The UFC used its UFC 333 broadcast to drop major news for the new year. Carlos Prates will fight Michael Morales for the Interim Welterweight Championship at UFC 336 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on January 30, while Joshua Van defends his Flyweight Title against Manel Kape in the main event.
UFC 336 (Credits: Fightful)
Reigning welterweight champion Islam Makhachev is unable to fight in January due to Ramadan, which opens the door for an interim title bout between two of the division’s most dangerous finishers.
UFC 336 Interim Welterweight Title: Prates vs Morales
Prates arrives on a spectacular run, with three straight knockout victories and three straight Performance of the Night bonuses. His last three victims read like a who’s who of the welterweight division: Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena, all finished inside the distance.
Morales, meanwhile, brings a perfect record into the biggest fight of his career. The unbeaten contender is 19-0, and his last three wins have all come by first-round stoppage against Neil Magny, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady. Something has to give when two fighters who rarely see the second round collide.
The promotion leaned into the matchup on social media, billing the pair as fighters who are here to throw hands. With both men riding finishing streaks, fans can reasonably expect fireworks rather than a cautious chess match.
UFC 336 Main Event: Joshua Van Defends Flyweight Title Against Manel Kape
Topping the card, Joshua Van puts his Flyweight Title on the line against Manel Kape. Van has won eight straight fights and already made two successful title defences, most recently beating Alexandre Pantoja.
Kape has won four in a row himself, finishing Bruno Gustavo da Silva, Asu Almabayev, Brandon Royval and Kyoji Horiguchi. The challenger’s run through ranked opposition has earned him the shot, and the flyweight division gets a fresh, high-stakes headliner to open the year.
With an interim welterweight crown and a flyweight title on the line, UFC 336 in Toronto is shaping up as one of the strongest cards of the early 2026 calendar. The event streams live on Paramount+ on January 30.
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Source: Fightful — read the full story there.
