Islam Makhachev leans towards Carlos Prates title shot when revealing next opponent is not confirmed

In accordance with Islam Makhachev, his next opponent continues to be yet to be made official.

Makhachev recently said that he’s verbally agreed to his next fight and an opponent was verbally mentioned but there have been no agreements or contracts as of yet.

Many have expected that Ian Machado Garry can be the primary man to challenge the brand new welterweight champion, with August seeking to be the targeted timeframe.

While even Carlos Prates expects this to be Makhachev’s next fight, his recent win in Perth could still change the promotion’s plans based on the Russian titleholder.

Is Carlos Prates the largest threat to Islam Makhachev’s welterweight title reign?

Islam Makhachev believes a fight with Carlos Prates can be ‘essentially the most interesting’ as he talks next opponent

This past weekend, Islam Makhachev was quick to praise Carlos Prates for the devastating performance he placed on to stop Jack Della Maddalena in Perth.

The welterweight champion recently admitted that along with his next opponent not being official, there are still several options on the table for his first title defense.

“The UFC haven’t informed me about it yet but there’s been plenty of rumors about me fighting Ian [Machado] Garry next yet I haven’t talked with any [UFC] officials about this fight so I can’t tell needless to say who’s the following contender,” he told Red Corner MMA.

“I’ve got 3-4 more possible matchups. Kamaru Usman can also be up there. Ian Garry, [Michael] Morales, Prates. 4 of them, plus Shavkat [Rakhmonov] is likely to be number five. They’re all expecting a title shot.”

In a follow-up query, Makhachev said that he believes a fight with Prates “can be essentially the most interesting” on account of the response his recent win got from fans.

“Well, I feel Prates has got the hype now. He’s talked about rather more now,” the champion said.

Does Ian Machado Garry have what it takes to beat Islam Makhachev? Explain your decision down below!

Machado Garry has called Makhachev out for making him wait, following talk across the Russian having to get well from an injury.

There is no such thing as a denying that Prates is within the conversation following back-to-back incredibly impressive wins over former champions.

That being said, Machado Garry likely isn’t going to take the news well if he misses out on a title shot to an opponent he beat over five rounds last 12 months.