UFC president Dana White said that UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev had verbally agreed to fight Carlos Prates at UFC 336.
Makhachev was supposed to fight Prates in the UFC 336 headliner, but he did not want to fight in January. With Makhachev out of the fight, the UFC called upon Michael Morales to fight Prates for the interim UFC welterweight title.
So, what happened to Makhachev?
Dana White Says Islam Makhachev Went Back on Verbal Agreement
Speaking to reporters in Las Vegas, White revealed that Makhachev verbally agreed to fight Prates at UFC 336, but he went back on his word and pulled out.
“Yeah, it was verbally agreed to. Whenever I told you (is when he pulled out),” White said (via MMAFighting.com).
According to White, the UFC doesn’t expect its champions to fight three times a year, but he would love for them to fight twice per year in an ideal world.
“I think when you get to a position where he’s at and what he’s accomplished, who knows what he’s thinking or what he wants to do next? But, obviously, I like when guys fight a lot. Being the champ, I don’t really expect you to fight three times a year, but twice would be nice. What you start to do is back up the division, because lots of guys would like a shot at the title,” White said.
Dana White Shares Theory on Why Islam Makhachev Pulled Out of UFC 336
In White’s opinion, the reason why Makhachev pulled out of his UFC 336 fight against Prates was due to money, but not for the reason you think.
For White, because Makhachev is already wealthy, he can pick and choose when to fight compared to other fighters who are not as rich.
“I think it’s money. Once you get so much money — when guys are young and hungry, they want to fight a lot because they want to get paid. But once you start to get enough money, you don’t have to fight all the time. “And for him, to be fair to Islam, look at what he’s accomplished,” White said.
Dana White: Islam Makhachev Verbally Agreed With Carlos Prates