UFC Creates Interim Welterweight Title as Makhachev Sits Out Until After Ramadan

The UFC has created an interim welterweight title, and Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will fight for it at UFC 336 on Jan. 30, 2027, as first reported by MMA Fighting. The move comes because champion Islam Makhachev, who had been slated to return in January, has declined to fight until after Ramadan.

UFC CEO Dana White said Makhachev gave no other reason for the delay. White said the promotion cannot hold up divisions, so it chose an interim belt over a No. 1 contender's fight. Makhachev remains champion, and the winner is expected to face him when he is ready to return. Ramadan runs Feb. 8 to March 8 in 2027.

Makhachev, 34, is 29-1-0 and a southpaw from Russia who trains at Eagles MMA. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on Aug. 15, 2026, a five-round title bout. He lands 2.27 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy and averages 3.22 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Prates, 33, is ranked No. 2 at welterweight and carries a 24-7-0 record. The Brazilian switch-stance striker most recently knocked out Jack Della Maddalena in the third round on May 2, 2026. That followed knockout wins over Leon Edwards and Geoff Neal, so his three most recent recorded fights all ended by KO/TKO. He lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy.

Morales, 27, is the No. 3 contender and unbeaten at 19-0-0. The Ecuadorian orthodox fighter also has three straight recorded knockout wins, over Sean Brady, Gilbert Burns and Neil Magny, and each of those ended in the first round. He lands 5.62 significant strikes per minute, the highest rate of the three men, at 49 percent accuracy.

Why it matters

• The winner becomes interim champion and is expected to be next in line for Makhachev.
• Morales' 5.62 strikes per minute against Prates' 3.77 sets up a volume-versus-accuracy contrast, with Prates landing at 55 percent to Morales' 49.
• Prates holds a reach edge of 78 inches to 79 for Morales, essentially even, while Prates is six years older.
• Prates' takedown rate is 0.21 per 15 minutes against 1.09 for Morales, though neither is a submission threat.

The fight pairs the division's second- and third-ranked fighters, and it gives the welterweight picture a title bout while the champion waits out the calendar.