"Yeah, it was verbally agreed to": White confirms Makhachev agreed to UFC 336 title fight before pulling out
“Yeah, it was verbally agreed to.”
UFC president Dana White confirms Islam Makhachev verbally agreed to defend his welterweight title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 — then pulled out. Prates answered with Makhachev's own words.
UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev verbally agreed to defend his title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336, then pulled out. That is what UFC president Dana White confirmed on Wednesday, in remarks reported by MMAWeekly, MMA Mania, DAZN and Heavy.
"Yeah, it was verbally agreed to," White said, according to MMAWeekly and DAZN. White spoke on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, at a media event promoting his bull Playmate, MMAWeekly reports, with other outlets describing the same remarks as comments to MMA Junkie and to reporters in Las Vegas.
Makhachev had been expected to headline UFC 336 in Toronto on January 30, 2027, DAZN reports. MMA Mania reports he "was expected to defend his UFC welterweight title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 in January, but ultimately pulled out after verbally agreeing to the main event matchup."
Prates answered the withdrawal the same day, on Instagram. Bloody Elbow reports that on Wednesday, Prates posted a screenshot of Makhachev's own quote to his Instagram Story, tagging Makhachev, with a lying-face emoji, set to The Black Eyed Peas' "Don't Lie."
The quote Prates reposted is displayed on the wall at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, Bloody Elbow reports. It reads: "What does this title represent? It means you are the best in the world. And if you are the best in the world, it doesn't matter who is going to be there across from you. What could I say? No? NEVER. Let's do this!"
Bloody Elbow reports Makhachev first said those words in October 2023, when he accepted a short-notice fight with Alexander Volkanovski, who replaced Charles Oliveira at UFC 294.
White also set out what he expects from a champion. "Being the champ, I don't really expect you to fight three times a year, but twice would be nice," White said, according to MMAWeekly. "What you start to do is back up the division, because lots of guys would like a shot at the title."
On why Makhachev withdrew, White offered a theory, not a confirmed reason. "I think it's money," White said, according to MMAWeekly and Heavy. "Once you get so much money — when guys are young and hungry, they want to fight a lot because they want to get paid. But once you start to get enough money, you don't have to fight all the time." MMAWeekly also notes Makhachev has stated that Prates needed to prove himself more before getting a title shot.
Makhachev has opted to wait until after Ramadan before returning to the Octagon, MMAWeekly reports. DAZN reports he had instead decided to wait until after Ramadan before returning. No date for his return was given in the reports.
Makhachev last fought in August 2026, beating Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, MMAWeekly reports. It was his first welterweight title defense.
With Makhachev out, Prates stays on the UFC 336 card — but not in the main event. DAZN reports Prates will instead face unbeaten Michael Morales for the interim welterweight championship at UFC 336. Morales is unbeaten at 19-0, Bloody Elbow reports.
Prates vs. Morales is the co-main event of UFC 336, not the headliner, Bloody Elbow reports. The headliner is Joshua Van defending his flyweight title against Manel Kape.
The winner of Prates vs. Morales is expected to face Makhachev in a title unification fight in the summer of 2027, Bloody Elbow reports. That is reported as an expectation only; no other outlet in the reports confirmed or scheduled the unification bout.
