In less than a week, Islam Makhachev will make the first defense of his welterweight title when he takes on Ian Garry at UFC 330. With the 170-pound division heating up, another top contender, Michael Morales, has been named the backup fighter for the Philadelphia card. However, the Ecuadorian is currently nowhere near the welterweight limit.
As the official backup, Morales will also have to make the 170-pound limit during fight week. The problem? He still has a lot of weight to lose. Over the weekend, Morales took to his Instagram Stories, first appearing to show his weight at the beginning of his training camp before revealing where he currently stands heading into fight week.
In the first post, Morales appeared to weigh 223.1 pounds. His latest update showed him at 193.5 pounds, before he later posted another picture showing a weight of 190.7 pounds. That means the undefeated contender still needs to shed around 20.7 pounds to reach the 170-pound limit.
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With less than a week to go before UFC 330, that is a massive amount of weight to cut. Several fans have already called the weight cut stupid, arguing that Morales should have simply fought on the card instead of serving as the backup.
Others suggested that Carlos Prates may already have done enough to earn the next title shot regardless of what happens in Philadelphia, especially after his impressive victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth.
Prates is also ranked two spots above Morales at No. 1 in the welterweight division. Makhachev himself recently questioned why Morales is waiting around for a title opportunity instead of taking another fight.
Speaking to MMA Junkie last week, the champion said, “[Morales] has to fight, bro. When he fought last time? And he’s waiting for the title fight or what? Too much contenders. I think [Morales] has to fight against (Carlos) Prates or maybe Shavkat (Rakhmonov).”
Morales has been nothing short of unstoppable throughout his MMA career. The Ecuadorian has stormed through the welterweight division without much resistance and remains undefeated at 19-0.
He is also riding three straight knockout victories, most recently stopping Sean Brady at UFC 322 last fall in New York. With roughly 20 pounds still to go and UFC 330 just days away, it remains to be seen whether Morales can actually make the welterweight limit and be ready to step in if Makhachev or Garry is forced out of the main event.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
