On January 30, the UFC returns to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for UFC 336. In the co-main event, two of the biggest South American stars square off for the interim welterweight title. Carlos Prates takes on Michael Morales in the Scotiabank Arena.
The UFC announced the fight moments ago. Champion Islam Makhachev is unavailable to defend his title due to an injury. The winner of the fight between Prates and Morales will take on Makhachev later in 2027.
Dangerous Knockout Power
Prates is one of the most loved fighters of his generation. The fighter from Brazil is never in a boring fight and almost always finds a way to finish the fight. After a shaky start to his MMA career, where he went 5-4 in his first nine fights, Prates went on to win many fights in the Brazilian and Asian MMA scene. With a 14-6 record, he signed with the LFA promotion in 2022. After two vicious knockout victories, the UFC had seen enough and invited him to fight on the Contender Series to win a UFC contract. Prates earned that contract in November 2023, knocking out Mitch Ramirez. The Brazilian fighter debuted for the UFC in 2024, where he already established himself as one of the top up-and-comers in the division.
Prates fought four times in his debut year and won all his fights by knockout. He received a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for all four fights. In 2025, Prates suffered his first setback in the UFC. He lost in a five-round fight to Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision. Prates found late success in that fight, but it wasn’t enough. Prates ended the year on a high note by finishing both Geoff Neal and former champion Leon Edwards by brutal knockout finishes. It earned him a shot at former champion Jack Della Maddalena earlier this year. Prates won via TKO in the third round and secured his title shot with that win. He now takes on Michael Morales for the interim title.
Hands Of Steel
Morales might be one of the most terrifying finishers in the UFC. The 27-year-old Ecuadorian came into the UFC through the Contender Series in 2021. He won via unanimous decision against Nikolay Veretennikov. UFC president Dana White was impressed and gave Morales a deal with the UFC. Morales made his UFC debut in 2022, immediately on the main card of a pay-per-view event against Trevin Giles. Morales won via knockout in the first round. In his sophomore fight in the UFC, Morales overcame some early adversity but was able to get another finish against Adam Fugitt via TKO in the third round. In 2023, Morales won two fights against tougher competition.
Morales won via unanimous decision against Jake Matthews and closed out the year with another win against Max Griffin. That win gave him a shot at the rankings against Neil Magny. Morales won the fight via TKO in the first round and announced himself as one of the future contenders in the division. The UFC saw the potential in the young Ecuadorian and matched him up against former title challenger Gilbert Burns last year for his first main event. Morales took another big win via TKO in the first round. In his most recent fight, Morales took out top contender Sean Brady via TKO in the first round. After three first-round finishes, he now takes on Carlos Prates for the interim title.
UFC 336 – Toronto (January 30)
- Joshua Van vs. Manel Kape
- Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales
Interim Title Fight Co-Headlines UFC 336 in Toronto