Carlos Prates and Michael Morales Set for UFC 336 Interim Welterweight Title Fight

Carlos Prates and Michael Morales are set to meet for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 in Toronto, a matchup that adds a second championship storyline to a 170-pound division already led by Islam Makhachev.

The bout pairs two of the division's most dangerous finishers. Prates, a 33-year-old Brazilian who trains out of Vale Top Team, is ranked number two at welterweight with a record of 24-7. Known as "The Nightmare," he fights from a switch stance and lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy. His most recent recorded fight came on May 2, 2026, when he stopped Jack Della Maddalena by knockout in the third round. He has now won three straight by KO/TKO in our records, following a second-round finish of Leon Edwards in November 2025 and a first-round stoppage of Geoff Neal in August 2025.

Morales, a 27-year-old from Ecuador who trains at Entram Gym, is ranked third and remains undefeated at 19-0. He is an orthodox fighter who outpaces his opponent in volume, landing 5.62 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy, and he averages 1.09 takedowns per 15 minutes. His most recent recorded fight was a first-round knockout of Sean Brady on November 15, 2025. Before that, he stopped Gilbert Burns in the first round in May 2025 and Neil Magny in the first round in August 2024.

Why it matters

• Both fighters arrive on knockout streaks, with Prates finishing his last three recorded opponents inside the distance and Morales doing the same, each with a first-round stoppage among them.
• The numbers point to a contrast in approach: Morales lands roughly 1.85 more significant strikes per minute, while Prates is the more accurate striker by six percentage points.
• The physical gap is small. Morales is 27 to Prates' 33, a six-year difference. Prates stands an inch taller at six-foot-one, while Morales holds a one-inch reach advantage at 79 inches to 78.
• An interim belt in a division headed by Makhachev raises the stakes for whoever wins in Toronto.

The matchup puts the number two and number three contenders against each other for a title, with an unbeaten record on one side and a three-fight knockout run on the other.