Ian Garry isn’t waiting around anymore. The No. 2-ranked welterweight says the UFC has finally put Michael Morales on the table, the date is locked, and ‘The Future’ has already said yes. Morales, however, apparently isn’t quite as eager to make it happen.

Ian Garry claims he even slid into the Ecuadorian’s DMs himself, only to get a very different vibe behind the scenes than what the 27-year-old has been saying publicly. And now, the former title challenger is calling him out for allegedly looking for a way to dodge the matchup.

“I’ve said YES. The date is locked in. Main event and you’re making excuses already,” Garry wrote on Instagram. “UFC sent the date. I dm’d you myself.

“You make it all public, but behind the scenes I’m getting a different message. The world knows I’m anyone anytime… how long has it been since he’s fought?”

The two welterweights couldn’t be in more different spots right now. Ian Garry is coming off a loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 in August, so there’s no room for another slip-up if he wants to get himself back into the title picture. Michael Morales, on the other hand, is still undefeated and has steamrolled through all seven of his UFC appearances.

But there’s one big question hanging over the 27-year-old: when is he actually going to fight again? The Ecuadorian hasn’t stepped inside the Octagon since finishing Sean Brady in the first round, leaving him on the sidelines for nearly a year.

That hasn’t stopped Michael Morales from keeping himself firmly in the contender conversation, though, as he continues to make it clear that a title shot is what he wants next.

Morales seems to have his eyes locked on Islam Makhachev rather than Ian Garry. The undefeated contender even posted a video calling out the champion while making it pretty clear that he has no interest in fighting ‘The Future’ next. The problem? The welterweight champion appears to have other plans, with Carlos Prates seemingly higher on his radar.

“Islam, since you came to my division and took the belt, I have been asking for the fight, you know who I am,” Morales said in the video. “About Prates and me, you said, ‘Let them fight’; alright, I respect that. But after that, no more excuses.

“You and me for the belt. Prates, you said the UFC never offered you the fight with me. You said you will knock me out in the first round. Perfect, bro, let’s do it. You want the belt, I want the belt; let’s find out who’s next.”

The 27-year-old isn’t exactly planning to sit around waiting forever, either. The undefeated contender said he’s willing to wait until 2027 if the UFC has other plans, while already lining up Shavkat Rakhmonov as his backup option if a title shot doesn’t materialize.

“But, if you guys have different plans, Islam, if you prefer Prates because you prefer an easier fighter, I have (my fight) for 2027,” he concluded. “The final boss of this division, Shavkat Rakhmonov. You know where to find me. Oh, I almost forgot, f— Ian Garry.”

Now the ball is firmly in Michael Morales’ court. ‘The Future’ says the UFC has already put a date on the calendar and claims he has accepted the fight. The Ecuadorian, meanwhile, appears to be holding out for a straight shot at Makhachev.

So the big question is simple: does Morales take the Garry fight or keep waiting for the title opportunity he wants? After all, on paper, Ian Garry vs. Michael Morales makes a ton of sense.

Why the UFC should book Ian Garry vs. Michael Morales

Michael Morales taking on the Irishman is the kind of matchup that could finally clear up the mess at the top of the welterweight division and give the UFC a much clearer contender to move forward with.

The 27-year-old could also make a strong case for getting one more fight under his belt before jumping straight into a title shot. His three-fight TKO streak is hard to ignore, but among his last five wins, the Sean Brady victory is easily the standout.

That leaves the UFC with a pretty interesting decision: hand Morales a title fight right now, or put him in there with a contender who has faced a tougher slate of opponents and is coming off a championship loss? Ian Garry certainly fits that description.

Ultimately, it all comes down to what the UFC thinks the Ecuadorian is ready for and how it wants to play the next few moves at 170 pounds. The promotion has done this before, pairing dangerous up-and-comers with established contenders coming off title losses. It gives the UFC a big fight while also shaking up the division at the same time.

The UFC pulled off this exact matchmaking formula at UFC 273 when it threw the surging Khamzat Chimaev in with elite contender Gilbert Burns. ‘Borz’ had been an absolute wrecking ball, absorbing just one significant strike across his first four UFC fights.

Burns, meanwhile, was coming off a title-fight loss to Kamaru Usman and needed a big win to get himself back in the mix. So, what followed was exactly the kind of fight the UFC hopes for when it makes these risky matchups.

Khamzat Chimaev edged ‘Durinho’ by a close unanimous decision in an all-out classic, proving he could hang with the division’s elite. The 40-year-old may have lost, but the war only added to his reputation and star power.

There’s a business side to this puzzle, too. Right now, putting Carlos Prates in with Islam Makhachev for the title could be a more logical move than throwing Michael Morales straight into a championship fight.

Prates vs. Makhachev would settle another huge question at welterweight, while the 27-year-old could use another win to make his title case even harder to ignore. And that’s exactly why Garry vs. Morales is such an intriguing fight.

The Irishman has already been through the title-fight experience, while Michael Morales is undefeated and charging up the rankings. If the UFC really is working toward booking this matchup, the Ecuadorian now has a major decision to make about what comes next.

The problem? He might be trying to play the long game a little too carefully. While Morales looks for the cleanest path to a title shot, he could be overlooking a seriously tough test in Ian Garry. Beating a former title challenger would give Morales another elite name on his résumé and make his argument for a championship fight even harder for the UFC to ignore.

Sometimes, the shortest path to the belt isn’t waiting for the perfect opportunity; it’s beating whoever is standing in the way.