Ian Machado Garry Claims Undefeated UFC Star is Ducking Main Event Fight Offer

Ian Machado Garry claims that he’s accepted a UFC main event fight with one of the welterweight division’s most dangerous contenders.

A former Cage Warriors champion, Machado Garry joined the UFC as an unbeaten talent in 2021 and has established himself as one of the most talented and outspoken members of the UFC’s 170 lbs. weight class.

“The Future” received his first crack at UFC gold earlier this year at UFC 330, where he challenged Islam Makhachev in the latter fighter’s first welterweight title defense and dropped a unanimous decision in the card's main event.

Ian Machado Garry Claims He's Accepted UFC Main Event Fight vs. Michael Morales

The loss to Makhachev marked just the second setback of Machado Garry’s UFC and professional MMA careers, as he also came up short against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 before rebounding with back-to-back wins.

Islam Makhachev (red gloves) fights against Ian Machado Garry (blue gloves) in the welterweight title bout during UFC 330 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Irishman’s former opponent Carlos Prates recently claimed that he’s next in line to challenge Makhachev, and this week Machado Garry is making headlines himself by saying he’s accepted a fight with undefeated contender Michael Morales.

Michael Morales Has Won "Performance of the Night" Bonuses for Last Three UFC Wins

Currently ranked at #3 in both the Meta AI and media rankings for the UFC welterweight division, Morales is a perfect 19-0 in his professional MMA career and 7-0 since joining the UFC off of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021.

Michael Morales (blue gloves) celebrates after defeating Sean Brady (not pictured) in the welterweight bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Ecuadorian stopped his first two UFC opponents in 2022 before going the distance in back-to-back fights the following year, and a first-round finish of divisional staple of Neil Magny kicked off what has now become a three-fight streak of first-round finishes.

Michael Morales (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Sean Brady (red gloves) in the welterweight bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After stopping Magny in his only outing of 2024, last year saw Morales knock out former title challenger Gilbert Burns in his first UFC main event before he also made short work of top contender Sean Brady at UFC 322 and secured his third “Performance of the Night” bonus in a row.

UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev Has Won 17-Straight Fights

A matchup between Machado Garry and Morales would go a long way towards sorting out the welterweight title picture, although it remains to be seen if the UFC does intend to have Prates challenge Makhachev next.

Currently ranked as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC, Makhachev is on a staggering 17-fight win streak that began after the 34-year-old suffered his lone career defeat at the hands of Adriano Martins in 2015.

Makhachev claimed the UFC lightweight belt by submitting Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, and after successfully defending that title on four occasions he elected to vacate the belt in order to pursue a second championship in the welterweight division.

Islam Makhachev (blue gloves) acknowledges the crowd after defeating Jack Della Maddalena (not pictured) in the welterweight championship bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A dominant performance against defending titleholder Jack Della Maddalena saw Makhachev achieve two-division champion status at UFC 322, and that card also featured Morales’ first-round finish of Sean Brady as well as Prates' incredible spinning elbow knockout of former welterweight king Leon Edwards.

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