Carlos Prates fires back at Makhachev's manager

Prates accuses Makhachev of avoiding him and vows to end the champion's legacy.

Carlos Prates has spoken out in very clear terms against Ali Abdelaziz, the manager of Islam Makhachev.

Carlos Prates had hoped to get a shot at the UFC welterweight title in January 2027. Instead, he will fight Michael Morales for the interim title at the end of January. Although the bout is intended to serve as a title eliminator, Carlos Prates is certain that the champion is deliberately avoiding him. Abdelaziz also recently reached out to the welterweight contender and tried to set him straight.

“If you’re a contender. Islam is the champion and maybe the greatest fighter of this generation. Talk less, because he’ll make you look bad. None of you add to his legacy. He fights for passion, love of the sport, and the fans”

he said.

Carlos Prates then claimed that if he really loved the sport so much, he would have agreed to the fight in January. He also announced that he would not expand Islam Makhachev's legacy, but rather bring it to an end.

“If he fights for passion, he would fight the number 1 contender in January. I will not add anything on his legacy, I will finish his legacy brother, and also, he will make me look great. Mark my words”

he said.

Those are some bold statements coming from him. When you’re facing someone like Islam Makhachev, you’d normally be a little more careful about what you say. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out before we even find out, at the end of January, who gets to fight for the title.