Islam Makhachev explains decision to delay title defense

Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will fight for an interim title at UFC 336, with the winner set to face Makhachev in 2027.

Islam Makhachev has now explained why he won’t be facing Carlos Prates in January after all.

In recent weeks, there have been frequent rumors that Islam Makhachev would likely defend his title against Carlos Prates at the UFC 336 event in January. That would have made perfect sense, as this matchup had been under consideration for quite some time. However, the UFC announced on Saturday that this fight will not take place for the time being; instead, Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will compete for the interim title at UFC 336 to determine the true challenger. The winner will then face Islam Makhachev for the actual title sometime next year. UFC CEO Dana White explained that Islam Makhachev made this decision himself, as he has chosen not to fight again until after Ramadan. On Sunday, the champion commented on the matter.

“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who’s not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger”

he said.

Ramadan ends on March 8 next year. That means Islam Makhachev probably won't be back in the Octagon until the summer of 2027. So we’ll have to be patient a little longer, but the title eliminator fight could also be really exciting. What do you think?

I think that’s a good solution they’ve come up with. I believe this is how they’ll really find the perfect challenger, and who knows, maybe we’ll see a little surprise next year.