Islam Makhachev recently took a sharp dig at Michael Morales while referring to Morales’ 2017 submission loss.
For context, record-keeping website Tapology had messed with Morales’ undefeated record earlier this month. The page added one loss and one win from the start of his career to the professional MMA bout list. Among these two bouts, one was Morales’ submission loss to Ricardo Centeno in the quarterfinal of the second season of the Ecuadorian league Ultima Pelea in 2017.
However, Tapology later reverted Michael Morales’ pro-MMA record to a clean 19-0 as both the win and the loss from the Ultima Pelea league are now officially recognized as exhibition bouts.
Update on the “Ultima Pelea” league in Ecuador and its impact on Michael Morales MMA record. We will reverse & classify these as exhibition. We look forward to many colorful replies on social media about how stupid we are. Thank you in advance. But above all we want to be fair…
— Tapology (@tapology) January 7, 2026
Recently, while referring to Morales’ 2017 loss, Islam Makhachev took a dig at the 26-year-old. The Russian fighter told Match TV that Morales “needs to be choked out again.”
“Morales was not undefeated a few days ago, but today he’s undefeated again. I don’t know how they removed it. I saw the cage fight—he got choked out, and then they announced it was an exhibition match. Well then, he needs to be choked out again.”
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments below:
Islam Makhachev reacts to Michael Morales getting choked out. đź’Ą
“Morales was not undefeated a few days ago, but today he’s undefeated again. I don’t know how they removed it.
I saw the cage fight—he got choked out, and then they announced it was an exhibition match. Well then,… pic.twitter.com/cL0eA1T6bz
— MMA Pros Pick (@MMA_PROS_PICK_) January 17, 2026
Michael Morales fires back at Islam Makhachev
Michael Morales was quick to respond to Islam Makhachev’s above comments. In response, Morales referred to Makhachev’s sole loss in MMA, which was a knockout loss to Adriano Martins in 2015. The undefeated Ecuadorian fighter quipped:
“Makhachev’s already been knocked out once, time to knock him out again.” [Translated from Spanish]
Check out Michael Morales’ comments below:
🔥🥊 Cruce picante entre Makhachev y Michael Morales
Islam Makhachev ironizó sobre la polémica del récord de Morales:
🗣️ “Hace unos dĂas no estaba invicto y hoy sĂ. Lo vi ser estrangulado y luego dijeron que fue exhibiciĂłn… habrá que estrangularlo otra vez”
💬 Respuesta de… pic.twitter.com/ndYndYCgXY
— Ecuador ComunicaciĂłn ❇️ Al dĂa en Deportes (@EcuRadioDeporte) January 17, 2026
Morales and Makhachev were rumored to fight each other in January. However, both sides declined the bout. The newly minted 170-pound champion did not want to fight because he believed he had less time to prepare, having just fought in November. Morales, on the other hand, chose to go on a vacation and rest.
🚨 Michael Morales says he may fight JDM next and that a January fight with Islam was discussed but declined by both
“UFC told me about a possible fight against Jack for March or April. I think they also proposed a fight with Makhachev for January, and he didn’t want to accept… pic.twitter.com/RPwDu5qeNn
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) January 9, 2026
Makhachev is expected to make the first defense of his welterweight title after Ramadan 2026, and Morales is interested in fighting the Russian phenom. However, in the meantime, he’s itching to get back in the octagon and has set his crosshairs on Jack Della Maddalena.