Islam Makhachev Is Afraid of Michael Morales

While there is no questioning Makhachev's greatness, there needs to be questions as to why he is not welcoming the challenge against Michael Morales and instead is dismissing him as the next contender. Because, for right now, the only reason is that there is a bit of fear in Makhachev when it comes to the thought of facing him. 

Islam Makhachev's Excuse Makes No Sense

In his attempt to try and dismiss Morales as a contender, he ended up saying, "When he fought last time? And he's waiting for the title fight or what? Too much contenders."

The issue with his comment of trying to say Morales has been inactive as a fighter is the fact that before Makhachev fought on the UFC 330 card, the last time Makhachev fought was at UFC 322 on November 15, 2025. Coincidentally, that was the last night Morales fought as well, earning a knockout victory over Sean Brady in the first round. 

While Morales hasn't had a fight scheduled during this span, he did just go through a camp to make sure he could make the limit, as he was the backup fighter for Makhachev vs Garry. 

Michael Morales is Islam Makhachev's Most Dangerous Challenger

With Morales, he holds a 19-0 professional record with 14 knockout victories and has won his last three fights all by KO/TKO inside the UFC. His most recent victory was over Brady, one of the best grapplers inside the division, and he did so in dominant fashion.

For someone like Makhachev, whose best work comes from the ground, this had to start to raise his attention when it comes to Morales. 

With Morales, he also has the tools to make Makhachev uncomfortable inside the Octagon. He is six feet tall with a 79-inch reach, and he has shown he is able to combine his size with speed, composure, and legit finishing power. 

Garry was able to show portions of the blueprint to beat Makhachev by maintaining the distance, defending takedowns, and forcing Makhachev to work through extended exchanges, yet Garry didn't have the finishing ability. Morales does. 

While Carlos Prates deserves his own shot at the title relatively soon, he also is more susceptible to being dominated on the ground by Makhachev compared to Morales, making it easy to see why Makhachev would advocate for him as the next opponent. Morales deserves the next title shot, and he has the ability to exploit Makhachev in the process.