UFC commentator Daniel Cormier says that UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is “not afraid” of fighting No. 1 contender Carlos Prates.
Makhachev was supposed to fight Prates at UFC 336, but he withdrew from the fight despite verbally agreeing to it, leading to many fans saying that the welterweight champ is scared of fighting the divsion’s top contender.
Cormier, though, doesn’t see things that way.
Islam Makhachev Is ‘Not Afraid’ of Carlos Prates
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier explained why he does not believe that Makhachev is afraid of Prates.
“Yes, Carlos Prates is frustrated, but on the other hand you have a champion – a long-reigning champion that recognizes the dangers of who he’s going to fight and the dangers of what’s at stake every time he does fight. Now I know people are going to say, ‘Well, DC, of course you’re going to defend Islam.’ It’s not about defending him. I’m giving you an inside perspective of a champion’s mindset and what you feel whenever you have these opportunities,” Cormier said (via MMAjunkie.com).
“I listed those champions, but you can go down the line, and you will find more champions than not that are not Merab Dvalishvili fighting every single weekend. Islam’s not afraid, though. He’s not afraid. He’d probably fight Carlos Prates in the octagon, outside the octagon, in wrestling. He’d fight him anywhere. So would Prates. This is going be a great fight. Prates needs to handle the Morales issue, though. I would encourage him to forget about Islam right now, because you don’t get to him unless you get through Morales. Forget about him.”
When Will Islam Makhachev Fight Carlos Prates?
The only way Makhachev will fight Prates is if the Brazilian defeats Michael Morales at UFC 336 to claim the promotion’s interim welterweight title.
If that happens, then Makhachev will have to fight Prates in his next fight sometime next year, or else the UFC will likely force him to give up his belt.
But if we are to believe what Cormier has to say, then Makhachev will have no issues fighting Prates if he beats Morales.
Daniel Cormier: Islam Makhachev ‘Not Afraid’ of Carlos Prates