Islam Makhachev questions Prates & Morales' UFC title shot credentials

We summarize the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work:

• Islam Makhachev questions Prates & Morales' UFC title shot credentials (Sherdog)
• “We Will Figure Out Who’s the Real Challenger”, Islam Makhachev Reveals Why He Turned Down Carlos Prates at UFC 336 (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Carlos Prates accuses Makhachev of running from a fight and promises to retire him: "Coward" (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Called a ‘coward’, Makhachev responds to Prates’ provocation: “He’s not at my level” (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Volkanovski proposes double farewell in super fight against Gaethje for lightweight title (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Petr Yan favored in 2 rematches, Volkanovski underdog to Gaethje (Sherdog)
• Alexander Volkanovski Had His Own Michael Jordan 'Flu Game' at UFC 333, and Offers Justin Gaethje 'Last Dance' (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC 333, The Morning After: Old man Alexander Volkanovski ends the Featherweight GOAT debate (MMA Mania)
• Rookie Report Card: Grading the lone Octagon newcomer UFC 333 post-mortem (MMA Mania)
• Unbeaten French champ Bafode Gassama to make PFL debut in Lyon (Sherdog)
• Bafode Gassama To Make PFL Debut Against Coby Bradford In Lyon (MiddleEasy)
• Paddy Pimblett says Movsar Evloev 'quit' against Alexander Volkanovski (Sherdog)
• Paddy Pimblett accuses Movsar Evloev of ‘quitting’ in brutal assessment of his UFC 333 performance (Bloody Elbow)
• Jon Jones chimes in on Daniel Cormier vs Dominick Reyes feud as former opponents clash after UFC 333 (Bloody Elbow)
• Dominick Reyes snaps at Daniel Cormier over 'kid' comment at UFC 333 (Sherdog)
• Jon Jones mocks Dominick Reyes over disputed UFC loss: 'Close but no cigar' (Sherdog)
• Dominick Reyes rips confused Daniel Cormier over ‘biased’ commentary during UFC 333 broadcast (BJPenn.com)
• Sean O'Malley says he'll fight Petr Yan next even if UFC books Yadong Song (Sherdog)
• Sean O'Malley confused by Daniel Cormier mentioning Song Yadong instead of him in post fight interview: "DC, I don’t know what he’s thinking. I beat Song like 6 months ago. I should be next for the title, I don’t care." (r/MMA)
• Sean O’Malley is ‘surprised’ Petr Yan didn’t call him out after UFC 333 win (MMA Mania)
• Sean O’Malley’s Case for Next UFC Bantamweight Title Shot (MMA News)
• Sean O’Malley Wanted Petr Yan to Call Him Out After UFC 333 (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dana White explains interim belt and criticizes Makhachev: "He can't hold up the division" (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Dana White reveals why interim welterweight title fight is booked for UFC 336: “You can’t hold up divisions like this” (BJPenn.com)
• Petr Yan promised Rolls-Royce Cullinan after UFC 333 title defense (Sherdog)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 130 for October 26th, 2026. Today's show is brought to you by Dealophant, from the team behind Open Scoring MMA. More on them in a minute. DUKE: Islam Makhachev just lit a match under the welterweight division, and it's burning hot.
NORA: He told Sherdog and Yahoo Sports MMA basically the same thing.
DUKE: Which is?
NORA: Quote, "Prates and Morales will fight to determine who is a true worthy contender," end quote. He said it's gonna be the winner who earns the shot at him.
DUKE: So Carlos Prates and Michael Morales are fighting at UFC 336 in Toronto on January 30th.
NORA: That's the part that set Prates off.
DUKE: He wasn't happy.
NORA: Not even close. He accused Makhachev of running from the fight and said he'd retire him, calling him a coward.
DUKE: Strong word.
NORA: Makhachev clapped right back, saying Prates isn't at his level.
DUKE: See, I get the business logic, build a true number one contender. But Prates has a case, he was right there in line.
NORA: Makhachev's reasoning isn't crazy either, Morales is unbeaten and rising fast, so why not let them settle it in the cage first.
DUKE: Fair. Still feels like a stall tactic dressed up as matchmaking.
NORA: Maybe both things are true.
DUKE: And the Reddit community is already loving the drama.
NORA: Fans are fully on Prates' side in the comments from what's being shared.
DUKE: Can't blame them, Prates doesn't hold back.
NORA: He never has.
DUKE: Now on to the results and the fallout from UFC 333.
NORA: Alexander Volkanovski knocked out Movsar Evloev to defend the featherweight belt, and now he's floating something huge.
DUKE: Alexander Volkanovski is floating a double retirement fight against Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title.
