MMA insider Ariel Helwani shared his thoughts on the UFC booking an interim welterweight title fight. Islam Makhachev was offered a fight against Carlos Prates for UFC 336. However, he chose to take a longer layoff and is expected to return after Ramadan.
Makhachev vs. Prates was expected to headline UFC 336, which takes place in Toronto, Canada, in January. Despite Prates being considered the rightful No. 1 contender, the Dagestani disagreed. As a result, Prates will face Michael Morales for the interim welterweight title.
Makhachev did not feel that Prates was the definitive No. 1 contender. That led to a back-and-forth exchange on social media, with the Brazilian accusing the welterweight champion of ducking him.
Ariel Helwani Shares Honest Take on the UFC Booking an Interim Welterweight Title Fight
Ariel Helwani delivered a blunt take on the UFC booking an interim welterweight title fight.
While Makhachev changed his mind about wanting a quicker turnaround, Helwani did point out that an interim title is premature. Makhachev successfully defended the welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in August.
“I don’t have an issue with Islam [Makhachev] not coming back in five months. The only issue I have is he told us that’s what he wanted. And now he’s flip-flopping,” Helwani said during today’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show.
“Again, I know I’m all over the map here, and I know this could be misconstrued. There should not be an interim title because he just fought, at this point, two months ago. By the time the fight happens, it will be five months. He fought two months ago. There is no world where there should be an interim title.”
Helwani Criticizes Makhachev’s Reason for Not Fighting Carlos Prates
Helwani also criticized Makhachev’s reasoning for not fighting Prates, which was based on the Brazilian’s loss to Ian Machado Garry. The Dagestani did not feel that it made sense to fight an opponent who had lost to a fighter he had just defeated.
Helwani pushed back against that reasoning, highlighting that Prates has since rebounded with two straight finishes. Now, Prates must defeat Michael Morales for the interim welterweight championship to prove he is a deserving contender. The Canadian journalist strongly disagrees with that line of reasoning.
“I’m happy there’s an interim title because they’re getting the perks. That’s just because I’m a lover of the fighters and I want them to get paid more. It is annoying that it’s not Carlos Prates vs. Islam Makhachev because that’s the fight that they wanted to make,” Helwani said during The Ariel Helwani Show.
“[Makhachev] told us that he wanted to fight in either December or January. And now he’s trying to say, ‘I don’t want to fight Carlos Prates because he lost to Ian Garry two years ago.’ None of it makes sense,” Helwani said.
Insider Shares Honest Take on UFC Booking Interim Welterweight Title Fight