UFC is kicking off 2027 with an unexpected interim title fight.
Top welterweight contenders Carlos Prates and Michael Morales have agreed to meet on Jan. 30 in the five-round main event of UFC 336, where an interim belt at 170 pounds will be on the line. UFC announced the news Saturday during the UFC 333 broadcast. In addition, flyweight champion Joshua Van will defend his strap against Manel Kape in the night’s co-main event at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani reported Friday that a matchup between Prates and UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev was the initial hope to headline UFC 336, however those plans were ultimately scrapped when the date didn’t work for Makhachev. As a result, the UFC appears to have pivoted by introducing an interim title in the division.
Prates (24-7) has emerged as one of UFC's most dangerous welterweight contenders. A member of Brazil's Fighting Nerds team, Prates rebounded from his April 2025 loss to Ian Machado Garry with consecutive knockouts of Geoff Neal and two former welterweights champions, Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena. The 33-year-old has finished all seven of his UFC victories and now gets his first chance to fight for gold.
Morales (19-0), likewise, has been on a torrid run of his own. The undefeated Ecuadorian has stormed through the welterweight ranks with seven straight UFC victories, including a trio of consecutive first-round knockouts of Neil Magny, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady. The 27-year-old has not competed since his November 2025 win over Brady, but he'll return from a lengthy layoff with an opportunity to become an interim UFC champion.
In the co-main event, Van (18-2) looks to make another defense of the flyweight title he captured from Alexandre Pantoja in December 2025. The 25-year-old has since defended his belt in thrilling bouts against Tatsuro Taira and Pantoja again in a September rematch at UFC 331. Standing across from him will be Kape (23-7), a former RIZIN champion who has won four straight fights by knockout, including impressive finishes of Brandon Royval and Kyoji Horiguchi. The matchup marks Kape's first UFC title opportunity.
Van enters his latest defense as Uncrowned’s No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world.