After Makhachev's withdrawal, UFC 336 now has Van vs. Kape and Prates vs. Morales

After Makhachev's withdrawal, UFC confirms replacement title fights for UFC 336

After Islam Makhachev's withdrawal from UFC 336, the UFC has now confirmed the replacement top of the card for its first numbered event of 2027. UFC 336 is scheduled for January 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend his title against Manel Kape in the main event. Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will fight for the interim welterweight title in the co-main event. These replacement matchups were announced on October 24, during the UFC 333 broadcast, following the withdrawal already reported, and early betting lines followed within days.

Van against Kape: a young champion meets a knockout challenger

Van, at 18-2, will be making what would be his third defence of the flyweight belt, after victories over Tatsuro Taira and former champion Alexandre Pantoja. Kape, at 23-7, arrives as the leading challenger on a four-fight winning streak, with recent knockouts of Brandon Royval and Kyoji Horiguchi, the latter by third-round stoppage. The UFC has framed the pairing as the settlement of a grudge running for more than a year, between two strikers who prefer to stand and trade rather than score points cautiously.

The co-main event was not the fight originally planned. Prates, at 24-7, had been expected to challenge undisputed welterweight champion Islam Makhachev. Instead he faces Morales, unbeaten at 19-0 and 7-0 inside the Octagon, for interim gold. Prates has won his last three fights by knockout, stopping Geoff Neal and former champions Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena. Morales has recorded three consecutive first-round knockouts, over Neil Magny, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.

Prates against Morales: an interim title neither man expected

The change of plan is contested, and both versions should be heard. On the UFC 333 broadcast, commentator Jon Anik said the promotion had worked with Makhachev and his team to establish a January date, had held that date for him, and was then told he would not be ready to compete as previously planned. Anik added that Ramadan approaching effectively pushed Makhachev's next title defence to somewhere between May and July, which explains why an interim title was created now rather than leaving the division waiting.

White's account: a division that cannot be held up

UFC chief executive Dana White was blunter at the UFC 333 post-fight press conference. He said Makhachev fights, on average, about once a year, had been slated for January, and then said he did not want to fight until after Ramadan. White's conclusion was that divisions cannot be held up in that way, that the promotion has to keep moving, and that Prates against Morales makes sense on its own merits. In White's telling, this is a scheduling decision, not a judgement on either contender.

Makhachev's account: let the contenders decide

Makhachev offered a different emphasis to Pound 4 Padel. He confirmed he was offered a fight with Prates, but argued that Prates had recently lost to Ian Machado Garry, a fighter Makhachev himself has beaten. If he beat Prates, he said, Morales would already be next in line, waiting without having fought for the position. His solution was to let Prates and Morales fight and figure out who the real challenger is, adding that he will fight the winner. That is a matchmaking argument, about the order of contenders, rather than only a timetable argument.

White describes what the UFC was told about timing; Makhachev describes how he views the contender queue.

The trash talk has already started

Prates did not accept the change quietly. Writing on social media in Portuguese, he said he had worked towards becoming champion since he was 17 and that Makhachev had postponed that dream. He noted he had knocked out two former champions, argued Morales had only beaten Sean Brady among the division's elite, questioned how a champion who does not drink, smoke or party could not be ready in three months, and vowed to knock out Morales on January 30 before coming back to retire Makhachev. Makhachev replied by citing his win over Garry, telling Prates he was not on his level and to go and train.

Morales aimed his response at Prates, not the absent champion. In a social-media video, he asked why Prates needed ten months to get ready to fight him after calling him a coward, said he does not make excuses and waits for his moment, and told Prates to shut his mouth and quit smoking because he was going to need those lungs.

Opening odds: slight favourites, no mismatch

BetOnline Sports, via Sherdog's October 26 report, lists Van as a slight favourite at minus 115 against Kape at minus 101, close to a pick-'em. Prates is a modest favourite at minus 130 against Morales at plus 111.

Beyond the two title fights, the remainder of the card has yet to be announced. That limits what can be judged today, but the shape of early 2027 is clear. At flyweight, Van against Kape decides whether a young champion extends his reign or a long-time contender reaches the summit. At welterweight, Prates against Morales decides who carries interim gold into a unification fight with Makhachev, and who must rebuild after losing an opportunity that arrived only because the champion stepped aside.