Carlos Prates says the UFC promised him the title shot against Islam Makhachev
Carlos Prates says he has the UFC’s word: his next fight will be for the welterweight belt, against Islam Makhachev. The Brazilian traces the promise to fight night at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, in a conversation with Hunter Campbell, and says it came with a new eight-fight contract. The UFC has announced nothing.
- Fight Hub
- 20 August 2026
Ce qu'il faut retenir
- Carlos Prates says on The Ariel Helwani Show that the UFC guaranteed him the next welterweight title shot after he spoke with Hunter Campbell on UFC 330 night.
- He says he signed a new eight-fight deal, and that the first fight on it goes straight to a championship bout.
- The UFC has confirmed neither opponent nor date; Makhachev wants to fight before Ramadan, Prates is aiming at December.
What Carlos Prates says he got in Philadelphia
One conversation, one contract, one promise
Prates was in the building on August 15 in Philadelphia when Islam Makhachev kept his belt. He left, by his account, with more than a spectator’s night out. The Brazilian says he spoke with Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s chief business officer, and walked away with a guarantee.
“I’m the next for the title, basically. New contract, the next one for the title, and let’s go!” he said on The Ariel Helwani Show. The deal runs eight fights. The first of those eight, he says, is not a contender bout. It is the title.
What is still only a word
None of it is public paper. The UFC has said nothing about Makhachev’s opponent, the date, or the card. What exists right now is one fighter’s version of a private conversation, and a contract whose terms only he has described.
That distinction matters in a sport where main-event promises have a shelf life. Prates knows it too, and the way he is talking sounds less like an announcement than like a man making it expensive to walk the promise back.
He did not soften his read on the champion either. “I think he’s boring. I don’t like watching fights at all. I like to watch people getting knockouts, a lot of action and things like that.” It is the standard striker’s shot at a grappler, and it tells you exactly where he wants this fight to live.
The case for Prates, and the case for Michael Morales
Seven wins, seven bonuses
The resume argues for him. Prates is 24-7 as a pro, 7-1 in the UFC, ranked second at welterweight, and he has taken a performance bonus in every one of his seven UFC wins. Nineteen of his career victories came by knockout or TKO.
More to the point, he beat the right people at the right time. Leon Edwards, a former champion, stopped in the second round in November 2025. Jack Della Maddalena, another former champion, stopped in the third on May 2, 2026 in Perth. Two names that do more work than any argument.
The irony inside his only loss
His single UFC defeat now carries an awkward name: Ian Machado Garry, on the cards, over five rounds, on April 26, 2025. That is exactly the man Makhachev just controlled for twenty-five minutes at UFC 330, winning by unanimous decision, 49-46, 49-46, 48-47.
You can read that line two ways. Either Prates has already been solved by a style close to the champion’s. Or he has fixed it since, as the two knockouts of former champions that followed suggest. Both readings hold up, which is precisely what makes the matchup worth booking.
The rival who has been quiet
Michael Morales is the other name. The Ecuadorian is undefeated, ranked fourth, and he wrecked Gilbert Burns inside a round. He was even the backup fighter for UFC 330, weight cut and all, ready to step in. His problem is not quality, it is activity, and layoffs count in a matchmaking argument.
Makhachev put it bluntly after the win: “Shavkat is not fighting, Prates is still fighting, still active. Morales also is good, but I don’t remember last time he fight. If you ask who is more deserving, I think Carlos Prates.”
I'm the next for the title, basically. New contract, the next one for the title, and let's go!
December, January, Ramadan: the calendar decides
The champion’s window is short
Makhachev is open about the constraint. “We have to fight before Ramadan, 100%. January, end of 2026, we have to fight,” he said, before adding the line that speeds everything up: “I’m 34 years old, I have to fight as soon as possible.” He also said he came out of UFC 330 without any big injuries, which keeps the door open.
Prates is betting on December. That fits the champion’s window, and it explains why the conversation with the UFC happened days after the event rather than in September.
What to watch now
Three signals, in order. An official UFC announcement, which turns a word into a poster. A date and a city, which tell you whether this is December or January. And any booking for Michael Morales, because a Morales matched elsewhere is quiet confirmation for Prates.
Until then there is a sentence, an eight-fight contract, and a champion who named his preferred challenger out loud. That is not nothing. It is also not a fight yet.
Track it with the real numbers
Full records for Carlos Prates and Islam Makhachev, finish rates, striking and grappling splits, and the welterweight rankings updated after UFC 330 are all in the FightHub app. Download it, put the two profiles side by side, and make your own pick before the UFC makes anything official.
