Islam Makhachev explains why he turned down Carlos Prates
The welterweight champion says the Brazilian lost to Ian Garry, a fighter he has already beaten, and that Michael Morales was next in line.
UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has explained why he turned down the January fight with Carlos Prates that the promotion wanted to book. In an interview with Pound4Padel, released on Sunday, Oct. 25, the Russian said the Brazilian lost to Ian Garry, a fighter he has already beaten, and that Michael Morales would have been next in line anyway.
His comments come two days after the UFC announced that Prates and Morales will fight for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 on Jan. 30, 2027, in Toronto. The winner is expected to face Makhachev next.
Makhachev’s case against Carlos Prates
Makhachev got straight to the point. “They offered me a fight against Prates, who recently lost to someone I beat,” the champion said.
He then brought Morales into the argument. “And if I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who is not fighting and waiting,” he said.
For Makhachev, the interim title fight settles the question. “Prates and Morales will fight to determine who is a true worthy contender. And I will fight the winner,” he added.
What the numbers say about Prates and Morales
The word “recently” deserves some context. Prates lost to Garry in April 2025, a year and a half ago, and it is still his only loss in the UFC.
Since then, the Fighting Nerds product has knocked out Geoff Neal, former champion Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena, who also held the welterweight belt. That is three straight wins, all of them stoppages.
Makhachev beat Garry by unanimous decision in August at UFC 330, extending his UFC-record win streak to 17. He is 29-1 in MMA.
Morales, meanwhile, has not fought since November 2025, when he stopped Sean Brady in the first round at UFC 322 in New York. By the time he steps into the octagon in Toronto, the unbeaten Ecuadorian will have been out for more than 14 months.
The delay that led to an interim title
The UFC had lined up Makhachev vs. Prates as the big fight of early 2027, until VF Comunica reported that the champion was out of UFC 336. At the UFC 333 post-fight press conference in Abu Dhabi, Dana White said Makhachev asked not to fight until after Ramadan, which runs from Feb. 8 to March 8 in 2027.
With the champion unavailable, the UFC president created the interim belt, saying the promotion cannot hold up a division like that.
Prates fired back on social media, called Makhachev a runner and promised to knock out Morales, as VF Comunica covered in our story on the interim title announcement. Makhachev replied on X and told the Brazilian to go train.
On the Brazilian side, Charles Oliveira, whom Makhachev submitted with an arm-triangle choke in 2022, has already said he is backing Carlos Prates against the Russian, with a game built on kicks.
What do you think: is Makhachev right that Prates still has to prove he deserves the fight, or is the Garry loss too old to count? Let us know in the comments.
Read more:
- Carlos Prates to fight Michael Morales for UFC interim title
- Islam Makhachev out of UFC 336, Carlos Prates fight scrapped
- Charles Oliveira picks Carlos Prates to beat Islam Makhachev
