UFC Creates Interim Welterweight Title as Dana White Rips Makhachev's Inactivity
Islam Makhachev refuses to fight until after Ramadan, so the UFC is moving on with Prates vs. Morales for an interim belt at UFC 336.
Islam Makhachev was supposed to defend his UFC welterweight title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 on January 30, 2027, inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. That fight is dead. Makhachev informed the UFC he does not want to compete until after Ramadan next year, and Dana White is not happy about it.
"On average, Islam fights like once a year," White told reporters after UFC 333 on Saturday night. "Then he was slated for January, and he decided he didn't want to fight until after Ramadan." When asked if Makhachev gave a reason for declining the January date, White was blunt: "No, no reason."
White made it clear the promotion will not wait around. "You just can't hold up divisions like this. You got to keep moving." The UFC has created an interim welterweight title, and Carlos Prates will now face Michael Morales for that belt in the UFC 336 main event in Toronto.
Prates, the No. 1 ranked welterweight contender, did not take the news quietly. The Brazilian ripped Makhachev on social media, calling him a coward and vowing to come back and retire him. Prates had been training clean for this camp, no distractions, and felt blindsided by the pullout.
The winner of Prates vs. Morales is expected to face Makhachev in a unification bout, potentially next summer. For now, the welterweight division moves forward without its champion.
This is the part where I'm supposed to feel bad for Makhachev, and I just don't. The guy holds up two divisions, fights once a year, and when the UFC finally books him at welterweight in January, he says nah, not until after Ramadan. No reason. Just nah.
Dana is right to create the interim belt. You cannot let one man freeze an entire weight class because he feels like taking eight months off. Prates earned that shot, and now he gets to prove it against Morales, who is a real test at 170.
I think Prates starches Morales inside three rounds, and by the time Makhachev decides he's ready to come back, the interim champ will be waiting with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. Makhachev might be the most talented fighter on the roster, but talent means nothing if you won't show up.
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