A previously reported clash between welterweight contenders has been given an upgrade.
The upcoming meeting between undefeated 12th-ranked contender Michael Morales and former title challenger Gilbert Burns has been moved to the main event of UFC’s May 17th card, as announced by the promotion on Saturday night.
The five-round tilt will headline a card from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
A meeting between Morales and Burns was originally scheduled for UFC 315, which is scheduled for May 10th in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. While being moved from a pay-per-view arena crowd to a studio-sized audience is certainly a downgrade vibes-wise, the five-round stipulation gives Morales his biggest challenge yet as a pro.
Undefeated 17-fight Ecuadorian talent Morales will be competing in his first-ever five-round appearance in the upcoming bout. He’s getting the opportunity after cruising into the welterweight division’s top 15 in recent years, earning past wins over names like Trevin Giles, Max Griffin and Jake Matthews.
His last appearance was a quick outing, stopping veteran Neil Magny within a round with strikes last summer.
Burns will look to kill the momentum of Morales and start to get something of his own going. 23-fight UFC vet Burns has struggled over the past two years, albeit only in fights against some of the division’s toughest names. A trio of steep challenges—Sean Brady, Jack Della Maddalena and current champ Belal Muhammad—have left Burns winless since May 2023.
Burns is one of seven Brazilian fighters currently booked to appear on UFC’s May 17th “Fight Night” card. Here are the bouts we have reported for the card thus far:
Bout 6: Gilbert Burns (22-8) vs. Michael Morales (17-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 5: Paul Craig (17-9-1) vs. Rodolfo Bellato (12-2-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Luana Pinheiro (11-4) vs. Tecia Pennington (14-7) (Strawweight)
Bout 3: Luana Santos (8-2) vs. Tainara Lisboa (7-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Matheus Camilo (9-2) vs. Gabe Green (11-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Denise Gomes (10-3) vs. Elise Reed (8-4) (Strawweight)
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