Michael Morales reveals exact timeline of his UFC return, reacts to Carlos Prates and Ian Machado Garry rumors

Michael Morales has shed light on the timeline for his highly anticipated upcoming fight.

The Ecuadorian combatant also cleared the air on the rumors regarding his potentially competing for the UFC welterweight title next, as well as the speculation surrounding his possible fights with Carlos Prates and Ian Machado Garry. 

Michael Morales states he'll return in January, would fight a tough opponent but isn't facing Carlos Prates or Ian Machado Garry

As reported by Juan Francisco Rueda, Michael Morales has touched upon the buzz about whom he'll face next and when. He'd weighed in as the official backup/replacement fighter for the most recent UFC welterweight championship matchup, which saw Islam Makhachev outpoint Ian Machado Garry to defend the title back in August. 

Ergo, many believed that Morales would receive the next title shot and likely fight Makhachev for the belt in January of 2027. He has, however, seemingly clarified that his upcoming fight won't be a title match. 

Morales, who hasn't competed since last November, explained:

"As for my fights, I already have one lined up. I was in Vegas discussing it because they (UFC) hadn't given me a fight for a whole year. We were pushing to see if we could fight in December. But it looks like the fight will be in January instead."

Emphasizing that he'll face an opponent other than Carlos Prates and Ian Machado Garry in January, Morales said: 

"Against a very tough opponent. It's neither (Carlos) Prates nor Ian Garry (Ian Machado Garry). Neither wants to fight. And Ian Garry supposedly said I wasn't available, but he already has a fight booked. He wanted to skip another fighter. And that's supposedly why he wanted to fight me in December. But we accepted the January fight, which is my last fight before a title shot."

The Judoka, who's also feared for his scary striking skills, appears to be eyeing his maiden UFC title shot in June 2027. He asserted: 

"I think that would be it. Then, God willing, we need to win that fight. And then we'll fight for the title in June, God willing." 

Watch Michael Morales discuss his much-awaited next fight and more below (*Translation courtesy: @ChampRDS on X): 

🚨 Michael Morales reveals he has a fight set for January, and it's not against Carlos Prates or Ian Garry 👀 "We were pushing to see if we could fight in December, but it looks like the fight will be in January instead. Against a very tough opponent. It's neither Prates nor Ian Garry. Neither wants to fight. We accepted the January fight, which is my last fight before a title shot. We need to win that fight, and then we'll fight for the title in June, God willing." (via @juanfranrueda_)

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 3, 2026

Michael Morales's meteoric rise in the UFC welterweight food chain

Michael Morales boasts an undefeated professional mixed martial arts record, having notched 19 victories in the sport thus far. The Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) alum has gone 7-0 since his UFC main roster debut in 2022, and he's been chomping at the bit to get a crack at UFC 170-pound gold. 

He currently stands at the No. 3 position in the UFC welterweight division, per the official Meta UFC rankings. Ian Machado Garry is at No. 2, and Carlos Prates holds the No. 1 spot.

Presently, the belief is that with Morales suggesting that he won't fight for the title next, all signs point to Prates being likely to face UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev for the title. The UFC hasn't officially announced the rumored Makhachev vs. Prates title showdown as of yet.