"I do hate him," Morales told Alvaro Colemenoro. "We don't have a very good vibe. But at the end of the day, he's still a fighter. I'm not gonna get overconfident if I had to prepare myself to fight him... That fight is gonna be intense if it happens... I think that if I were to fight him, it would be the first time that I would fight in a very aggressive way."
'Our new rules, 'Stand and Bang,' between Materla and Jungwirth, that would be something special. Now it's basically gonna be boxing with small gloves, with elbows also, clinch on the fence, but no takedowns, no kicks. And I believe this will be something special.'
Since the announcement last September that Mayweather and Tyson were set to meet in an exhibition this year, details surrounding the event have been scarce. There have been no updates regarding where the fight will be broadcast/streamed, and sources close to the event told ESPN that reports of an April 25 date in the Democratic Republic of Congo were 'extremely premature.'
I think they should keep [the BMF title]. But the only thing about the BMF title, you gotta run it tournament-wise, open weight class. Any person that wants to sign up for it, you can fight for it. But you can fight heavyweight, you can fight flyweight, it don't matter... But you really prove that you're the baddest motherf--er.
They hate it. They tell me not to ever do that. They tell me to run away... I'm like, 'Coaches, I love you guys, but you came up with the game plan. You made me fight this way the whole fight - just give me these 10 seconds, please. And if I'm a jackass in those 10 seconds then you can tell me what it is.' But they hate it.
Van will face off against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. The flyweight champ announced the news himself during the UFC Houston Fan Q&A, after the bout had been the subject of rumors from the likes of Krazy Kev MMA on social media. Van claimed flyweight gold during a bizarre scene at UFC 323, when reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja injured his arm early in their co-main event fight.
"Everybody has an opinion on who should fight whom in the welterweight division," Garry said on Instagram. "Here's mine: Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales. Because it's two power heavy hitters, and I want to see who comes out on top. I doubt Morales would take it, because the truth is, Carles Prates hits harder. I kind of want to see Prates vs. JDM too. But I'm gonna match Jack Della Maddalena vs. Kamaru Usman... And finally, the world title fight at welterweight. I want to see the champion Islam Makhachev defend his belt against the No. 1 contender in the world, Ian Machado Garry."
If it's offered to me, of course, I'm gonna fight for the lightweight title. But as everyone knows, I'm pretty real with everything. Right now, it's like, do I deserve a shot at the lightweight title? I know I don't. I'm not planning to fight for another two to three years. For me to deserve another shot like that I'm gonna need another two to three wins.