Makhachev out of UFC 336, Toronto left scrambling

UFC 333 fight day dawns in Abu Dhabi with two titles on the line, but the freshest hard news came from elsewhere: Islam Makhachev has fallen out of his targeted January welterweight defense against Carlos Prates, blowing up the UFC 336 headliner. Meanwhile, Real American Freestyle 14 delivered on its grudges, with Arman Tsarukyan and Khamzat Chimaev both steamrolling former champions on the mat.

Makhachev falls out of UFC 336, Prates title fight scrapped

Islam Makhachev is out of his planned UFC 336 welterweight title defense against No. 1 contender Carlos Prates, originally targeted for Jan. 30 in Toronto, per Ag Fight and Ariel Helwani. The bout was never officially signed; Helwani reported only that the date no longer works for Makhachev, with no reason given. Dana White, in Abu Dhabi for UFC 333, would say only that the reports were 'interesting.' The UFC is now hunting a new headliner, with Prates possibly rerouted to Michael Morales or a returning Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Why it matters: Makhachev (29-1) jumped to welterweight and immediately jammed a title queue that keeps growing; a vague withdrawal from an unsigned fight strands Prates, Morales and Rakhmonov yet again and leaves a marquee Canadian card without a main event barely three months out.

Two titles on the line as UFC 333 lands in Abu Dhabi

UFC 333 goes Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi with a title doubleheader. Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) defends featherweight gold against undefeated Movsar Evloev (20-0, 10-0 UFC), while Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili settle their trilogy for the bantamweight belt after splitting the first two. Both title fights are official following Friday's weigh-ins; strawweight Nicolle Caliari was the lone miss, coming in 4.5 pounds heavy and forfeiting 30 percent of her purse. The card runs at a special early time, with the main card at 2 p.m. ET on Paramount+.

Why it matters: Volkanovski can stamp his featherweight GOAT case against the division's most-avoided contender, while Yan-Merab III decides who owns the era's bantamweight supremacy — two greatest-of-all-time debates up for resolution in one night.

Tsarukyan techs Danis, Chimaev crushes Lawler at RAF 14

Real American Freestyle 14 in Las Vegas delivered Friday night. UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan bounced back from his first RAF loss to tech-fall Dillon Danis 10-0 for the inaugural middleweight crossover title, days after their press-conference near-riot. In the co-main, Khamzat Chimaev dismantled former UFC welterweight champ Robbie Lawler 11-0 in under two minutes. Chimaev immediately turned to his next crossover title match against Colby Covington in Abu Dhabi in three weeks, vowing to 'break his neck.' Bella Mir and Brendan Allen also won on the mats.

Why it matters: The wrestling circuit is fast becoming a legitimate outlet for UFC stars to stay active and monetize grudges between Octagon dates — and a Chimaev-Covington mat clash hands two of the sport's loudest talkers a sanctioned meeting without a single matchmaker involved.

UFC gives Tsarukyan a February-or-March title shot window

Arman Tsarukyan says UFC matchmakers have told him he'll fight for the lightweight title in February or March of 2027, with two possible opponents floated: champion Justin Gaethje, or a replacement if Gaethje retires. Tsarukyan, riding a six-fight win streak after knocking out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, believes Gaethje will walk away rather than take the fight, leaving Ilia Topuria or Paddy Pimblett as the likely alternative for a vacant belt.

Why it matters: A concrete timeframe finally pins down a title picture that has stalled around Gaethje's uncertain future, and sets up either a long-overdue coronation for Tsarukyan or a wide-open scramble at 155 if the champion retires.

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