A contingency plan might be in place for the UFC 330 main event.
Mixed martial arts’ leading promotion will be back in Philadelphia later this summer, where the main attraction will be Islam Makhachev’s first defense of the UFC welterweight title.
After dominating Jack Della Maddalena to become the promotion’s eleventh two-division champion last November, Makhachev will be challenged by Ian Machado Garry on August 15.
And should either man be forced to pull out on extremely late notice, there is one contender who is ready and willing to step in.
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Michael Morales plans to weigh in at UFC 330 as the Islam Makhachev vs Ian Machado Garry backup
Garry secured the first shot at Makhachev despite stiff competition from top contenders Michael Morales and Carlos Prates.
After being snubbed for a spot in the next championship fight, many are expecting the Ecuadorian and Brazilian welterweights to meet in a title eliminator.
The 19-0 Morales is open to that, but he plans to complete a different assignment first.
“I’ll go as the backup for this fight between Islam and Ian Garry, or I’ll fight one more time against whoever,” Morales told ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Contreras Legaspi (h/t @ChampRDS).
“They’re saying Prates, others are saying another fighter in the division, but I said whatever they want.
“Either way, I’m also going to go and make weight for August 15,” he added.
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Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Morales knocked out Sean Brady at the same Madison Square Garden event seven months ago that saw Makhachev crowned welterweight king in his divisional debut.
The Ecuadorian has now won seven fights inside the Octagon since his successful Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in 2021.
In the new Meta UFC rankings, which were created by AI and released earlier this week, Morales sits at No. 3, behind only Garry in second and Prates at the top of the pile.
2026-06-25 17:00:00
