be another strength vs. strength matchup. Who leaves the Pit as the victor?
Look For Morales to Tire Brugal Out
Not every fight is going to end in a highlight-reel finish. There are times where a clinical performance gets the job done all the same. like Omar Morales had against Antonio Molloy earlier this year. Throughout the fight, he mixed up his strikes, bloodying Molloy in the first round before landing a burst of ground and pound in round two.
Upon driving Molloy to the wall of the pit in the final round, he unloaded more punches in the aftermath of taking him down with a bodylock earlier on in the period, en route to a unanimous decision win. Omar Morales needs to work Alejandro Brugal to exhaustion on Friday.
Brugal Can Work Quickly
In the other corner, Alejandro Brugal isn’t a guy you’d want to mess with in the Pit. If he gets on a roll early, it could be a done deal, like it was in Brugal’s fight against Diego Avandano in his pro debut.
Not long after the command to fight was issued, Brugal uncorked on a barrage of punches. The referee almost couldn’t run quickly enough to wave off the fight.
If Brugal comes out like a house on fire in the Karate Combat 50 main event, this fight will be his.
Final Thoughts
Any time a marquee event happens in a combat sports promotion, you’ve just got to stop what you’re doing to watch. Karate Combat 50 is one of those times. Don’t miss the Karate Combat 50 main event.
Prediction: Alejandro Brugal by First-Round Knockout.
