Islam Makhachev apparently needs to see more from Carlos Prates.
Many expected Makhachev to defend his UFC welterweight title at UFC 336 in January, but fans were instead given an interim title fight between Prates and undefeated contender Michael Morales. Makhachev confirmed he was indeed offered the opportunity to make his third title defense against Parates, but he didn't think the Brazilian was worthy of fighting him, at least not yet.
"Yes, Prates and Morales will fight to determine who is a true worthy contender, and I'll fight the winner," Makhachev told pound4padel.ru in Russian. "They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to (Ian Machado Garry), someone I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not
fighting and waiting for (a title shot). Just let them fight, and we will figure out who's the real challenger."
This might be bad news for Makhachev fans, as he might not be seen in action for a while. Many expected Makhachev to fight before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which runs from Feb. 7 to March 8. However, with the interim title fight booked, Makhachev might not fight until the summer of 2027.
Since losing to Ian Machado Garry, Prates has picked up three consecutive knockouts, stopping former champions Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards, and veteran Geoff Neal. On the other hand, Morales is undefeated in his MMA career. He's also stopped his last three opponents, putting away Sean Brady, Gilber Burns and Neil Magny.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Islam Makhachev explains why he turned down UFC title defense vs. Carlos Prates
