Outside Source
Prates, Michael Morales, Ian Garry and Kamaru Usman are all in the running for the next welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev (28-1). Prates dominantly beat down Jack Della Maddlena en route to a third-round stoppage win at UFC Perth last weekend and subsequently claimed that Makhachev is set to defend his title against Garry in August. “The Nightmare” said that he is willing to wait for the winner of that bout, which was allegedly confirmed. However, Makhachev says no one from the UFC has said who his next opponent will be. According to Makhachev, there are still four contenders in the running for the next title shot, including Usman, who himself admitted that he is out of the race.
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“The UFC haven’t informed me yet, but there’s been a lot of rumors about me fighting Ian Garry next,” Makhachev told Red Corner MMA. “Yet, I haven’t talked with any [UFC] officials about this fight. So, I can’t tell for sure who is the next contender. I’ve got three or four possible matchups. Kamaru Usman is also up there. Ian Garry, Morales, Prates. That’s four contenders, plus Shavkat [Rakhmonov] might be No. 5. They’re all expecting a title shot.”
Based on Prates’ win over Maddalena last weekend, Makhachev believes a fight against the Brazilian would generate the most hype.
“I think Prates has got the hype now. He’s talked about much more now. So, I think a fight against him would be the most interesting.”
Prates (24-7) suffered his only UFC loss against Garry.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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