Islam Makhachev's Title Defense Plans Before Ramadan
Islam Makhachev walked out of Philadelphia with his Welterweight belt intact and his aura of inevitability strengthened. What he didn’t leave with was a clean bill of health.
The champion’s first defense at 170 pounds at UFC 330 — a measured, ruthless dismantling of Ian Machado Garry — confirmed what many suspected: the former Lightweight ruler carries his dominance with him. Yet beneath the shine of another main-event victory, the aftermath told a quieter story.
“I had three MRIs and had my entire spine checked,” Makhachev revealed in a recent interview. “There are a few small issues, so I’m working on them. It’s nothing serious. I’m just strengthening my spine.”
No panic. No drama. Just another problem to solve.
A Tight Window Before Ramadan
Makhachev’s mind has already moved past Garry and onto the calendar. The next title defense isn’t just about who stands across from him, but when.
“We’ll wait for the UFC to call,” he said. “I think the ideal scenario would be to fight before Ramadan. Ramadan starts for us in February. A date before Ramadan would be ideal.”
Ramadan is expected to begin around February 8, 2027, which hands the UFC a narrow lane: December 2026 or January 2027. That’s it. If they want Makhachev active before the holy month, the promotion has to move quickly and decisively.
The reward for getting it right is obvious. An early-year defense opens the possibility of a second appearance in late summer or fall, putting Makhachev on his preferred schedule of two fights a year when healthy. For a champion in his prime, that rhythm matters.
Carlos Prates Waiting at the Door
The next piece of the puzzle is more volatile: the challenger.
All signs point toward Brazilian knockout artist Carlos Prates, who insists the UFC has already promised him the next Welterweight title shot. His case is hard to ignore. “The Nightmare” has torn through the division with chilling efficiency, stopping Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards and former champion Jack Della Maddalena in three straight outings.
Three fights. Three knockouts. Three statements.
From a matchmaking perspective, it’s almost too neat: a relentless finisher against a suffocating technician who rarely makes a mistake. Stylistically, it sells itself.
Makhachev, though, has floated a different idea. He previously suggested that Prates should face undefeated contender Michael Morales to determine the next challenger. A classic eliminator. Prates, unsurprisingly, wants no part of that detour, insisting his résumé already earns him a direct shot at the belt.
So the tension now sits in the UFC’s hands. Do they cash in Prates’ momentum immediately, or risk cooling him off in another high-stakes fight?
Spine First, Legacy Next
For Makhachev, the equation is simple. Fix the body. Take the call. Defend the belt.
The MRIs showed “small issues,” as he put it, nothing that suggests a long layoff but enough to demand attention. He’s in that phase of a champion’s life where the work between fights — the rehab, the strengthening, the prevention — matters as much as the game plan on fight week.
If the UFC can thread the needle and book him before Ramadan, 2027 could become another two-fight campaign in a second division, the kind of schedule that builds legacies, not just title defenses.
First, though, the spine has to hold. Then we find out whether Carlos Prates really is the nightmare waiting on the other side.
