UFC 336: Morales vs Prates for interim welterweight title as Makhachev waits till after Ramadan

UFC 336 will crown an interim welterweight champion: unbeaten Ecuadorian Michael Morales (19-0) meets Brazilian knockout artist Carlos Prates (24-7) at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday 30 January 2027, because champion Islam Makhachev will not fight in January. The UFC announced the bout during its UFC 333 broadcast, Sherdog reported, alongside a flyweight title fight between champion Joshua Van and former Rizin bantamweight champion Manel Kape.

Why Makhachev is out

UFC chief Dana White said Makhachev (29-1) had been pencilled in to defend the welterweight belt in January, then told the promotion he did not want to fight until after Ramadan next year, which falls in February and March 2027. Asked whether Makhachev gave any other reason, White said: "No, no reason," Sherdog reported.

White did not hide his frustration. "On average, Islam fights like once a year," he said, adding: "You just can't hold up divisions like this." The winner of Prates vs Morales is expected to face Makhachev in a unification fight, possibly next summer.

Makhachev, the former lightweight king who moved up and won the 170lb title against Jack Della Maddalena, defended it against Ian Garry in August. He has a big following in Pakistan, where his fights draw large audiences on streaming and social media.

The fighters

Prates hinted on Instagram that he had heard Makhachev "don't even wanna fight", so an interim belt was his fastest route to a title. Morales, still unbeaten as a pro, gets the biggest fight of his career.

UFC 336 fight card so far

• Interim welterweight title: Michael Morales vs Carlos Prates
• Flyweight title: Joshua Van (c) vs Manel Kape

Start times have not been announced yet. A Saturday night card in Toronto (Eastern Time) usually lands on Sunday morning in Pakistan, so expect the main card on the morning of 31 January PKT. We will add the exact times to our UFC schedule in Pakistan time as soon as the UFC confirms them, along with how to watch in Pakistan.

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