Fan favorite Vince Morales is finally back in the win column.

The bantamweight veteran returned to action for the 28th time as a professional on Saturday night, beginning his latest stint on the regional scene.

Morales’ second run inside the Octagon ended this year in a controversial UFC Perth fight against Alexander Volkanovski’s teammate. The American lost on the scorecards but was accused of tapping out by the featherweight champion.

Regardless of how he lost, it was a defeat nonetheless, and a fourth straight one that resulted in his release. But it hasn’t taken long for Morales to bounce back.

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Vince Morales knocks out Daniel Lacerda in clash of former UFC contenders at Tuff-N-Uff 158

Five months after his second period in the UFC ended with him going 0-4, Morales was booked to headline Tuff-N-Uff 158 against another former member of the roster on MMA’s biggest stage.

‘Vandetta’ fought Daniel Lacerda in Saturday’s headliner at the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Lacerda failed to win any of his five UFC bouts but entered his clash with Morales on a run of two consecutive wins in MMA, the latest of which had come under the Tuff-N-Uff banner.

The Brazilian was unable to build on that momentum, instead being knocked out in just 63 seconds by the returning Morales, who previously won at Tuff-N-Uff 137 during the winning streak that eventually took him back to the UFC.

A stiff jab as Lacerda launched an attack floored the Brazilian, and some brutal ground strikes from Morales ultimately forced referee Herb Dean to intervene.

At 35 years of age, a third opportunity in the UFC is most likely not on the cards for Morales.

But Saturday’s result proved he still has plenty to give away from the Octagon, which is no doubt good news for fans looking to be entertained outside of UFC cards.