Islam MakhachevvsMichael Morales

This is the fantasy matchup nobody saw coming but everyone suddenly needs to see. Islam Makhachev just made history at UFC 322, grinding out a unanimous decision over Jack Della Maddalena to become a two division champ at welterweight. Now imagine throwing him in there with Michael Morales, the Ecuadorian knockout artist who's been absolutely starching dudes on his way up. Morales just slept Gilbert Burns in the first round back in May, then turned around and did the same thing to Sean Brady at that same UFC 322 card. The kid's got scary power and he's not afraid of anyone. Here's what makes this matchup so wild.

Makhachev is the ultimate grinder, that suffocating Dagestani pressure mixed with slick submissions. Remember when he caught Renato Moicano with that D'Arce choke at UFC 311 in under four minutes? Or when he finished Dustin Poirier in the fifth round at UFC 302 with the same choke? The guy finds a way to drag you into deep water and drown you. But Morales is pure violence on the feet. Three straight first round knockouts, all by punches to the head.

He's got that one shot power that can change everything in a blink. The big question is whether Morales can keep it standing long enough to land that bomb. Makhachev's takedowns are relentless, and once he gets you down, good luck getting back up. But if Morales can stuff the shots early and make Islam pay coming in, we could see something crazy. This would be for the welterweight title, which makes it even more insane. A dominant champ defending his new belt against a young killer trying to take everything he worked for.