Ariel Helwani predicts Islam vs Garry in August, Prates vs Morales next

Prominent MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has laid out a speculative roadmap for the welterweight division, predicting that champion Islam Makhachev will defend his title against Ian Garry in August, with Carlos Prates and Joaquin Buckley potentially clashing in the fall to determine the next number-one contender. None of these matchups have been officially confirmed.

Makhachev, 34, holds the welterweight title and carries a 28-1-0 record fighting out of Russia under the Eagles MMA banner. The southpaw is the current pound-for-pound number-one ranked fighter in the sport. His grappling-heavy game averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes, complemented by a striking accuracy of 58 percent — one of the highest marks in the division.

Prates, nicknamed "The Nightmare," enters this projected picture ranked fifth at welterweight with a 24-7-0 record. The 32-year-old Brazilian stands six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach and is among the division's busiest strikers, landing 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy. He trains out of Vale Top Team and competes as a switch-hitter.

Buckley, known as "New Mansa," sits eleventh in the welterweight rankings at 21-8-0. The 32-year-old American southpaw out of Murcielago MMA stands five-foot-ten with a 76-inch reach and posts the highest significant strike output of the three fighters mentioned, landing 3.88 per minute, though his accuracy sits at 36 percent.

Why it matters

• A Makhachev title defense would be the division's marquee event of the summer, assuming the booking materializes.
• Prates versus Buckley would pit two high-volume strikers against each other with a legitimate top-contender spot on the line.
• Both bouts remain unconfirmed and should be treated as one journalist's projection rather than any official announcement.