Gilbert Burns Collides With Michael Morales at UFC 315 in Montreal

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.Jessica Andrade vs Jasmine Jasudavicius Jose Aldo vs Aiemann Zahabi Navajo Stirling vs Ivan Erslan Modestas Bukauskas vs Ion Cutelaba Benoit St. Denis vs Joel Alvarez Gavin Tucker vs Jeong Yeong Lee