Islam Makhachev will defend his welterweight title against longtime 170-pound contender Ian Garry atop the upcoming UFC 330 event on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia. But if an unexpected scale fail (or untimely injury) happens to jeopardize the bout, welterweight contender Michael Morales will be ready to step in.
“They told me I had to wait for the fight between Ian and Islam, and then I’d be next,” Morales told MMA Junkie. “Right now, they’ve brought me in as the backup in case
one of the two misses weight or isn’t able to fight. If that happens, I’ll step in. Either this title fight happens, or I wait one more fight and then I fight for the title. There’s nothing else left.”
Garry (17-1) has never missed weight in his UFC career and Makhachev (28-1) moved up from lightweight to ease the suffering of his championship weight cuts, so the likelihood of either fighter bowing out is remote. Then again, weird things tend to happen before major UFC title fights, so it’s good to have a Plan B.
Morales (19-0) has been nothing short of unstoppable throughout his combat sports career and has blown through the welterweight ranks with little-to-no resistance. The 27-year-old Ecuadorian is coming off three straight knockouts, having recently disposed of Sean Brady at UFC 322 last fall in New York.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 click here.
