Overview
- Islam Makhachev defeated Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 to claim the welterweight title and become a two-division UFC champion.
- Carlos Prates, coming off a knockout of former champion Leon Edwards, publicly labeled himself the ‘easiest fight’ for Makhachev in a new callout.
- UFC Stats list Prates with an 80% takedown-defense rate, a note that undercuts his claim of being easy to ground, and he has a recent loss to Ian Machado Garry.
- Bleacher Report identifies Kamaru Usman as the leading option for Makhachev’s first defense, citing mutual interest and a shared manager.
- Editorial matchups floated include Michael Morales vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov after both scored statement wins, and Prates vs. Belal Muhammad following Muhammad’s bout with Ian Garry in Qatar.