Carlos Prates will now face Michael Morales for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 on Jan. 30 in Toronto, after Islam Makhachev told the UFC he would not be ready to fight on that date. Prates, who had been in talks for a fight with the champion, responded by calling Makhachev a coward and promising to knock out Morales and then retire him. Makhachev fired back, pointing to his recent win over Ian Machado Garry and telling Prates to go train, adding that the two would meet again once the real contender is determined.
Carlos Prates has a new opponent and a new target. After Islam Makhachev told the UFC he would not be ready to fight on Jan. 30, Prates will instead meet Michael Morales for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 in Toronto, as first reported by MMA Fighting. The 33-year-old Brazilian wasted little time turning his attention to the champion, calling Makhachev a coward and vowing to knock out Morales and then retire him.
Makhachev answered publicly, pointing to his recent win over Ian Machado Garry and telling Prates to go train. He added that the two would meet once the real contender is determined.
The fighters
Prates, 24-7, is ranked second at welterweight and arrives on a run of knockouts. In his most recent recorded fight, on May 2, 2026, he stopped Jack Della Maddalena in the third round. That followed a second-round finish of Leon Edwards at UFC 322 and a first-round knockout of Geoff Neal at UFC 319. A switch-stance striker from Vale Top Team, he lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy and owns a 78-inch reach, 198 cm. He rarely wrestles, averaging 0.21 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Makhachev, 34, is the welterweight champion at 29-1, fighting out of Eagles MMA. The Russian southpaw defended the belt on Aug. 15, 2026, with a unanimous decision over Machado Garry at UFC 330, his third straight win after a decision over Della Maddalena at UFC 322 and a first-round submission of Renato Moicano at UFC 311. His takedown average of 3.22 per 15 minutes sits far above Prates' 0.21, a gap of exactly three takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Prates lost a five-round unanimous decision to Machado Garry on April 26, 2025, so Makhachev's win over Garry gives both men a common opponent in the debate over who deserves the title shot.
- The interim belt will be decided without the champion on the card, leaving Makhachev's next opponent unsettled until a winner emerges.
- Style contrast: Prates' 3.77 strikes per minute and 20-centimeter reach edge over Makhachev's 178 cm frame set up a striker-versus-grappler argument should the two ever meet.
Prates' task comes first: Morales on Jan. 30.
Islam Makhachev vs Carlos Prates
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Saturday, January 30, 2027
