Michael Morales has one man in his sights after a dominant win at UFC Vegas 106.
There’s a new name in the welterweight title mix, and his name is Michael Morales. In his first-career UFC main event booking, Morales mauled former title challenger Gilbert Burns on Saturday with a first-round finish to remain undefeated in his young MMA career.
Morales is one of several young stars as part of the new movement overtaking the UFC’s welterweight division. Carlos Prates, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Morales are a few names to watch in the welterweight title mix for years to come.
After earning the biggest win of his fighting career, Morales wants a shot at one of the division’s top contenders, who allegedly got into it with several of his teammates at the UFC PI.
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Michael Morales targets Ian Machado Garry after first-round finish at UFC Vegas 106
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show after UFC Vegas 106, Morales was asked who he wants to fight next, and didn’t hesitate to target Ian Machado Garry.
“Ian Garry, I want to beat him up, I don’t like him,” Morales said.
“I believe he’s been very disrespectful with fighters that I admire, like Belal [Muhammad] or [Neil] Magny. They don’t deserve to be disrespected. I think he talks a lot.
“One time he had some problems in the PI with some people I know, and when I found out, I wanted to see what he was doing, but he wasn’t there…so I want to shut him up.”
Garry didn’t take long to respond to Morales’s comments. A top teammate of Burns, Garry kept a keen eye on what transpired at UFC Vegas 106.
Garry denied any altercation with one of Morales’s teammates at the UFC PI, and was perplexed when asked about Morales’s claims. But Morales wants to get a shot at Garry to avenge one of his colleagues.
Ian Machado Garry responded to Jack Della Maddalena’s personal attacks on his son
Garry also rubbed UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena the wrong way in the lead-up to UFC 315. At UFC 315 media day, Garry’s son approached Maddalena to give him some candy during his weight cut, to which Maddalena declined.
But Maddalena took things a few steps further after his title win over Belal Muhammad. Maddalena questioned whether Garry’s son was his in a bizarre accusation that made the rounds on social media.
Garry didn’t take long to respond to Maddalena’s personal attacks, calling the titleholder ‘immature’ in a recent sitdown with Ariel Helwani. Garry most recently defeated Prates at UFC Kansas City and could potentially be in line for a title shot with another win.
Maddalena is likely set to face UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in a super fight later this year. Makhachev will vacate the lightweight belt at UFC 317, which will then be fought for by Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria.
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