October 25, 2026, 8:30 p.m. ET
Islam Makhachev apparently needs to see more of Carlos Prates.
Many expected Makhachev to defend his UFC welterweight title at UFC 336 in January, but fans were instead treated to an interim title fight between Prates and undefeated contender Michael Morales. Makhachev confirmed that he was indeed offered the opportunity to defend his third title against Parates, but he didn’t think the Brazilian was worthy of fighting him, at least not yet.
“Yes, Prates and Morales will fight to determine who is a real worthy competitor, and I will fight against the winner,” Makhachev told pound4padel.ru in Russian. “They offered me a fight against Prates, who recently lost to (Ian Machado Garry), someone I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who isn’t fighting and isn’t waiting for (a title shot). Let them fight, and we’ll find out who the real challenger is.”
This could be bad news for Makhachev fans, as he might not be seen in action for a while. Many expected Makhachev to fight before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which runs from February 7 to March 8. However, with the interim title fight booked, Makhachev may not fight until the summer of 2027.
Since his loss to Ian Machado Garry, Prates has won three consecutive knockouts, stopping former champions Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards, as well as veteran Geoff Neal. On the other hand, Morales is undefeated in his MMA career. He has also stopped his last three opponents, dismissing Sean Brady, Gilber Burns and Neil Magny.
Gn sports
