UFC President Dana White has left the door open to a fight between undefeated welterweights Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales in 2027, but stressed that the bout has not yet been confirmed, infohub.kz reports.
Speaking to reporters, White was asked whether the UFC plans to match the Kazakh fighter against the Ecuadorian following Morales's recent social media callout.
"It's very possible. We've got a lot of good stuff in the works right now, we talked about it yesterday. There are a lot of good announcements coming. The end of this year is going to be incredible, and the way this year is shaping up, I think we've got a good January and February ahead," White said.
Morales had earlier called Rakhmonov the "final boss" of the welterweight division and proposed they meet in 2027. His interest in the matchup is also tied to the situation surrounding the championship belt. According to Spanish journalist Álvaro Colmenero, the UFC is discussing a title defense by Islam Makhachev against Carlos Prates on January 30, 2027, at UFC 336 in Toronto. Talks are still ongoing, and the promotion has not officially announced the bout.
Neither fighter has lost in his professional career. Morales sits third in the UFC's official welterweight rankings, while Rakhmonov was removed from them in February because of his extended layoff.
The Kazakh has not fought since December 2024, when he defeated Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision. Rakhmonov has since dealt with knee problems and underwent a lengthy recovery. His return is expected in 2027. He holds a 19-0 record, with 18 of those wins coming by stoppage.
Morales is also 19-0. He last fought in November 2025, knocking out Sean Brady in the first round. Before that, the Ecuadorian also stopped Gilbert Burns and Neil Magny.
Earlier, Kurziv reported that respected MMA journalist Ariel Helwani called a fight with Morales too risky an option for Rakhmonov's return after more than a two-year layoff. In his view, the Kazakh should first take on a less dangerous opponent and regain his competitive rhythm.