The UFC’s first events for 2027 have been announced, and despite the rumors, UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev will not be defending his title at UFC 336 on January 30 in Toronto.
As confirmed by Jon Anik during the UFC 333 broadcast, the date was set aside by the promotion for such a title defense. Those plans, however, have fallen through — and with Ramadan starting the next week, Makhachev’s next title defense will not take place until late spring or early summer.
As a result, the UFC will be making an interim title for the welterweight division, and that will be on the line in the UFC 336 main event featuring top contenders Carlos Prates and Michael Morales.
Prates has won three straight and is 7-1 in the UFC. He’ll enter this fight off a finish of former champion Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth this past May.
Morales, meanwhile, is undefeated at 19-0, including a 7-0 UFC record. He’ll enter this fight off three straight performance bonuses, including a first-round finish of Sean Brady at UFC 322 last year.
Undisputed gold, meanwhile, will be on the line in the UFC 336 co-main event, as Joshua Van defends the flyweight championship against Manel Kape.
Van has won eight straight and defended the flyweight title twice this year, defeating Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 and Alexandre Pantoja in their UFC 331 rematch. Kape has won four straight and eight of his last nine, most recently finishing Kyoji Horiguchi this past June.
The UFC also announced that its first 2027 event will take place two weeks earlier, on January 16, with a Fight Night event in Dallas.
