Rizvan Magomedov, manager of Islam Makhachev, has dismissed reports of a fight with Carlos Prates at UFC 336. Makhachev, whose 17-fight winning streak is a UFC record, improved to 29-1 by beating Ian Garry. He has since undergone three MRI scans on his spine and wants to fight before Ramadan. "As of now, it's not close to becoming a reality. It's all just rumors and talk. Negotiations are ongoing...," Magomedov said, adding that from a media point of view Prates was a more interesting opponent than Michael Morales.
According to journalist Alvaro Colmenero, the bout had been pencilled in for 30 January in Toronto, although there has been no official confirmation. Prates is 7-1 in the UFC and has knocked out his last three opponents. Ariel Helwani reports that the UFC is also considering a fight between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales.
