Carlos Prates to fight Michael Morales for UFC interim title
Dana White says Makhachev fights about once a year and can’t hold up the division, while the Brazilian vows to retire the champion
Brazil’s Carlos Prates will fight Ecuador’s Michael Morales for the interim UFC welterweight title at UFC 336 on January 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Dana White confirmed the matchup at the UFC 333 post-fight press conference on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. The winner is expected to face champion Islam Makhachev in a unification bout.
Why the UFC created an interim title
The move came one day after VF Comunica reported that Makhachev was out of the Toronto event. The UFC had planned to put the Russian champion against the Brazilian contender, but the January date no longer worked for Makhachev.
White said Makhachev asked to wait until after Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, and he made his frustration clear. “On average, Islam fights like once a year,” the UFC president said.
He then explained the interim belt. “You can’t hold up divisions like this,” White said. “You got to keep moving, and this fight makes sense.”
Carlos Prates calls Makhachev out
Prates answered on Instagram, writing in Portuguese. The Fighting Nerds striker pointed out that the champion told the UFC he would not be ready to fight in three months, and he mocked Makhachev’s clean lifestyle: “Brother, you don’t drink, you don’t smoke, you don’t go to parties, and you can’t get ready for a fight in three months?”
He closed with a promise. “January 30th, I’ll knock out Michael Morales, and then I’ll come back to retire you,” Prates wrote, calling the champion a runner.
Makhachev fired back on X. “Shut up and go train. You’re not on my level,” the champion wrote.
Prates, Morales and Makhachev by the numbers
Prates, 33, is 24-7 with 19 wins by knockout. He comes in on three straight knockouts, over Geoff Neal, former champion Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena, the last one in May in the UFC Perth main event. His only UFC loss came against Ian Garry in April 2025.
Morales is still unbeaten in MMA. The biggest win of his career came in November 2025 at UFC 322 in New York, when he stopped Sean Brady in the first round. In the same post, Prates took a shot at his next opponent too, saying he knocked out two former champions while Morales “only beat Sean Brady.”
Makhachev, 34, is 29-1 and owns the longest winning streak in UFC history at 17 straight. His most recent win came in August at UFC 330, a unanimous decision over Garry, the only man to beat Prates in the UFC.
A clash of styles put on hold
If Prates wins in Toronto, a fight with Makhachev would again pit the Brazilian striker against a sambo specialist, a style built on takedowns, control and submissions. For now, the Russian watches from the sidelines with no return date.
Charles Oliveira, who was submitted by Makhachev with an arm-triangle choke in 2022, has already shared his game plan: Oliveira believes Prates should rely on his kicks and stay off the mat. First, though, the Brazilian has to get past an undefeated opponent.
What do you think: is Makhachev ducking Carlos Prates, or did the UFC go too far by creating an interim title? Let us know in the comments.
Read more:
- Islam Makhachev out of UFC 336, Carlos Prates fight scrapped
- Carlos Prates vs. Makhachev targeted for UFC 336 in Toronto
- Charles Oliveira picks Carlos Prates to beat Islam Makhachev
