The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has officially announced an interim welterweight (170 lb) title fight. Brazil's Carlos Prates and Ecuador's Michael Morales, ranked second and third in the division respectively, will compete for the interim belt, infohub.kz reports.
The bout will serve as the co-main event of UFC 336, which takes place on January 30, 2027, in Toronto, Canada.
The undisputed welterweight title is held by Russia's Islam Makhachev. UFC President Dana White explained at a press conference why the promotion decided to introduce an interim title in the division.
"As a rule, Islam fights once a year. We planned his fight for January, but he said he couldn't fight until Ramadan. And we simply can't hold the division up like that. We need to move forward, and this fight makes sense," White said.
Kazakhstan's Shavkat Rakhmonov also competes in the welterweight division. He was once in the division's top 3, but was removed from the rankings due to a career layoff that has lasted since late 2024.
The main event of UFC 336 is set as a flyweight (125 lb) title fight. Myanmar's Joshua Van will defend the belt against Portugal's Manel Kape.