Kamaru Usman Backs Islam Makhachev's Notion, Supports Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales at UFC 336

Islam Makhachev's refusal to fight Carlos Prates in January 2027 led the UFC to introduce an interim welterweight title fight between Prates and Michael Morales at UFC 336. While the announcement of the Prates vs. Morales fight startled a large chunk of the fanbase, former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman saw nothing wrong with Makhachev turning down the fight.

Kamaru Usman Feels Both Carlos Prates and Michael Morales Need More Hype Before Facing Islam Makhachev

Makhachev revealed his thoughts behind rejecting the offer to fight Prates shortly after UFC CEO Dana White mentioned that the Dagestani hadn't stated a concrete reason for the same.

On October 26, Makhachev appeared in an Instagram video on th account of his padel tennis sports facility, Pound 4 Padel, and said, "Prates and Morales will fight to determine who is a true worthy contender." He elaborated, "It’s good. They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to someone I beat . And if I beat him , Morales would already be next in line. not fighting and waiting for a title shot."

It's quite apparent that Makhachev views Morales as the deserving contender to fight him. But since the UFC offered him a fight with Prates, he now wants the Brazilian to prove his worth as the top contender by defeating Morales.

Usman supported Makhachev's refusal to fight Prates in a recent episode of the Pond4Pound podcast. He counted both Prates and Morales as worthy contenders for a shot at Makhachev's undisputed title, but opined that both of them needed a bit more hype before the fight.

'The Nigerian Nightmare' also deemed the Prates vs. Morales fight the perfect solution for this. He said, "I think these guys are well on the way, but I feel like they just need maybe one more. One more against a top guy that still has big clout. I think this is a phenomenal matchup."

Usman's co-host and former UFC champ-champ, Henry Cejudo, shared his opinion about the UFC 336 interim welterweight title fight, but not every UFC veteran is on the same page in this regard.

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping called the Prates vs. Morales fight upright "bulls*it" during his appearance on a recent episode of The JAXXON Podcast. Bisping also criticized Makhachev for picking the easiest way out of the situation, saying, "So now he wants Carlos and Morales to go at it, and then take one of them in a quick turnaround after they've tried to kill each other inside the octagon?"

It's quite apparent that the situation regarding the Prates vs. Morales interim title fight has also divided the UFC veterans' community, besides the fanbase. It will be interesting to see whether Makhachev manages to get his desired results after causing the UFC to announce the aforementioned fight solely due to his refusal.