Colby Covington defends Makhachev, says Prates and Morales not worthy of interim belt

Colby Covington expressed his support for Islam Makhachev, suggesting that the latter should not face criticism for skipping a title defense at UFC 336. Makhachev (29-1 MMA, 18-1 UFC) declined to compete against Carlos Prates on January 30 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, stating he did not see a clear-cut contender and wanted to see Prates (24-7 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Michael Morales (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) fight each other to determine the next challenger.

Covington, speaking to MMA Junkie, believed that Makhachev had recently defended his title against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, and that he needed time to recover from Ramadan before facing another opponent. He further criticized Prates and Morales, stating that neither had faced high-profile opponents and that winning a streak of fights did not equate to deserving an interim title.

Covington was confident that Prates would have the edge in striking, but acknowledged that the fight would be an all-striking battle, with the possibility of a knockout occurring. Prates was mentioned as the slight favorite by odds-makers, but Covington did not discredit Morales, acknowledging the fighter's impressive record and accomplishments.