Outside Source
Michael Morales recently met up with Ilia Topuria in Madrid, Spain. Both Morales and Topuria are potential opponents for Makhachev. The welterweight champion had a cryptic response to a photo of Morales and Topuria posing together. Makhachev responded with a telephone emoji, hinting at a potential matchup between one of the two next.
Makhachev (28-1) and Topuria (17-0) have long been on a collision course. Topuria was the featherweight champion when he started calling for a lightweight title shot against then-champion Makhachev, who eventually moved up to welterweight. Topuria also subsequently moved up to lightweight and won the title. A matchup between Topuria and Makhachev was rumored to be the original plan for the White House card in June. However, Topuria is now scheduled to defend his title against interim champion Justin Gaethje at UFC White House on June 14.
A More Likely Option
With Makhachev expected to return this summer, the chances of a clash against Topuria seem bleak. Meanwhile, Makhachev manager Ali Abdelaziz has promised that the Dagestani champ will defend his title against a real welterweight next. This means Makhachev’s cryptic reaction is likely hinting at a matchup against Morales next. Morales (19-0) laid claim to contender status by knocking out Sean Brady at UFC 322 this past November. The undefeated Ecuadorian has finished five of his seven UFC wins so far.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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