NORA: That's the pitch, his quote was basically a Michael Jordan flu game comparison, he says he fought through sickness at UFC 333 and wants one last super fight with Gaethje before he's done.
DUKE: At thirty eight, with the legacy he's already built, I get wanting to go out on something massive.
NORA: The oddsmakers aren't buying him in that matchup though, he's reportedly an underdog to Gaethje in that hypothetical, while Petr Yan is favored in both of his potential rematches.
DUKE: Wait, Volk's an underdog to Gaethje?
NORA: That's the line being talked about, yeah.
DUKE: That's wild for a guy who just looked that good.
NORA: Styles make fights, Gaethje's power and the weight jump are real questions. Tough way to start a UFC run.
DUKE: Now on to the card news. PFL's got something brewing for December.
NORA: Bafode Gassama, unbeaten, is making his PFL debut against Coby Bradford at light heavyweight.
DUKE: And it's at PFL Lyon, December 19th, at LDLC Arena.
NORA: An unbeaten French champion fighting in Lyon, that's a built in crowd.
DUKE: Home turf advantage for sure, good spot for PFL to make noise in France.
NORA: While we're on cards, let's touch the odds on this weekend's Fight Night.
DUKE: UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan is this weekend.
NORA: The main event is Renato Moicano against Tom Nolan. And the line's held steady since the last check, no movement at all.
Quick break for our sponsor. Dealophant shows the real price per unit on everyday Amazon buys, so you stop overpaying for the big box. It's free at dealophant dot com, and we may earn a commission if you buy. Now, back to the show. DUKE: Now on to the callouts, because UFC 333 had some spicy aftermath.
NORA: Paddy Pimblett went off on Movsar Evloev.
DUKE: Paddy Pimblett, always got something to say.
NORA: He said Evloev quit against Volkanovski, that he could've survived the second round but didn't fight through it.
DUKE: That's brutal, but Paddy doesn't sugarcoat anything, ever.
NORA: He never does, and honestly a lot of people are gonna agree with him after watching that finish.
DUKE: Classic Baddy, say what everyone's thinking.
NORA: Meanwhile Daniel Cormier is in the middle of a different storm.
DUKE: Dominick Reyes snapped at him over a comment DC made calling him "kid" during the UFC 333 broadcast, accused him of biased commentary.
NORA: And Jon Jones, who fought Reyes in that famously disputed bout, jumped into the thread too.
DUKE: Jones mocked Reyes, said quote, close but no cigar, end quote, about that old fight.
NORA: Then Jones tried to bow out gracefully, telling Bloody Elbow that he was logging off.
DUKE: Jon Jones logging off with a mic drop, that's peak Jon Jones.
NORA: It really is.
DUKE: And Sean O'Malley's got his own gripe with Cormier.
NORA: He's upset Daniel Cormier brought up Song Yadong in the post-fight interview instead of him, after Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili for Fight of the Night.
DUKE: O'Malley says he beat Song about six months ago and should be the number one contender, no question.
NORA: He also said he's surprised Yan didn't call him out live, and made it clear he'll fight Yan next even if the UFC tries to book Song Yadong instead.
DUKE: Can't blame him for being annoyed, he's got a real resume case there. Now on to the business side of things. Even though Makhachev defended just over two months ago.
NORA: White's reasoning, quote, "He can't hold up the division," end quote, basically saying you can't freeze a whole weight class waiting on one champion.
DUKE: Blunt as always from Dana.
NORA: And on a totally different note, Petr Yan's getting paid, he was promised a Rolls-Royce Cullinan for his title defense over Merab Dvalishvili.
DUKE: That's a nice bonus on top of the hundred thousand dollar Fight of the Night check.
NORA: Good weekend to be Petr Yan.
DUKE: Before we go, quick reminder, we've got breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos dropping on our YouTube channel, so go check that out if you haven't.
NORA: Worth the subscribe.
DUKE: Now let's look ahead. This Saturday, October 31st, UFC Fight Night brings Renato Moicano against Tom Nolan.
NORA: And the following Saturday, November 7th, Sean Brady meets Gabriel Bonfim.
DUKE: Two good ones to circle.
NORA: That's the show.
DUKE: Catch you next time on Open Scoring MMA.
One more thing before we go. Makhachev says Prates and Morales have to earn it first. Is that smart matchmaking, or is Prates right that he's ducking him? And while you're here, two quick ones. Our free Fight Tracker is at tracker dot open scoring m m a dot com, with every upcoming UFC and PFL card, live odds, and where to watch, all in one place. And follow us on YouTube, just search Open Scoring MMA, for breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won't get here on the feed. That's it for today's Open Scoring MMA. Keep your hands up, and we'll see you next time.