Dana White says Islam Makhachev had already said yes. Speaking to The Mac Life, the UFC CEO said his champion verbally agreed to fight Carlos Prates in January before withdrawing, and he didn’t bother hiding his irritation at a title picture that keeps stalling while one man decides what comes next.
“Who knows what he’s thinking or what he wants to do next,” White said. “I like when guys fight a lot. I don’t expect you to fight 3 times a year, but twice would be nice.”
Then came the part that reads like a warning. “You start to back up the division,” White said. “There’s lots of guys who would like a shot for the title.”
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When asked directly whether the Prates bout had been agreed, White confirmed it plainly: “Yeah, it was verbally agreed.”
He also offered a blunt theory about why his biggest names have slowed down. Asked about Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev and Ilia Topuria each fighting about once a year, White pointed at the bank account. “I think it’s money, I mean once you get so much money. When guys are young and hungry they want to fight a lot because they want to get paid,” he said. “But once you start to get enough money, you don’t have to fight all the time.”
Prates didn’t need many words to respond. Within hours of White’s comments circulating, the challenger reposted a quote Makhachev had given at the UFC Performance Institute and added three lying-face emojis. That was the whole message, and it landed.
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Makhachev’s own recent comments complicate the money explanation. In an interview with Red Corner MMA, he said he doesn’t know exactly how many fights he has left, but he described himself as “at the finish line” of his career. He framed his motivation problem around the opposition rather than the paycheck.
“There aren’t many things that could give me motivation in this sport. I just want to fight the contenders, but I don’t see any new names,” Makhachev said.
He then brought up the person whose opinion seems to matter more to him than White’s. “My mother has always been against me fighting. I’ve always listened to my mother, so soon I will obey her word.”
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Here’s my read. White’s money line is a tidy explanation, and it may well be part of the picture, but Makhachev is telling us something more personal. He’s a champion who can’t find a name that excites him, with a mother at home who has never wanted him in there, and he’s openly talking about the end. That’s a man counting down, and the UFC should treat it that way instead of grumbling about the calendar. Prates is the one stuck in the middle, holding a verbal agreement and a set of emojis. If Makhachev’s finish line really is close, the fair move is to say so out loud and let the guys White says are lining up start fighting for the belt. And if anyone wants to know who will make that call, Makhachev already told us. It’s his mother.
