Morales (19-0) was in attendance when Garry (17-2) challenged
Islam
Makhachev (29-1) for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title in the main
event of UFC
330. Despite suffering a unanimous decision loss, Garry gave
Makhachev a tough test and took a moment backstage to talk to
potentially the next challenger to the 170-pound title, Morales,
who weighed in as a backup for UFC 330.

Ian Garry calls for new wave of fighters to avoid trash talk
while confronting Michael Morales

Garry confronted Morales backstage about their recent feud while
the undefeated Ecuadorian barely responded.

“All the s*** you talk, it’s OK. Make sure you back it up,†Garry
said. “I don’t know whatever story you made up about meeting me;
I’ve never encountered that sort, you know that, right? Listen,
you’re a good fighter. Show up, keep winning, and you can do
anything. Does that make sense? You’ve got massive fights in this
division. You’ve got me, you’ve got [Carlos] Prates, you’ve got
Islam. Show up and fight. Does that make sense?â€

Garry then talked up Morales before once again urging him to avoid
trash talk.

“You’re an animal,†Garry added. “You’re strong. I don’t know about
any story where I’ve met you and I’ve talked sh*t to you. In this
sport, people talk sh*t; I ignore it. You’re a good fighter. You’re
young, you’re strong up here, and that means you can do anything.
That makes sense? Spread good, do good. You knock people out, you
beat people up, that’s what gets respect. There are too many people
in this sport talking sh*t, being negative. We're the new
generation of the sport; change it.â€

The
beef started with an alleged altercation between Garry and a
teammate of Morales at the UFC Performance Institute. Morales later
claimed that Garry had already left when he arrived at the P.I. to
back his friend. While Morales is rallying for the next
welterweight title shot, Makhachev considers Carlos
Prates the most deserving contender.

Magny (32-14) scored a second-round stoppage win over Ramiz
Brahimaj at UFC
330. The win saw him surpass Max
Holloway and tie Charles
Oliveira for the second-most wins in UFC history (25). Magny is
now only behind Miller (28). “The Haitian Sensation†believes he
will eventually tie or break Miller’s record.

Neil Magny moves within three wins of Jim Miller after UFC
330

Magny has fought the who's who of the UFC welterweight division
since making his debut in the promotion in 2013. The 39-year-old is
the unofficial gatekeeper to the top tier of the division, having
shared the cage with all current 170-pound championship contenders
and derailed several hype trains previously. Still going strong, he
sees himself eventually becoming the all-time leader for Octagon
wins.

“I think Father Time is working in my favor to catch up to Jim,â€
Magny said at the post-fight press conference. “From durability and
timing, I think I can catch that record eventually.â€

Top-ranked contenders Shavkat
Rakhmonov, Ian Garry,
Michael
Morales, Carlos
Prates, and most recently, Yaroslav
Amosov are among those who bested Magny, all of whom are in and
around the title mix. Meanwhile, he's upset several surging
contenders during their ascents, including Mike Malott,
Jake
Matthews and Daniel
Rodriguez.

Fernando (14-3) made his promotional debut against Rafael
Tobias at UFC
330. He put on a striking clinic before dropping Tobias with a
knee to the body and finishing him with vicious follow-up shots in
the third round.

Lucas Fernando rebounded from DWCS and LFA losses to earn his
UFC opportunity

Fernando called his wife during the post-fight press conference and
said he couldn't wait to return to her in Brazil after being in the
U.S. for a month. He also credited his wife for talking him out of
quitting mixed martial arts after his loss on
Dana White's Contender Series in 2023. While Fernando was
skeptical about fully committing to the sport after his defeat, his
wife convinced him to pursue his dream of a UFC career.

“My wife, I miss her a lot,†Fernando said at the post-fight
presser. “I've been in the United States for a month training, so I
can't wait to go home… After the loss in Contender, I called her up
and said, ‘You know, maybe this is not for me. I should look for
something else. Or maybe shouldn't dedicate to this 100%. She said
no. She believed in me, she supported me, she supported this dream
of mine to be in the UFC.â€

Fernando suffered a decision loss against Cesar
Almeida at DWCS in 2023, which was followed by another defeat
in the
Legacy Fighting Alliance. He then rebounded with four
consecutive wins that saw him win and defend the LFA light
heavyweight title twice to earn another shot at the UFC.