Big News for UFC 330: Michael Morales Confirms He'll Fight on event

One of the most entertaining welterweights on the roster, Michael Morales, teased the fans with a post on his Instagram, writing the date of UFC 330 in the caption. After the fans started asking the questions about the meaning of the caption, Morales took his time to reply to one of them, simply saying yes to a question about him having a booked fight. 

Since he's supposed to be a backup fighter for the main event, the real question is has someone pulled out of the title fight between Ian Machado Gary and Islam Makhachev?

Highly Unlikely That Someone's Out of Title Fight

First and foremost, the news wouldn't come from a backup fighter. In no way does it make sense that Morales should be the one announcing this on his social media. Both Makachev and Gary are still openly talking about the fight.

On top of that, their health and fitness were never questioned leading up to this fight, although that could be the only reason for Morales to step in.

The other possibility is that Morales is throwing the post out there just for the sake of it. Back in May this year, Morales stated on his Instagram that he will be the one fighting Islam on UFC 330, ahead of Ian Garry. So the fact that Michael might be saying this just for the fun of it isn't impossible.

Morales vs Prates, a fight that everybody wants

The obvious fight to make would be Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales. Both contenders are in top form and just an inch away from getting a title shot. Morales, a fighter from Ecuador is currently 19-0 with 14 KO/TKO wins; meanwhile, Prates has lost only one fight since 2019. winning over names like Jack Della Maddalena, Leon Edwards, and Geoff Neal, with an impressive 19 KO/TKO record.

As fans are suggesting, this fight could potentially be in contention for a fight of the year if the UFC decides to book it. It also makes sense to define who will be next in line for the belt. The Brazilian Nightmare stated a few months back that if he were forced to take another fight before the title bout, it would definitely be Morales, teasing fans even further.

Other Options Besides Prates: Yaroslav Amosov, Gabriel Bonfim

Amosov should be a more logical choice, since Bonfim fought Belal Muhammad at the beginning of June. Amosov, a Ukrainian who recently came from Bellator showed everyone that he is an absolute monster in the octagon. A fighter who can do it both on the feet and on the ground quickly proved that he would be a threat to every welterweight.

Being a well-rounded fighter is almost always a recipe for success, but we can't forget that Morales displayed some of the best takedown defense in recent years, as an impressive 89% of takedowns defended show. The only "problem" with this fight could be that Yaroslav Amosov broke into the ranking not too long ago, holding No. 15, as Morales is No. 3.

As for Gabriel Bonfim, it would be a bit of a surprise to see him fight so soon. His last fight was a win over Belal Muhamed on June 6, a five-round decision win. If we are talking about the direct matchup against Morales, the Ecuadorian should have an advantage, as stated before; he is very hard to take down, and Bonfim is a submission specialist.