This August at UFC 330, Islam Makhachev will attempt to defend his welterweight title for the first time against the No. 2 ranked Ian Machado Garry, and now the backup fighter for the main event bout has been revealed in case things take an unfortunate turn.
Reports surfaced on Wednesday that rising star and No. 3 ranked 170-pound contender Michael Morales (19-0) will serve as the backup should either Makhachev or Garry face any issues in the next two weeks.
The Ecuadorian native, fighting out of Tijuana, Mexico, has secured seven straight UFC victories after earning his contract with the promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2021. Most recently, he secured an impressive first-round knockout victory over another top-five skilled welterweight, Sean Brady (19-2).
Most find it quite fitting that Morales serves as the backup for this welterweight title match, as it is anticipated that he will eventually get his shot if his winning ways continue. But there are other names in mind for the next shot at the belt following UFC 330, such as Carlos Prates, who is currently ranked just under the champion at No. 1 and is coming off his impressive finish of former champion Jack Della Maddalena in May. This is, of course, assuming that there is no immediate rematch between Makhachev and Garry.