BUZZ UFC 336: Prates faces Morales for interim welterweight title after Makhachev passes

The UFC has put a belt where Islam Makhachev's January date used to be. Carlos Prates and Michael Morales fight for the interim welterweight title at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, and the winner is expected to meet the champion in a unification fight. The booking came during the UFC 333 broadcast, after reports that Makhachev vs. Prates was off.

The explanations differ. White said Makhachev was slated for January and then said he did not want to fight until after Ramadan: "You can't hold up divisions like this." Makhachev, in a video for Pound 4 Padel, called it a matchmaking issue: Prates had lost to Ian Machado Garry, whom Makhachev beat, and Morales would be next in line anyway. His coach Javier Mendez said no fight was finalised on their side. Ariel Helwani called the interim title unwarranted because Makhachev fought only two months ago, and Matt Brown called it almost a punishment for the champion. Henry Cejudo sided with Makhachev, saying a champion wants the top contenders to fight each other first.

The feud is now personal. Prates mocked the idea that a man who does not drink, smoke or party needs more than three months to prepare, promised to knock out Morales and then retire the champion, and called him a coward. Makhachev's manager Ali Abdelaziz then wrote on X, without naming names, that challengers should talk less because the champion will embarrass them.

In the cage it is a finisher against an unbeaten fighter. Prates, 33, is 24-7 and all seven of his UFC wins have come by knockout, the latest three over Geoff Neal, Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards. His only UFC loss was a decision to Garry in April 2025. Morales, 27, is 19-0 and 7-0 in the UFC. He finished Neil Magny, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady in the first round, the Brady win at UFC 322 in November 2025, and has not fought since. DraftKings opened Prates at -175 and Morales at +145.

Watch for Makhachev's return timing. With Ramadan expected to start Feb. 7, the winner in Toronto may wait months for the unification fight. On the same card, 25-year-old Joshua Van defends the flyweight title against Manel Kape, who told him to work on his defense or ask for a helmet. Van replied that Kape should make weight and show up.