The promotion is hoping to loosen the 170-pound bottleneck by pitting No. 1-ranked contender Carlos Prates (24-7) against No. 3-ranked welterweight Michael Morales (19-0) in the UFC 336 co-main event on Sat., Jan. 30, 2027 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
“I think it’s a great fight,” Della Maddalena told Bedtime MMA (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “I think it’s good for the division. I would think Prates is next in line, so I think it’s a good fight. It clears up the division, it shows who the No. 1 contender is, and it’s good timing. I don’t think Islam will probably fight until June next year, so it just slows it down. It’s good. It’s an incredible fight. I don’t know who’s going to win. I feel like Prates probably has more tools to get the win, but Morales is a big, powerful guy with a different sort of size. So I think it’ll be an interesting fight.”
