“I talked about Ian Garry. That’s the fighter I’ve always wanted to fight.” Michael Morales had his eyes on Ian Garry long before he had the chance to battle Gilbert Burns. Of course, the Ecuadorian welterweight star proved his strength pretty well against ‘Durinho’ at UFC Vegas 106. He showed the world that he could even finish someone as powerful as Burns via KO, within the first round. And this victory marked his 18th win in a row. With it, the world of mixed martial arts inched further towards Morales’ corner when he called Garry out. But what’s the reason behind Morales’ rivalry with the Irish welterweight contender?
The rivalry between Garry and Morales began about two years ago when the Ecuadorian won in his battle against Max Griffin. Even though Morales secured a victory against ‘Pain’, ‘The Future’ wasn’t really impressed. And his confidence further ticked Morales off. The #12 welterweight contender previously revealed that he didn’t like it when Garry talked about Morales rising to the top a bit too fast. According to him, Garry believed that the fight with Griffin should never have happened. Meanwhile, Morales pointed out that Garry was almost knocked out in every one of his fights. Yet, when he provided his opinion against Morales, the fighter from California focused his aim further at the Irishman.
And now, during a recent conversation with Ariel Helwani, Morales revealed his real intentions behind the heat against Garry. Talking about his return to the Octagon, Morales said, “Actually, maybe, Guadalajara. We don’t know, we need to figure things out. Right now I’m going out for a couple of weeks to Ecuador, come back, and we’ll see.” And the opponent? It was Garry, of course. He continued, “Ian Garry. I actually want to pick him up. But right now, I don’t really care who I fight. I got time to improve, wait, and any name is fine.”
This pushed the famed MMA reporter to question the rising welterweight star’s rationale behind asking for a fight against Garry. And it was all because ‘The Future’ dissed Belal Muhammad, Neil Magny, and others who stayed close to Morales’ heart. He answered, “Actually, I believe he has been very disrespectful with fighters I admire, like, Belal or Magny. I think they don’t deserve to be disrespected. I think he talks a lot. One time he had some problems in the PI, in one of my team, people I know. And when I found out I wanted to see what he was doing. But he wasn’t there. So, after that, I just want to shut him up.”
Michael Morales calls for Ian Machado Garry next and shares why he dislikes him:
“I believe he’s been very disrespectful with fighters that I admire like Belal or Magny. They don’t deserve to be disrespected. I think he talks a lot. One time he had some problems in the PI with… pic.twitter.com/deN7e4ZnB8
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 19, 2025
But before we proceed with the war between Morales and Garry, let’s find out who pushed the Ecuadorian towards an undefeated career. After all, he might need every bit of goodwill to prove himself against Garry.
Who was the key to Michael Morales’ success at UFC Vegas 106?
During the post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, the welterweight star revealed that he was pretty nervous before the fight. Needless to say, facing someone who gave a tough competition to Khamzat Chimaev definitely carried a lot of stress for Morales. However, he found support in the voices that mattered the most to him. And in the end, he put all of his worries behind in the locker room and stepped into the arena with massive confidence. But who exactly inspired him?
Morales is actually a Mama’s Boy. So it’s no surprise it was none other than Morales’ mother who pulled him out of the locker room jitters. He said, “My mom is right here and she said, ‘Put that heavy hand and the rest will be history’ and I just… this is to my mom and she’s here, she’s right there. Mom, this victory is for you, just for you to know that your boy is doing some great things, this is for you, we’re going to go back to Ecuador with a win. This is all for you.”
Now, the question that remains is whether Garry and Morales will fight each other next or not. You see, just like Morales, ‘The Future’ is also fresh off a victory. But his desire would be to fight someone from the top 5 list. This means that the fight might not really materialize unless Morales climbs even higher in the welterweight rankings.
What do you think of the rivalry between Garry and Morales? Who do you think would win if the two ever had a chance to battle in the Octagon? Let us know in the comments down below.
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