Islam Makhachev has a suggestion for the man he was supposed to fight in January. The UFC lightweight and welterweight titleholder hinted at a number-one contender bout between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales for that month, MMA Junkie reported on X on Saturday. His reasoning was short and blunt: there are “too much contenders.”
Nothing has been announced. No date, no venue, no confirmation from the UFC. But the timing tells you why Makhachev is talking matchmaking at all.
On Friday, Brazilian outlet AgFight reported that Makhachev vs. Prates was off UFC 336, the January card in Canada that the fight had been booked to headline. Championship Rounds and Spinnin Backfist both relayed the report, and Spinnin Backfist added that the UFC is now exploring other options for the main event. None of the reports said why Makhachev is out.
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Dana White didn’t clear it up either. Asked about the reports in a clip shared by Championship Rounds, the UFC boss offered two words: “Ah. Interesting.” That’s not a denial, and it’s not much of anything else.
Prates was far less cryptic. After the news broke, he posted to his story: “I’m not surprised motherf*ckers.” Championship Rounds captured the post Friday night. Read it however you want, but a fighter doesn’t write that line when he’s feeling fine about how things went down.
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That sets up an awkward Saturday. Less than 24 hours after losing a title fight he had been booked to headline, Prates hears the champion float an eliminator against Morales instead. One week he’s preparing to fight for a belt. The next, he may have to win one more time just to get back to the same spot.
The Makhachev timeline adds a little extra flavor. On Thursday, October 22, the fight world marked four years since Makhachev submitted Charles Oliveira, the win that started his run at the top. He has since collected gold in a second division, and now he’s the one shaping who comes next at 170.
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Quick take
If Prates vs. Morales is the fight, I’m in. A contender bout with real stakes on a January card beats a main event slot sitting empty while everyone waits on answers. But let’s not pretend this is a neutral bit of housekeeping. Prates had the title shot. It was booked, it was the headliner, and it disappeared from under him without a public explanation. Telling him to go earn it again because the division is crowded is a tough sell to a guy whose first public response was “I’m not surprised.” Until the UFC says something official, UFC 336 in Canada has a hole at the top, and Prates has every right to be the angriest man in the building.
