UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev was initially slated to help the promotion begin its numbered-event schedule next year.
Instead, Makhachev will sit out and await the winner of the scheduled interim welterweight title fight at UFC 336 in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday, Jan. 30, between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales. The winner would then be set to fight Makhachev later in the year.
Although UFC CEO Dana White strongly disagrees with Makhachev's reasoning for sitting out (observance of Ramadan), another ex-two-division champion, Henry Cejudo, agrees with Makhachev's choice.
During a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast, which features Cejudo alongside former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman, Cejudo said Makhachev letting the top of the division play out was the right move.
Will Islam Makhachev Unify UFC Welterweight Titles?
"Islam Makhachev is right on this one. I was thinking the same thing," Cejudo said. "If I was Islam, I'd be like, 'How come these guys don't fight each other? Let me fight the best dude.' He said that before in the past in his press conferences. So, it was already premeditated with Islam since the beginning if you think about it."
Cejudo brushed off White's comments, arguing both Prates and Morales are equally deserving of a title opportunity.
"As the champion, you want the No. 1 contenders to fight each other personally like this, even better than either one of them fighting Islam," Cejudo said. "Because now we get a chance to see who is going to fight Islam Makhachev. Michael Morales and Carlos Prates, that's a main event on its own. That's a pay-per-view main event."
Stakes Entering Prates-Morales
Prates-Morales serves as the co-headliner, as Joshua Van and Manel Kape headlines the card for Van's UFC flyweight title.
White, meanwhile, claimed that Makhachev was at risk of being a "hold up" for the rest of the division despite only winning the title 11 months ago at UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden.
For now, the UFC has chosen to allow Makhachev to remain the champion without issue. But it seems the promotion's sense of urgency is even more heightened as the UFC's middleweight division remains in limbo.
Makhachev successfully retained the UFC welterweight title in August at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, defeating Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision in his first title defense at 170 pounds.
We'll see how the welterweight title picture plays out, as Makhachev won't be competing until after his holiday festivities and the fasting month are over.
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