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Urbana grad Matthew Semelsberger draws Morono for next UFC test on July 30

joshua r. smith, the frederick news-post, md.
·4 min read

Jun. 28—Matthew Semelsberger appears to be getting exactly what he wanted — another step up — when he next steps into the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Octagon.

The Urbana High graduate and mixed martial arts welterweight will meet company veteran Alex Morono at UFC 277 on July 30 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Semelsberger, 29, is three-plus months removed from his most recent bout, which saw him put forth a comprehensive effort in a three-round unanimous decision that handed A.J. Fletcher his first professional loss and showed that "Semi The Jedi" could churn out a taxing 15-minute victory along with the explosive, sudden ones that had put him on the UFC map over the past two years.

Weeks afterward, when speaking of his hopes for the immediate future, he mentioned how he desired a foe inside the top 30 of his weight class rankings.

"I think right now I'm in the high 40s or something," said Semelsberger, who improved to 10-3 overall, 4-1 in the UFC with his March 12 victory. "I think a significant step up in the rankings would be something that I don't think it would be too much to ask for."

Morono has fought 15 times in the UFC and has a pro record of 21-7. He is listed at No. 29 among welterweights on tapology.com.

Semelsberger is not far behind at No. 42, but Morono has a clear edge in terms of quality of competition and UFC experience.

In other words, he's just the type of opponent Semi sought for his latest throwdown as he goes for his first three-fight winning streak among the stable of the sport's elite.

Morono, of Houston, has done battle with some recognizable names in the fight game, including Donald Cerrone (a first-round TKO win in May 2021) and Anthony Pettis (a three-round decision loss in December 2020).

Morono, 31, is going for his first four-fight winning streak, a string that began with his victory over Cerrone and was followed by unanimous decisions over David Zawada last September and Mickey Gall last December. He has an equal number (six) of KOs and submissions on his victory ledger.

There is one common opponent between Semelsberger and Morono — Khaos Williams. Semelsberger lost a three-round unanimous decision to Williams in a fight where he instigated significantly less action and brought less power than his intense counterpart.

But Semi did well to survive Williams' wild flurries in their June 2021 meeting.

Morono, nicknamed "The Great White," wasn't able to do the same about year and a half earlier — when Williams swarmed, overwhelmed and knocked him out in 27 seconds.

The prep for Semi's clash against Fletcher included more grappling, which he put to good use on offense and defense. In Semelsberger's mind, that performance went a long way in proving his all-around bona fides, seeing as how he had used only his right hand to earn a pair of startling sub-20 second KOs among his first four UFC appearances.

According to what he's posted on Twitter in the past couple of months, Semelsberger's recent work has centered on kickboxing technique, specifically footwork and positioning.

"As those improve, so will my power and ability to volley longer. That's a huge priority of mine going forward, more action is needed in my fights," he tweeted on May 23.

The 6-foot-1 Semelsberger, of Ijamsville, will again have a height advantage (Morono is 5-11) as he tries to continue burnishing his reputation and slowly moving up the welterweight charts.

Morono has 11 first-round finishes in his career, while Semelsberger has three since 2020, so the early going of their encounter could be busy.

The UFC 277 card is headlined by the women's bantamweight title fight between champion Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena.

Though it's uncertain if Semelsberger-Morono will be on the main card or undercard, this will be Semi's second time on a numbered pay-per view event since he joined the promotion two years ago — he bludgeoned Martin Sano in 15 seconds at UFC 266 last September — and it will be his first UFC bout outside of the state of Las Vegas. It will air on ESPN+.

Semelsberger fights out of Crazy 88 MMA (Elkridge) and The Clinch Academy (Frederick).

NOTE: Another local MMA professional, Frederick High alum Josh Jackson, won his main-event fight Saturday at FightWorld 24 in Gettysburg. The 30-year-old earned a first-round TKO due to strikes, defeating Travis Foster in 4 minutes, 1 second, and improving his record to 6-3.