Chris Gutierrez vs. Vince Morales targeted for May 30 UFC event

Fans were wondering when the UFC would add more pieces to their upcoming return to action on May 30 and they have by adding a matchup at 135-pounds.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that a bantamweight bout between Chris Gutierrez and Vince Morales is being targeted for the promotion’s event next Saturday.

UFC president Dana White is confident the event will take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas but nothing has been made official as of yet.

Gutierrez, 29, enters the contest with back-to-back decision wins over Ryan MacDonald and Geraldo de Freitas in 2019. “El Guapo” made his short notice UFC debut and was submitted in the first-round by Raoni Barcelos at the TUF 28 Finale in November 2018. The LFA and World Series of Fighting vet has been victorious in five of his last six fights.

Morales, 29, will make his fourth walk to the octagon. “Vandetta,” who competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018, was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision in his promotional debut against Song Yadong in November 2018. Morales would bounce back with his first UFC win over Aiemann Zahabi in May 2019 before dropping a decision to Benito Lopez two months later at UFC Sacramento.

Headlining the May 30 return for the promotion will be a pivotal welterweight matchup between former champion Tyron Woodley taking on Gilbert Burns.