Michael Morales thought he was on the fast track to a title shot. Ian Garry was even throwing out a date for their potential showdown. So, naturally, things have gone sideways. The undefeated Ecuadorian has now revealed that he’s accepted a completely different fight for January. And surprisingly, neither Garry nor Carlos Prates will be the man waiting for him inside the Octagon.

“We were pushing to see if we could fight in December, but it looks like the fight will be in January instead,” Morales said in Spanish during a recent media appearance. “Against a very tough opponent. It’s neither Prates nor Ian Garry. Neither wants to fight.”

The 27-year-old also made it clear that this January fight isn’t just another stop on his way up the welterweight ladder. According to him, it’s expected to be his final fight before he gets his shot at UFC gold.

“We accepted the January fight, which is my last fight before a title shot,” he continued. “We need to win that fight, and then we’ll fight for the title in June, God willing.”

The twist is even crazier when you look at what was happening between Michael Morales and Ian Garry just last week. The two appeared to be heading toward a fight, with ‘The Future’ coming off his title-fight loss to Islam Makhachev and openly calling Morales the guy he wanted next.

The 27-year-old then poured even more fuel on the fire by sharing a screenshot of his conversation with Garry. And the Irishman was clearly not thrilled about Morales seemingly being unavailable.

“I wanna fight before the end of the year, and I’m being told you’re not available,” Ian Garry said in the exchange. “You were able to be the backup for the world title fight but not able to take a fight with me now? You’ve also asked to be a backup for the next title fight, but still not available to fight with me?”

‘The Future’ didn’t stop there.

“Looks like someone is avoiding me. Talk all that s— online then don’t agree to fight? What’s going on here?” he added.

However, the Ecuadorian wasn’t having any of the “avoiding” talk.

“My son, what are you talking about?” Morales fired back. “I fight whenever you want. I just want a contract, and that’s it. I’ll kick your a–.”

Ian Garry then wasted no time putting an actual date on the table.

“Saudi, Nov. 28. Let’s do it,” he said, according to the exchange.

So much for that matchup. The Garry-Morales fight now appears to be off the table, at least for January. The 27-year-old is instead heading toward a different opponent, with that fight potentially serving as the final hurdle standing between him and his planned title shot.

And honestly, a matchup would have been a pretty big deal for the welterweight division. Carlos Prates is widely viewed as the next challenger for Islam Makhachev, while ‘The Future’ and the undefeated Michael Morales are still among the names looking to put themselves in position for a shot at the belt.

Of course, the UFC could still shake things up and book Carlos Prates against Michael Morales, with the winner potentially getting the next shot at Islam Makhachev. But there’s one big catch: that route could push the welterweight title picture all the way into 2027. And the Dagestani phenom doesn’t exactly sound like a guy interested in sitting around and waiting.

Islam Makhachev’s timeline could shape Michael Morales’ title plans

Islam Makhachev’s urgency makes even more sense when you consider how frustrated he was with his schedule this year. The reigning welterweight champion had hoped to fight at least twice, only to end up waiting until August for his next appearance.

Now, he’s already eyeing a return in November or December as he looks to stay busy and rack up more fights.

“Because I am not 20 something,” Makhachev explained last month when asked about wanting to compete sooner. “I am 34 years old. I have to fight as soon as possible because I don’t cut much weight, I don’t have any big injuries; I just have to double-check my nose. That’s it.

“I [said] at the beginning of the summer, I want to fight. I called Ali Abdelaziz, I called everybody, I want to fight. It’s not something I chose and I made.”

At this point, Islam Makhachev seems less concerned about who stands across from him and more focused on simply getting another fight booked. He wants to defend his title before 2026 is over, which could make Michael Morales’ January matchup a very important piece of the puzzle if the Ecuadorian is serious about challenging for the belt in June.

The 27-year-old is currently ranked No. 3 at welterweight, so it’s clear why he wants to keep himself firmly in the title conversation. The tricky part is finding an opponent who actually keeps that path intact. Some of the other contenders on the board simply don’t offer Morales the same direct route toward a title shot.

Belal Muhammad, meanwhile, sits lower down the rankings, which could make him a less obvious choice for an undefeated contender like Morales who is trying to stay on the shortest possible path to a title shot.

Then there were also reports suggesting that Morales could be matched up with Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Sydney. On paper, that would make some sense, but there’s one obvious problem with that idea: it wouldn’t really fit Morales’ January timeline.

UFC Sydney is currently scheduled for February 7, 2027 according to the UFC, with some reports listing February 6 depending on the event’s local date. And to be fair, JDM isn’t exactly coming off a great stretch either.

Jack Della Maddalena suffered a brutal third-round TKO loss to Carlos Prates at UFC Perth in May, dropping his second straight fight after previously losing the welterweight title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322. So while a Morales-Della Maddalena matchup would certainly be an interesting fight, there’s a decent chance the UFC would be reluctant to make it right now.

Morales is trying to position himself for a title shot, while JDM would be coming off back-to-back losses. That makes the timing a little awkward, especially if the 27-year-old really is looking for one final fight before challenging for the belt. But then again, you never know with the UFC.

And that brings us to one name that immediately makes things more interesting: Shavkat Rakhmonov.

There is, however, one major problem with ‘Nomad’: he’s currently out of the rankings because of inactivity and isn’t expected to return until around February 2027 after suffering another knee injury in training and undergoing surgery.

Still, an earlier comeback in January may not be completely off the table. Recent posts from Rakhmonov’s team suggest his recovery is moving along nicely. Training footage has even shown the undefeated contender back on the mats, wrestling, bouncing around on his feet while striking and working on a guillotine choke.

Shavkat Rakhmonov hasn’t fought since December 7, 2024, when he picked up a unanimous decision win over Ian Garry. Before the injury forced him out, the undefeated contender was firmly viewed as one of the biggest names in the welterweight title picture.

If ‘Nomad’ can somehow get back sooner than expected, a January showdown with Michael Morales would be a massive fight and exactly the kind of matchup that could back up the Ecuadorian’s claim that his next bout will be his final stop before a title shot.

For now, though, Morales’ opponent remains a mystery. What we do know is that January is the target. And if the 27-year-old gets his hand raised, he believes June will be the month he finally gets his shot at welterweight gold.