A key top-10 contest in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division is
booked for its May return to Canada.
In January, Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight
reported that Gilbert
Burns (22-8) would square off with Michael
Morales (17-0) in Miami on April 12. The promotion changed
course for this 170-pound pairing, shifting it one pay-per-view
later to
UFC 315 on May 10. The two will collide inside of the Bell
Centre in Montreal, likely as part of the main card. The pairing
was confirmed on
Thursday by the promotion.
Former title challenger Burns has struggled as of late, recording
his last win in April 2023 when he outworked Jorge
Masvidal. Since then, Burns fell short to future champ Belal
Muhammad, got knocked out by Jack
Della Maddalena and dropped a decision to Sean Brady.
Despite the recent setbacks, the Brazilian finisher can still hang
his hat on wins over names like Tyron
Woodley, Demian Maia
and Stephen
Thompson over the years, and he had then-champ Kamaru
Usman on the ropes when he fought Usman for the belt in
2021.
While Burns has not fared well the last year and a half, Morales
has still yet to taste defeat as a professional. The Ecuador-based
combatant joined the league in 2022, rattling off five straight
wins to earn this opportunity to crack into the top 10. His lone
outing in 2024 came against Neil Magny,
where he battered the grizzled veteran and put him away in the
first round. Other wins over names like Jake
Matthews and Max Griffin
propelled him into this high-stakes contest.