A potential welterweight title eliminator fight between top-ranked contenders Sean Brady and Michael Morales is reportedly set for UFC 322.
The UFC’s annual Madison Square Garden show is set to go down in New York City on November 15, and the event is already stacked thanks to a double-title fight offering at the top of the bill. Islam Makhachev will try to become a two-division champion when he challenges UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena in the main event, and Weili Zhang will try to achieve the same feat in the co-headliner when she takes on UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko.
The UFC has already added a number of other high-profile fights to bolster the card, and a matchup between Brady and Morales would serve as some insurance for the night’s main event and also potentially decide who will challenge for the promotion’s welterweight title next.
First reported by MMA Latinoamerica (@ClubDeLasMMA), the matchup would see Brady try and solidify his case for a welterweight title shot after climbing to the division’s #2 spot with his current win streak.
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The 32-year-old joined the UFC with an undefeated record in 2019 and collected five wins before he ran into Belal Muhammad at UFC 280. “Remember the Name” went on to defeat Gilbert Burns before he won the welterweight belt from Leon Edwards, while Brady took more than a year off before he returned to submit Kelvin Gastelum in late 2023.
Leon Edwards (red gloves) fights against Sean Brady (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. / Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images
The win over Gastelum kicked off what has now become a three-fight win streak for Brady, as he also defeated former title challenger Burns and most recently submitted Edwards with a fourth-round guillotine choke in back-to-back UFC Fight Night main events.
Brady will provide the stiffest test that Morales has faced in his professional career thus far, as the Ecuadorian currently boasts an impressive 18-0 record that includes six wins in the UFC.
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A contract winner on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021, Morales stopped his first two UFC opponents before he took unanimous decisions over promotional mainstays Max Griffin and Jake Matthews in 2023. The 26-year-old passed his first step up in competition with flying colors when he stopped Neil Magny, and in May he also finished Burns in the opening round of his first main event opportunity since joining the UFC.
Michael Morales (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Adam Fugitt (not pictured) in a welterweight bout during UFC 277 at the American Airlines Center. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Given his current ranking, Brady would likely be in pole position to step in and replace either Makhachev or Della Maddalena in the UFC 322 main event if needed. Provided everything scheduled for the event stays intact, the winner of Brady vs. Morales could very well be next in line to face whichever fighter leaves Madison Square Garden with the welterweight belt.
• Main Event: Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev – For the UFC Welterweight Championship
• Co-Main Event: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang – For the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship
• Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
• Beneil Dariush vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
• Sean Brady vs. Michael Morales
• Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez
• Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric McConico
• Angela Hill vs. Fatima Kline
• Gerald Meerschaert vs. Kyle Daukaus
• Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira
• Roman Kopylov vs. Gregory Rodrigues
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• Charles Oliveira targets huge UFC rematch in plea to UFC brass to ‘make that happen’
• Merab Dvalishvili drops warning to ex-UFC flyweight champ for UFC title fight
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