UFC president Dana White reacted to the news that the planned UFC 336 main event between Islam Makhachev and Carlos Prates is off.
UFC 336 takes place on January 30 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The promotion was hoping to book Makhachev vs. Prates as the headliner, but on Friday, it was reported that Makhachev is out, and the company is now looking at other options.
Dana White Reacts to UFC 336 News
Speaking to influencer Nina Drama after the news leaked on the internet that the Makhachev vs. Prates fight rumored for UFC 336 is off, White was asked point blank about it and offered up the following comment with a wry smile on his face.
“Ah. Interesting,” White said, before immediately changing the subject.
What Will UFC Do Now?
While the Makhachev vs. Prates bout was never made official by the promotion, it was heavily rumored, as it was the fight that made sense for Makhachev’s next title defense. Plus, the timing worked out well, as Makhachev could have fought before Ramadan, which begins in February.
Instead, Makhachev is out, and now the UFC is left searching elsewhere for another headliner, though the good thing is that they have nearly three months to come up with something special for the UFC 336 main event.
It is possible that Prates could still stay on the card, perhaps in an interim welterweight title bout against undefeated fellow knockout artist Michael Morales, or maybe Prates could fight former top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is said to be closing in on a return after a two-year injury layoff. Or perhaps Prates could fight Canada’s own Mike Malott, if the promotion wanted a Canadian to headline the event.
On that note, the promotion could also consider booking fellow Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius, who is coming off a career-best win over Erin Blanchfield at UFC 335, against UFC women’s flyweight champion Natalia Silva in a rematch, though fans would likely prefer to have a more violent fight as the headliner, with another option being UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland against Nassourdine Imavov in a rematch between the two bitter rivals.
Dana White Reacts to News That UFC 336 Main Event Is Off