Carlos Prates called Islam Makhachev a coward for backing out of their January title fight. Dana White, the CEO of the company that pays Makhachev, should've been defending his champion. Instead he said the quiet part on the record: the champion pulled out of a date they held for him, and didn't give a reason worth repeating.
Makhachev is dodging Prates. The UFC confirmed it.
On October 23, 2026, word got out that Makhachev had withdrawn from his welterweight title defense against Prates at UFC 336 on January 30 in Toronto. White initially played coy, calling the report "interesting." By the next day he'd confirmed it himself and announced the fix: Prates now fights unbeaten Michael Morales for an interim title, with Makhachev on the shelf.
White didn't dress it up. He said Makhachev declined to fight in that window without giving a reason, then offered the one bit of color anyone's heard: "Islam, on average, fights once a year. He was slated for January and then said, 'I don't want to fight until after Ramadan.' You can't hold up divisions like this." Jon Anik added on the broadcast that the UFC had worked with Makhachev on the January date and held it for him before being told this week he wouldn't be ready as planned.
The promotion blocked out the date. The champion said he'd rather not fight until after a religious observance that, per the reporting, pushes his return to at least May of 2027, possibly into July. That's a human scheduling preference, understandable on its own terms, but far too flimsy a reason to leave a division frozen for most of a year.
Makhachev's own words make it worse. After beating Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in August, he talked about staying active, about fighting again soon. Then a genuinely dangerous challenger got slotted in front of him and suddenly the calendar wouldn't cooperate. His public response offered nothing concrete: "As soon as we find out who the real contender is, we'll be right back!!!" He followed it with a shot at Prates: "I just beat the guy who chased you around the Octagon for five rounds. Shut up and go train. You're not on my level."
It's a fun line, and it's also him changing the subject.
Look at who's holding the short end. Prates has knocked out a former champion. He's earned the shot by any measure that matters, and his reply cut straight to it: "I've been working toward my dream of becoming a champion for 17 years, and now you've postponed that. I'm the No. 1." Instead of the belt, he gets an interim strap against Morales, a very good unbeaten fighter whose biggest win so far is a title-eliminator stoppage of Sean Brady, who was ranked second going in. Prates has to win that, then wait around for the undisputed champion to decide the timeline suits him. For a guy owed a title shot, that's an insult.
There's a case for Makhachev. Maybe the rib he banged up against Garry is worse than he let on. Maybe Prates is a nightmare stylistically and sitting out is the smart play. Fine. But nobody, including Makhachev and White, has tied an injury to this withdrawal. The champion had the microphone and chose "see you soon, maybe" over an actual explanation. If there were a real medical reason, say it. He didn't, because the reason on the table is the one White already gave: he'd rather wait.
A champion who brags about staying active gets to vanish for the better part of a year the moment a live threat shows up, and everyone's supposed to nod along. Prates doesn't have to nod. He said, "January 30th, I'll knock out Michael Morales, and then I'll come back to retire you, coward!"
Until Makhachev produces a reason better than a date preference, that last word fits.
