Dana White wants Makhachev to fight twice a year as champion backs up division

UFC CEO Dana White has called on Islam Makhachev to defend his welterweight title at least twice a year, after the pound-for-pound king withdrew from a planned January bout against Carlos Prates at UFC 336, forcing the promotion to create an interim belt instead.

Speaking to The Mac Life on Wednesday, White confirmed the fight had been verbally agreed before Makhachev pulled out, and made clear his preference for champions to remain active. “Being the champ, I don’t really expect you to fight three times a year, but twice would be nice,” White said. “What you start to do is back up the division, because lots of guys would like a shot at the title.”

White believes the root cause is financial rather than physical. “I think it’s money,” he said. “Once you get so much money — when guys are young and hungry, they want to fight a lot because they want to get paid. But once you start to get enough money, you don’t have to fight all the time.”

Makhachev has offered his own explanations since the announcement, first suggesting Prates needed to prove himself further, then hinting at a possible retirement in the near future. White, however, stopped short of criticising the champion outright, acknowledging his extraordinary record. “To be fair to Islam, look at what he’s accomplished,” he added.

With Makhachev sitting out until after Ramadan, Prates will now face Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336 in January.

Makhachev’s credentials are difficult to dispute. The 33-year-old holds an 18-1 record since joining the UFC in 2015, successfully defended his lightweight title at UFC 311, and claimed the welterweight belt at UFC 322 last year — making him only the fourth fighter in UFC history to defend a title in two separate weight classes.