Islam Makhachev withdraws from UFC 336 title fight against Carlos Prates

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts to his win over Jack Della Maddalena of Australia in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 322 event at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Well, this sucks.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev, has withdrawn from his UFC 336 title fight against No. 1-ranked contender, Carlos Prates, previously scheduled for Sat., Jan. 30, 2027 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Ag Fight broke the news on Friday.

No word yet on why Makhachev was forced to withdraw and we don’t yet know what the promotion plans to do with Prates. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Brazilian fight No. 3-ranked Michael Morales for the interim strap, but that’s just wishful thinking at this point.

Dana White refused to confirm or deny the news, calling the report “interesting.”

The 34-year-old Makhachev (29-1) is coming off a successful title defense against Ian Garry at UFC 330 back in August and has been complaining about the number of contenders waiting in the wings. That list is only getting longer as the division waits for Makhachev to make his Octagon return.

Stay tuned.