Carlos Prates and Michael Morales are set to meet with an interim title on the line at UFC 336 on January 30th.
Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will meet for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 on January 30, 2027, setting up a clash between two of the division's top-ranked strikers.
The matchup pairs the No. 2 and No. 3 contenders at 170 pounds. Prates, a 33-year-old Brazilian who trains out of Vale Top Team, is 24-7-0 and carries a three-fight winning streak, all by knockout or TKO. His most recent recorded fight came on May 2, 2026, when he stopped Jack Della Maddalena in the third round. Before that he finished Leon Edwards in the second round at UFC 322 and Geoff Neal in the first round at UFC 319. A switch-stance striker, Prates lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy and rarely looks to wrestle, averaging 0.21 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Morales, a 27-year-old from Ecuador who fights out of Entram Gym, is unbeaten at 19-0-0. His three most recent recorded fights all ended in the first round by KO/TKO: Sean Brady at UFC 322 on November 15, 2025, Gilbert Burns on May 17, 2025, and Neil Magny on August 24, 2024. The orthodox fighter lands 5.62 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy and averages 1.09 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Both men are riding knockout streaks: Prates has three straight finishes, while Morales has three straight first-round stoppages.
- Morales holds a volume edge, landing about 1.85 more significant strikes per minute than Prates, while Prates is the more accurate striker by six percentage points.
- Morales is six years younger, and his 79-inch reach is one inch longer than Prates' 78 inches. Prates is an inch taller at six-foot-one.
- Morales' takedown rate is more than five times that of Prates, a factor if the fight leaves the feet.
An interim title bout at 170 pounds adds high stakes to a matchup between two fighters who have not been taken the distance in their recent recorded outings. Neither man has shown submission attempts in the career numbers, which points to a fight likely to be decided by striking and control on the feet.
Saturday, January 30, 2027
