Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales Interim Title Bout Set for UFC 336

Carlos Prates will face Michael Morales for an interim welterweight championship in the co-main event of UFC 336 on Jan. 30 in Toronto, shifting plans away from an undisputed title fight against reigning champion Islam Makhachev. The booking comes after Prates had previously accepted a January matchup with Makhachev following his victory over former champion Jack Della Maddalena.

According to Prates' manager Lucas Lutkus, who spoke to MMA Fighting, the promotion had initially promised Prates a shot at the 170-pound gold shortly after his knockout win against Della Maddalena. Prates immediately agreed to the proposed January date against Makhachev following UFC 330, a sequence of events confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White. Makhachev had previously stated in August that he aimed to fight before Ramadan, specifically targeting the end of the year or January.

However, Lutkus explained that the UFC recently contacted him to state that Makhachev was out of the UFC 336 date. When asked if the issue was related to an injury, the promotion told Lutkus that Makhachev had not provided a specific reason, only stating he would not be ready for January. Determined to keep their promise of a title fight for Prates, the UFC instead matched him against Morales for the interim title. Makhachev recently remarked that Prates and Morales should fight to prove a worthy contender, a shift from his earlier stance that Prates already deserved the title opportunity.