Prates Turns Up the Heat on Makhachev: Set a June Deadline or Walk Away From the Belt

Carlos Prates has run out of patience, and he is not bothering to hide it. The Brazilian welterweight was supposed to be fighting Islam Makhachev for the title in the UFC 336 headliner. Instead he will fight Michael Morales for an interim belt, and in a new interview he has made it plain what he thinks of the change.

"I think Khabib and Islam, they're the same," Prates told Squawka. "They book fights when they want, when they feel really good. Of course, it's OK — they are the champs. When Khabib was champ, he did the same."

It is a pointed comparison, and Prates knows exactly what he is doing by making it. Makhachev has long been spoken of in the same breath as his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov, and not always kindly when it comes to how often he fights. Prates believes the champion is picking his spots, and he believes the sport should not have to wait around while he does it.

The Brazilian's demand is specific, which is what makes it land. He is not asking for the fight tomorrow. He is asking for a deadline. "He should vacate his belt — not now," Prates said. "It's OK — we're going to fight for the interim belt. But after that, after Ramadan, we're planning to fight in June or something like that, and if he says, 'Oh, I'm not ready,' come on. Stop. Time to retire. Is June the deadline? Yeah."

That is the heart of it. Prates is willing to win the interim title first. What he is not willing to do is win it and then sit in the same waiting room Makhachev has already kept him in once. Makhachev, for his part, has said his next bout will be one of the last of his career, which only sharpens the question of when, exactly, that bout happens.

There is also bad blood behind the scenes. Prates' manager has claimed UFC matchmakers were not pleased with Makhachev over the way he walked away from negotiations to headline UFC 336 in Toronto, and the promotion's decision to make an interim title rather than simply wait for the champion speaks for itself. Interim belts are the UFC's way of saying a division cannot stand still.

Prates has earned his place in this conversation the hard way, and he is not the kind of fighter who talks for the sake of it. He is a finisher, and he has built his reputation by taking the fights other people avoid. That is why the June line matters. It is not a threat so much as a challenge to a champion's pride: defend it, or hand it over.

Makhachev has not answered yet. June is a long way off in fight years, and a lot can change between now and then, including the result of Prates against Morales. But the Brazilian has put his marker down. If the champion wants to keep his belt, he will have to come and take it back from the man who wins the interim one. And if he does not, Prates has already told the world what he thinks that means.