UFC welterweight contender Carlos Prates has called out champion Islam Makhachev for a fight at the upcoming UFC 334 card.
UFC 334 takes place on November 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
The UFC goes to MSG every year and always stacks the card. Last year, Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena to become the new UFC welterweight champion.
Could the Russian once again headline the UFC‘s annual foray into NYC in 2026? Prates hopes so.
Carlos Prates Calls Out Islam Makhachev
Taking to his social media, Prates put out a formal callout to fight Makhachev at UFC 334.
“#andnew,” Prates wrote in a caption on an Instagram story.
UFC 334 does not have a main event at the moment, though there have been whispers that UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and interim champ Ciryl Gane could have their title unification bout on this card. There have also been rumors linking BMF champion Charles Oliveira to a fight against Diego Lopes on this card.
Will Carlos Prates Get the Title Shot?
The UFC has two strong choices for Makhachev’s next title contender at 170 lbs, as either Prates or the undefeated Michael Morales is highly deserving of fighting for the belt.
Right now, Prates is likely the frontrunner for the title shot just because it feels like this is the fight that the fans want to see more of. Even though Morales has been in the UFC longer, Prates has more momentum right now with his string of highlight-reel knockouts, including back-to-back brutal finishes over a pair of former UFC welterweight champions, Leon Edwards and the aforementioned Della Maddalena.
If Prates does get the wish he desires and gets the opportunity to fight Makhachev for the welterweight belt, then it will be interesting to see what the UFC does with Morales. While the Ecuadorian native is deserving of fighting for the title right now, he may decide to take one more fight to stay busy in the interim, since he hasn’t fought since UFC 322 last year, and it would be bad for a young fighter like him to have such a long layoff.
Carlos Prates Calls Out Islam Makhachev for UFC 334