Morales eyes fight vs. Garry at UFC 320: I 'want to beat him up'

Michael Morales has a name in mind for his next fight after scoring a first-round TKO of Gilbert Burns in this past weekend's UFC Fight Night main event.

The surging welterweight contender said Monday he wants to face Ian Machado Garry, potentially at UFC 320 on Sept. 13 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Morales, 25, is from Ecuador but trains out of Tijuana, Mexico.

"I actually want to beat him up," Morales said through an interpreter on "The Ariel Helwani Show."

"I believe (Garry has) been very disrespectful with fighters I admire, like Belal (Muhammad), Neil Magny. I think they don't deserve to be disrespected. I think he talks a lot. One time, he had some problems in the (UFC Performance Institute) with people I know. When I found out, I wanted to see ... what he was doing, but he wasn't there. After that, I just want to shut him up."

Garry is the No. 6-ranked contender in the 170-pound division. He served as the backup fighter for the title fight between newly crowned champion Jack Della Maddalena and former champ Muhammad at UFC 315 earlier this month. Garry, a 27-year-old Irishman, is coming off a win over Carlos Prates in the UFC Kansas City main event in April and is 9-1 in the promotion.

Morales made quick work of Burns in his first UFC main event Saturday to punch his ticket to the top 10 of the division, finishing the former title challenger with punches against the fence. Morales is undefeated as a pro, boasting an 18-0 record. He's won six fights since debuting in the UFC in January 2022.