Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo says that he agrees with Islam Makhachev turning down a fight against Carlos Prates.
The UFC offered Makhachev a fight against Prates for his next UFC welterweight title defense, but Makhachev turned down the fight, as he believes that Prates and Michael Morales need to fight each other to prove who the No. 1 contender is.
With Prates and Morales now booked to fight each other in the co-main event of UFC 336, there will be an interim title on the line between the two welterweight standouts.
Makhachev, meanwhile, will remain on the sidelines for now, and he likely won’t return to the Octagon until next summer.
Henry Cejudo Backs Islam Makhachev
Speaking on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, Cejudo explained why he thinks Makhachev made the right call by declining to fight Prates at UFC 336.
“Islam Makhachev is right on this one. I was thinking the same thing. If I was Islam, I’d be like, ‘How come these guys don’t fight each other? Let me fight the best dude.’ He said that before in the past in his press conferences. So, it was already premeditated with Islam since the beginning if you think about it,” Cejudo said (via MMAjunkie.com).
“Because Dana White said there was no reason why, but I agree with Islam. As the champion, you want the No. 1 contenders to fight each other. I personally like this even better than either one of them fighting Islam because now we get a chance to see who is going to fight Islam Makhachev. Michael Morales and Carlos Prates, that’s a main event on its own. That’s a pay-per-view main event.”
UFC Not Happy With Islam Makhachev’s Decision
While Makhachev may have his reasons for turning down the Prates fight, it’s clear that UFC president Dana White and the promotion’s top matchmaking executives are not happy that he declined the fight.
Without Makhachev on the card, the UFC had to create an interim belt, and that’s not something they do so quickly normally, showing what they really feel about the champ’s decision to say no to Prates.
Henry Cejudo Agrees With Makhachev Turning Down Prates