Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Friday that Makhachev is out of the planned UFC 336 title fight with Carlos Prates and the promotion is now searching for a new headliner for the Jan. 30 show in Toronto.
- Makhachev's manager said a January matchup was never close to finalized, and UFC president Dana White declined to confirm the reports when asked by reporters.
- Coverage does not provide a public reason for the champion's withdrawal, with journalists saying sources told them the January date 'doesn't work' for Makhachev but gave no further explanation.
- The UFC is weighing options that include keeping Prates on the card against Michael Morales or Shavkat Rakhmonov, staging an interim-welterweight title fight, or holding Prates until Makhachev is available.
- The change reshuffles the welterweight title pathway and alters short-term plans for fighters and the Toronto crowd, since decisions on replacements will determine contender order, title status, and which athletes get a primetime platform.