Dana White got asked Friday about the reports that Islam Makhachev is out of a January fight with Carlos Prates, and the UFC CEO gave the shortest possible answer. “Ah. Interesting,” White said, in a clip shared on X by Championship Rounds via @Ninadrama.
That’s the whole quote. There was no confirmation and no denial, and nothing in it about a new date or opponent. For a promoter who usually can’t resist announcing a fight before the ink dries, two words and a shrug is its own kind of message.
The question came a few hours after AgFight reported that Makhachev vs. Prates was off UFC 336 in January. According to the report, which was picked up by Championship Rounds and Spinnin Backfist, the fight had been set to headline the card in Canada, Makhachev is now out of the main event, and the UFC is looking at other options.
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That framing assumes the fight was booked to begin with, and Makhachev’s own camp has been saying otherwise all week. On Wednesday, two days before the AgFight report, Makhachev’s manager told Ushatayka that a January bout with Prates at UFC 336 in Toronto was “not close to becoming a reality.” He went further, calling it “all just rumors and talk” and saying that while “negotiations are ongoing,” locking Makhachev into a specific date and opponent “is still far from realistic.”
So depending on who you ask, Makhachev either pulled out of a headliner or never agreed to one. White’s answer leaves room for both versions, which is probably the point. If negotiations are still live, the boss has no reason to burn either the matchup or the manager in front of a camera.
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The timing is a little funny, too. Thursday was the four-year anniversary of Makhachev submitting Charles Oliveira, a moment the internet dutifully celebrated while trying to figure out when he’d fight again. Prates, for his part, is left in the same spot as everyone else, waiting on a signature that may or may not be coming.
What’s confirmed right now is short. UFC 336 is in January in Toronto. The only person with direct knowledge on the Makhachev side says there’s no deal. The UFC hasn’t announced a replacement main event, and White, given an open shot at clearing things up, chose not to take it.
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My take: this is why I don’t touch lines on fights that haven’t been signed. Somebody out there grabbed a Makhachev price for January the minute the Prates chatter started, and now that ticket depends on whether “Ah. Interesting” means “you’re wrong” or “you’re early.” The manager’s quote is the one with actual words in it, and it says negotiations are ongoing with nothing close. When a promoter has a fight locked, he tells you. When he says “interesting,” go watch the UFC 336 main event slot, because that’s where the real answer shows up.
