Carlos Prates believes Islam Makhachev will make the first defense of his welterweight championship against the undefeated Michael Morales.
Makhachev vacated his lightweight throne post UFC 311 in 2025 to move up to welterweight. On his divisional debut at UFC 322, the Russian phenom put on a dominating wrestling performance and, with more than 19 minutes of control time, dethroned Jack Della Maddalena.
As per rumors, the UFC reached out to Islam Makhachev to fight Michael Morales in January. However, the P4P king declined the offer, as he didn’t have enough time for another training camp, having just fought in November. Morales was also not seeking a quick turnaround and chose to rest and go on a vacation over a title fight.
Makhachev originally wanted to fight the legendary Kamaru Usman. However, Usman’s recent form and activity are not enough for the UFC to grant him a title shot.
The welterweight division is absolutely stacked and arguably the most competitive in the UFC right now. Morales, Carlos Prates, Ian Machado Garry, and Shavkat Rakhmonov all boast impressive records and believe they’ve done enough to be next in line for a title shot.
Prates, who is on a two-fight winning streak with both wins coming via knockout, is itching to get back inside the octagon. ‘The Nightmare’ has shown interest in fighting Morales or ‘JDM.’ However, the Brazilian thinks Morales will fight for the title next and also pointed out that the build-up has already started with Morales and Makahchev taking digs at each other online.
In a recent interview with MMA TODAY, Prates said:
“If Kamaru is not fighting against Islam, probably they’re going to put Morales. I’m really down to fight Jack Della Maddalena or Morales, but Morales is going to fight for the belt. I don’t know what’s happening with Kamaru – if he got an injury or something like that.”
Check out Carlos Prates’ comments below:
Dana White comments on Islam Makhachev’s desire to fight Kamaru Usman
After Islam Makhachev grabbed the 170-pound strap, he immediately voiced a desire to fight Kamaru Usman. The P4P king considers ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ to be his hardest challenge at this new weight class, and believes that Usman, despite his age, can still be a problem for other top contenders.
However, when discussing the proposed January fight, which Makhachev ultimately declined, he revealed that the potential opponent was likely not Usman.
Dana White, who appeared in an interview with Complex News, recently reacted to Islam Makhachev’s wish to fight Usman. White stopped short of giving a clear answer. He said:
“I don’t know. [If Kamaru Usman is the right guy to challenge Islam Makhachev next]. We have to see how some of the stuff plays out.”
Check out Dana White’s comments in the second slide below:
