🚨BREAKING: Islam Makhachev is set to make his return at UFC 336 in January, headlining the promotion’s first numbered event of 2027 with the exact date and location still TBD. His opponent is basically locked in, too. Carlos Prates casually broke the news on a stream with N3on, confirming that his title fight against Islam is a done deal. Prates originally pushed to get on the December card in Vegas, but January fits right into Islam’s timeline to get one in before Ramadan. You’ve got Islam’s dominant wrestling going up against Prates, who can literally put your lights out with one clean punch. It’s an awesome stylistic matchup to kick off the new year.
Islam Makhachev is set to headline UFC 336 in January 2027, putting his welterweight title on the line against Carlos Prates in what would open the UFC's numbered-event calendar for the year. The exact date and location have yet to be determined, but Prates himself broke the news during a live stream with content creator N3on, stating that the title fight is a done deal.
Makhachev, 29-1, is the reigning welterweight champion and the sport's top pound-for-pound fighter. The 34-year-old Russian, who trains out of Eagles MMA, is one of the most complete fighters in the division. He lands 3.22 takedowns per fifteen minutes and connects on 58 percent of his significant strikes — a combination of pressure and precision that has made him extremely difficult to defeat. The January timeline is reported to fit neatly around Ramadan, giving Makhachev a full camp before the religious observance.
Prates, known as "The Nightmare," enters the contest ranked second in the welterweight division. The 33-year-old Brazilian out of Vale Top Team carries a 24-7 record and brings a very different threat to the cage. Standing six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach, he generates 3.77 significant strikes per minute and has the kind of one-punch power that can end a fight in an instant. He had initially sought a spot on the December card in Las Vegas before the January date became the working plan.
Why it matters
- Makhachev's elite wrestling meets one of the division's most dangerous strikers, creating a sharp stylistic contrast at the top of the card.
- A victory for Prates would make him the first man to hand Makhachev a second career loss and would immediately reshape the welterweight landscape.
- Makhachev defending against the division's second-ranked contender keeps the title picture clean heading into 2027.
