Carlos Prates vows to finish Islam Makhachev’s legacy

Carlos Prates fired back at Ali Abdelaziz, the manager of UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, on X on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and promised to end the Russian’s legacy. The Brazilian fights Ecuador’s Michael Morales for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 on Jan. 30, 2027, in Toronto.

Ali Abdelaziz’s message to the contenders

It started on Saturday, Oct. 24, the same day Dana White announced the interim title. Abdelaziz took to X and addressed the division’s contenders without naming anyone. “You’re a contender. Islam is the champion and maybe the greatest fighter of this generation,” the manager wrote.

He then told them to keep quiet. “Talk less, because he’ll make you look bad. None of you add to his legacy,” he wrote, before defending his client’s motivation: “He fights for passion, love of the sport, and the fans.”

Carlos Prates answers Makhachev’s camp

Prates turned Abdelaziz’s own words against him. “If he fights for passion, he would fight the number 1 contender in January,” the Fighting Nerds striker wrote.

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Then came the line that made headlines. “I will not add anything on his legacy, I will finish his legacy brother, and also, he will make me look great. Mark my words,” Prates wrote.

The jab goes back to the issue that has split the division for a week. Makhachev turned down the January fight and told the Pound4Padel channel that Prates had lost to Ian Garry, a man he already beat, as VF Comunica reported when Makhachev explained why he turned down Carlos Prates.

The “passion” argument also clashes with what the UFC president said. At the UFC 333 post-fight press conference in Abu Dhabi, White said Makhachev asked to wait until after Ramadan and complained about how often the champion competes. “On average, Islam fights like once a year,” White said while explaining why he created the interim belt.

Vale Top Team’s game plan for Michael Morales

While Prates trades words with the champion’s camp, his team is focused on Morales. Cristian Nogueira, head of Vale Top Team and Prates’ longtime coach, told Sherdog the change of opponent caught them off guard. “It came as a surprise to us because we thought we would fight Makhachev first and then Morales,” he said.

According to Nogueira, camp now centers on footwork and movement with boxing coach Arthur Cesar, known as Ban Ban, rather than takedown defense. He sees an opening in the Ecuadorian’s style. “Morales tends to leave himself very exposed because he goes all-in, and that works in Prates’ favor,” he said.

The coach is calling for a second-round finish. “This fight won’t make it to the third round,” Nogueira said. He added that the focus is the interim belt, with a unification bout against Makhachev possibly five or six months later.

Prates, Morales and Makhachev by the numbers

Prates is 24-7 and rides a three-fight knockout streak into Toronto, with wins over Geoff Neal, former champion Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena, another former titleholder. His only UFC loss came against Garry in April 2025.

Morales is unbeaten at 19-0 but has not fought since November 2025, when he stopped Sean Brady in the first round at UFC 322 in New York. Makhachev is 29-1 and owns the longest winning streak in UFC history at 17 straight, most recently a unanimous decision over Garry at UFC 330 in August.

UFC 336 is headlined by flyweight champion Joshua Van defending against Manel Kape. Back in Brazil, Charles Oliveira, who was submitted by Makhachev with an arm-triangle choke in 2022, has already picked Prates to beat the Russian.

What do you think: will Carlos Prates really finish Makhachev’s legacy, or is he talking too much before getting past Michael Morales? Let us know in the comments.

Read more:

• Carlos Prates to fight Michael Morales for UFC interim title
• Islam Makhachev explains why he turned down Carlos Prates
• Islam Makhachev out of UFC 336, Carlos Prates fight scrapped