Well, let’s just say that welterweight contender Michael Morales isn’t exactly a fan of his fellow, Ian Garry. He’s made no secret of this, especially after winning a unanimous decision against Max Griffin at UFC on ESPN 48 last July. He celebrated his win by saying he’d love to fight Garry next. He further vented his feelings during a recent chat session. “I really dislike that guy,” Morales confessed to MMAjunkie.com. Apparently, his beef is not just professional, but also rather personal.
Morales left no room for doubt. He’s itching for a potential match-up with Garry, but he’s not hung up on it either. He emphasized that what really matters is whatever the UFC has in store for him. If it’s Garry, he said, “Thank you very much, but if it’s not him, I also welcome it. Whoever is next can get it.”
It seems there’s something about Garry that particularly bugs Morales. He recalled Garry’s cavalier dismissal of him as a potential opponent. “He said something like, I’m coming up the rankings, but I’m coming up too fast and the fight against Max Griffin shouldn’t have happened,” Morales said. He added with some annoyance, “He’s saying I should be fighting more experienced fighters, but he’s been almost knocked out in every single one of his fights, so I don’t think he can give his opinion on that.”
Currently, Morales is on a winning streak with four UFC victories. He recently trumped veteran Jake Matthews in a unanimous decision. But he’s not resting on his laurels. Morales has big plans for UFC 299 in March, where his fellow Ecuadorian, Marlon Vera, will vie for the bantamweight title.
Comparatively, Garry boasts a 6-0 record inside the Octagon. His most recent unanimous decision win was against Neil Magny at UFC 292 on Aug. 19. He’s now set to take on Vicente Luque, his veteran Kill Cliff FC teammate, at UFC 296 on Dec. 16. With the tension escalating, fans will be waiting with bated breath to see if Morales and Garry’s paths eventually cross in the Octagon.