Islam Makhachev just defended his title at UFC 330, but who's next for the champ? We're hearing that the commentary team was hyping up Carlos Prates and Michael Morales as potential contenders. Prates, for his part, is full of confidence and has a "chilling promise" for Makhachev. However, Prates also had to deny turning down a fight with Morales, stating, "I'm not scared". Tsarukyan also accused Charles Oliveira of using the death of his friend, Allan Nascimento, as an excuse to avoid a rematch. It seems like everyone wants a piece of Makhachev, and the UFC has some tough decisions to make.
Sources (9)
We summarise the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work.
- Carlos Prates denies turning down Michael Morales fight: ‘I’m not scared’ (Yahoo Sports)
- UFC set to debut new commentator in Joe Rogan role at upcoming event: ‘This is my world title’ (Bloody Elbow)
- Anthony Smith in court: "I am innocent" (Frontkick Online)
- Khabib compares Dana White to the mafia (Frontkick Online)
- Hexagone MMA targets European expansion after rapid rise in France (Yahoo Sports)
- Carlos Prates has a chilling promise for Islam Makhachev (Yahoo Sports)
- Anthony Smith pleads not guilty to felony charges (Yahoo Sports)
- Arman Tsarukyan Accuses Charles Oliveira of Using Allan Nascimento's Death as an Excuse (Yahoo Sports)
- Michael Chiesa makes color commentary debut at UFC Shanghai (Yahoo Sports)
Split from that day's roundup, so the sources listed are the full set behind the whole edition rather than this story alone.
This story ran in the August 18, 2026 edition of the daily show.