Michael Morales has shared a private conversation with Ian Machado Garry after the Irishman questioned why the undefeated Welterweight was reportedly unavailable to fight him.
The exchange ended with both fighters agreeing on a potential November 28 matchup in Saudi Arabia, although the bout has not been officially announced by the UFC.
Ian Garry opened the conversation by saying he had been told Morales was unavailable. He pointed out that Morales had recently been willing to serve as a backup for a title fight but apparently could not accept a matchup with him.
That reference was to UFC 330, where Morales was brought in as the backup for Islam Makhachev vs. Garry. Morales went through the weight cut and officially weighed 170 pounds on the morning of the event, meaning he was ready to step in if either fighter could not compete.
Garry wrote:
I wanna fight before the end of the year and I’m being told you’re not available. You were able to be the backup for the world title fight but not able to take a fight with me now? You’ve also asked to be a backup for the next title fight, but still not available to fight with me? Looks like someone is avoiding me. Talk all that s**t online then don’t agree to fight? What’s going on here?”
Morales responded directly:
“My son, what are you talking about? I fight whenever you want I just want a contract and that’s it. I’ll kick your a*s.”
Garry then suggested a date and location.
“Saudi. November 28th let’s do it.”
Morales did not reject the idea, instead giving Garry a simple condition.
“Sign it, my son, and we’ll do it.”
The exchange shows that the disagreement was less about Morales refusing to fight and more about whether there was a contract in place. Morales made it clear that he was willing to accept the matchup if the UFC put the fight on paper.
Why Ian Garry Wants Michael Morales Next
Garry’s interest in Morales comes after his first UFC title challenge ended in defeat. He faced Makhachev in the UFC 330 main event on August 15 and lost a five-round unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in Makhachev’s favor.
Morales, meanwhile, remains unbeaten and has already established himself as one of the leading contenders at 170 pounds. He was one of the fighters Makhachev mentioned after UFC 330 when discussing the division, alongside Carlos Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov.
There is also a reason why the title picture could affect what happens with Morales and Garry. Rakhmonov has remained sidelined because of multiple knee injuries and has not fought since his December 2024 win over Garry.
He recently spoke about his recovery while still dealing with an injury, although footage shared on September 22 showed him doing light wrestling work.
That has left Prates and Morales among the names being discussed for Makhachev’s next title defense. Makhachev himself said Prates had the stronger case at the moment because he has remained active, while Morales has not fought since his win over Sean Brady at UFC 322.
With Rakhmonov’s return still uncertain and Prates being considered for the title picture, Morales could have another decision to make if the UFC moves forward with a championship matchup.
For now, though, his conversation with Garry has produced a clear date to work with, even if neither fighter can officially call November 28 their fight night yet.
