Prates targets Morales if welterweight title shot is delayed after UFC Perth win

Carlos Prates has set his sights on the UFC welterweight title but named Michael Morales as his preferred interim opponent should a championship shot be delayed. Prates made the comments on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast following his demolition of former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth earlier this month, a result that cemented his status as a top contender at 170 pounds.

Prates (24-7) believes Ian Garry will be next to challenge champion Islam Makhachev, likely at UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia. Garry previously defeated Prates, but the Brazilian is confident he sits first in line for a title shot against whoever wins that bout. He says he has no problem waiting.

If the UFC requires him to compete in the meantime, however, Prates has a clear preference. “If I have no choice, if I have to fight somebody, and then go to the belt — I think I will pick Morales,” he said. “Because it makes sense, I’m No. 2, he is No. 3. And then you get the winner against the winner of Ian and Makhachev.”

Morales, an undefeated Ecuadorian contender at 19-0, has been building his own case at welterweight. The matchup Prates envisions would pit the division’s second and third-ranked fighters against each other, with the winner stepping into a title eliminator role.

The welterweight picture sharpened considerably at UFC 322 last November. Makhachev claimed the title by defeating Maddalena on that card, while Prates knocked out former champion Leon Edwards and Morales stopped fellow contender Sean Brady on the same night. Garry then reinforced his own credentials a week later with a dominant decision over former champion Belal Muhammad.

With Makhachev vs. Garry potentially not resolving the title picture until late 2025 or into 2026, the UFC’s welterweight division faces a congested queue of legitimate contenders — and Prates is determined to remain at the front of it.