Makhachev Agreed to UFC 336 Title Defence, Then Walked Away

UFC chief executive Dana White has confirmed that welterweight champion Islam Makhachev verbally agreed to defend his title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336, and then changed his mind. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, White said the champion had committed to the January date before reversing course, leaving the promotion to rebuild the card around an interim title fight instead.

"Yeah, it was verbally agreed to," White said, as reported by MMA Junkie. The proposed defence was scheduled for January 30, 2027, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where Makhachev was expected to headline UFC 336 against the Brazilian challenger. Instead, the champion has decided to wait until after Ramadan before returning to the Octagon, and the UFC has moved on without him.

White made little effort to hide his frustration. "As a champion, I don't really expect you to fight three times a year. But twice would be nice," he said. "It backs up the division, there are many guys who would like a shot for a title." The message was clear: a champion who fights rarely slows down everyone chasing him, and the welterweight queue has now been waiting months for clarity.

The UFC's answer is an interim championship. Prates will now face unbeaten Michael Morales for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the bout serving as the co-main event beneath a flyweight title defence between Joshua Van and Manel Kape. The winner is expected to meet Makhachev in a unification bout later in the year, although no date for that fight has been set.

Prates has not hidden his anger at losing the undisputed title shot he believed was his. In an interview with Laerte Viana, the Brazilian said he had already started studying tape and training specifically for Makhachev when the UFC called with the change of plans. "He comes out saying he wants to be an active champion, this and that," Prates said, referring to UFC executive Hunter Campbell. "Hunter even said that date was reserved for him. Then he just came out and said he didn't want it. He chickened out."

The challenger, known as "The Nightmare", promised that Morales would pay for the champion's decision. "The situation I have now is to beat Morales and get the interim belt. Then I'm going to come back and beat Makhachev twice as badly as I was going to before, just so he learns his lesson and stops being such a coward," Prates said. He also told Makhachev to vacate the belt if he does not want to defend it, arguing that a champion with no injury has no reason to sit out.

Prates has earned his place at the front of the queue. He has won all seven of his UFC fights, finishing every opponent by knockout, and his recent victories over former champions Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena established him as the division's clear number one contender. The UFC had already treated him as next in line, which is why the reversal stung so sharply: the title shot was not a hope, it was the plan.

Morales, meanwhile, arrives with a perfect record of his own. The Ecuadorian is unbeaten in 19 professional fights, with seven straight wins inside the Octagon, including a statement victory over Sean Brady in November 2025. He has never been beaten, and Prates must become the first fighter to solve him if he wants the interim belt. The winner will hold a genuine claim to the division, not merely a placeholder.

Makhachev's side of the story is that the division needed sorting out first. He had previously argued that Prates and Morales should fight each other to establish who deserved the next opportunity at his title, and the UFC has now effectively taken him up on that suggestion. The champion last fought in August, when he defended his welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, extending his winning run to 17 consecutive victories and his professional record to 29-1.

The delay also raises a wider question about how much longer Makhachev intends to compete. The 35-year-old has recently said his next fight could be one of the last of his career, which makes every postponement feel heavier for the contenders waiting behind him. If the champion returns only after Ramadan, the welterweight title picture will have been frozen for the better part of a year.

For now, the division moves on without its champion. Prates and Morales will settle the interim title in Toronto on January 30, 2027, and the winner will carry the division's momentum into a unification fight with Makhachev. The champion agreed to this fight once already. The next time his name is on a contract, the UFC, the contenders and the fans will all want proof that he means it.