Michael Morales must hit championship weight next January.
The undefeated welterweight has been granted an unexpected first opportunity to win UFC gold at the first numbered event of 2027.
After champion Islam Makhachev turned down Carlos Prates and decided he won’t return until after Ramadan, Morales will fight the Brazilian with an interim title at stake.
Ahead of starting his camp for UFC 336, the Ecuadorian has revealed the physical transformation he must undergo before January 30.
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What do you make of the UFC’s decision to make an interim title at welterweight?
Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will duke it out at UFC 336 for the 170lb strap
Michael Morales provides weight update ahead of Carlos Prates title fight at UFC 336
Morales knocked out Sean Brady at UFC 322 last November to extend his perfect professional record to 19-0.
The 27-year-old has now knocked out Brady, Gilbert Burns, and Neil Magny consecutively to cement himself as one of the promotion’s very best at 170 pounds.
Many see the Ecuadorian’s size as a key component to his welterweight success. The likes of Joe Rogan have expressed shock at his ability to cut down to that weight class and commented on the physical advantage he has had over most of his foes.
Morales recently gave some insight into how many pounds he has to shed with a post on his Instagram account.
The upcoming title challenger showed his physique three months out from fight night in Toronto, alongside an image of a scale that displayed his weight at 220 pounds.
With that in mind, Morales will have to cut 50 pounds before attempting to make championship weight ahead of UFC 336 early next year.
“13 weeks 🥷🔥”
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Morales has yet to have any struggles on the scale during his career, successfully making weight 19 times out of 19.
As well as hoping to keep that streak alive at UFC 336, the Ecuadorian star will attempt to continue his streak of post-fight bonuses.
He has picked up three Performance of the Night paychecks in a row, and a fourth would mean he’d be leaving Canada with both the interim welterweight title and an additional $100k.
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