UFC announced on 24 October 2026 that Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will meet for an interim welterweight championship at UFC 336 in Toronto. The winner is in line to face undisputed champion Islam Makhachev, according to the promotion.
Prates and Morales take the Toronto title slot
According to UFC's announcement of 24 October 2026, the fight is scheduled for 30 January 2027 at Scotiabank Arena. Flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend against Manel Kape in the headline bout, giving the Toronto card a second championship contest. Prates and Morales are paired beneath that main event, but their bout has its own title at stake.
Prates arrives after defeating former UFC champions Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena, both opponents named in the promotion's booking announcement. UFC presents those wins as the form behind his place in the interim contest. He had previously spoken of meeting Morales only after challenging the champion; the newly announced pairing reverses that order. The Brazilian now has to beat another contender before he can pursue Makhachev.
UFC's 24 October account lists Morales at 19-0 overall and 7-0 inside the Octagon. The Ecuadorian hasn't lost a professional fight and enters this interim title bout unbeaten. The UFC announced their fight, and noted that it will settle an ongoing debate over which welterweight contender should advance. Morales's record and Prates's wins explain the sporting significance of the fight. The interim title defines the prize.
Why UFC created an interim welterweight fight
Makhachev remains the undisputed welterweight champion. UFC's separate account of the post-fight press conference says he had been considered for a January return but wanted to compete after Ramadan instead. That account attributes the interim booking to the promotion's decision to keep the division moving while its champion waits to return.
SportsRivo compared UFC's booking announcement with its separate report of Dana White's press conference. The announcement identifies the interim contenders; the later account supplies White's explanation for the change of plan. UFC CEO Dana White said, “You just can't hold up divisions like this.” The comparison gives the booking a stated reason without treating a future Makhachev defence as already scheduled.
What the result will decide
- Prates or Morales will leave the Toronto bout as interim welterweight champion if the scheduled contest goes ahead and produces a winner. UFC says that winner earns the right to face Makhachev, who remains the undisputed champion.
- Morales can protect an unbeaten professional record while winning a title, whereas a Prates victory would carry his run past former champions into an interim championship. The result determines which of those paths continues towards Makhachev.
- Van and Kape will contest the flyweight belt on the same card, so the Toronto event has separate championship stakes in two UFC divisions. That fight does not decide the welterweight title path.
The confirmed next step in Toronto
UFC's current event card lists Prates against Morales as an interim welterweight title bout at Scotiabank Arena. The fight remains scheduled; neither its result nor a date for the winner's meeting with Makhachev has been established. The contenders must first settle the interim belt in Toronto.
Source: UFC announcement