Makhachev's manager says Prates fight for UFC 336 isn't close to being signed

Islam Makhachev's manager, Rizvan Magomedov, says a welterweight title defence against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 is not close to being finalized. He made the comments to the Russian outlet Ushatayka, and BJPenn published them on Wednesday, October 21. He did not rule the fight out.

"As of now, it's not close to becoming a reality. It's all just rumors and talk."

He added that negotiations are ongoing, "but confirming he'll fight on a certain date and against a certain opponent is still far from realistic." He also told the outlet, according to MMA Sucka, "I think there will be an announcement soon about what's next." Asked whom he would prefer Makhachev to face, he said Prates "is more interesting from a media standpoint."

As of Thursday, the UFC has not announced Makhachev vs. Prates or any other bout for UFC 336. We found no public response from Prates or the UFC.

How the report started

The report came from Spanish journalist Álvaro Colmenero on Tuesday, October 13, NY Fights reported on Yahoo Sports. He wrote on X that if talks stayed on course, Prates would face Makhachev on January 30 at UFC 336 in Toronto. The same day, Makhachev's coach Javier Mendez told Sport Mail that he hadn't "received any confirmations" (translated from Russian).

The UFC made the event official on Saturday, October 17, Cageside Press reported. UFC 336 is January 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. No bouts have been announced for it.

The date matters to Makhachev. After UFC 330 in August, he said "we have to fight before Ramadan, 100%," per MMA Sucka. Ramadan 2027 is expected to begin around February 8, according to The National, so January 30 fits. Prates told streamer N3on in September that he would get the fight: "I don't know when, but I will," Heavy reported.

The matchup

Makhachev is 29-1 and has won 17 straight in the UFC. That broke Anderson Silva's record of 16, per Cageside Press. He took the title from Jack Della Maddalena by decision in November 2025. He then defended it against Ian Machado Garry over five rounds at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on August 15.

Prates is 24-7, and 7-1 in the UFC. His last three wins were all stoppages: Geoff Neal in round one, Leon Edwards in round two and Della Maddalena in round three. The last of those came on May 2 in Perth. His only UFC loss was a decision to Garry in April 2025. So the two share two opponents: Makhachev outpointed both, while Prates lost to Garry and stopped Della Maddalena.

As a bet, Makhachev has been favoured in all 11 of his UFC fights with odds since 2021 and won every one. He closed at -345 (74%) against Garry and -323 (73%) against Della Maddalena. Prates' win over Della Maddalena closed as a pick'em at -112 (50%), after opening at -175. Between open and close, the money moved toward Della Maddalena.

We found no current lines for the fight. BetOnline's early line after UFC 330 had Makhachev at -250 and Prates at +210, according to Sherdog.

We think Prates is the strongest case for the next shot. He has three straight stoppages, including a finish of the man Makhachev took the belt from. Magomedov's comments read to us as a reminder that nothing is signed, not a step away from the fight.

What comes next

Magomedov gave no date for the announcement he expects. UFC 333 is this Saturday, October 24, in Abu Dhabi. An MMA Sucka report on October 13 said an announcement was expected at UFC 333 or in November. That has not been confirmed. Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Michael Morales is also reportedly being discussed for UFC 336, per AgentMMA, citing Ariel Helwani.