Carlos Prates likes his chances against UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, envisioning a clash similar to Anderson Silva’s second championship victory over Chael Sonnen back in 2012.
Prates said in an interview with UFC veteran Gilbert Burns that he’s currently in discussions with the promotion for a date to fight Makhachev, who defended his title against Ian Machado Garry earlier this month. Prates said “would be perfect” to headline UFC 335, which is scheduled for Dec. 12 in Las Vegas, but UFC officials told him said January in Australia is also a possibility.
Either way, the Brazilian knockout artist envisions himself having to dig deep to come out victorious against Makhachev like Silva did in the Sonnen rematch.
“You look at his fight with Chael Sonnen, Chael Sonnen got the mount in the first round. In the second, [Silva] went out there and knocked the guy out,” Prates said. “And that’s what I think is going to happen. I think I’m going to start by getting smashed, and the first time I manage to get back to my feet and start hurting him, I’m going to knock him out somewhere around the fourth or fifth round.”
Prates has only lost once in the UFC, dropping a decision to Garry in April 2025, and “became even more confident” for a future clash with Makhachev after seeing Garry’s success in wrestling exchanges with the welterweight champion. Prates scored knockouts in every other fight he’s had so far in the UFC, stopping former champions Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards in his most recent appearances.
“If he was able to get Makhachev off his back, I can do it too,” Prates said. “I became even more confident. Based on the things I saw and the amount of time we have to train, I was like, ‘Fuck, I think we can do this.’ I already thought so, and now I saw Ian Garry defend certain positions the same way I do, like the back against the cage. I do that a lot.
“I saw someone saying that [Makhachev] made an adjustment because [Garry] is very tall and it’s difficult for Makhachev to get his hooks in. And that defense he used, I do that every fight. I did it several times against Ian, but he would sit down and try to take my back. I already do everything standing so there’s no danger of losing the position. I was like, ‘Man, I think this guy is going to be in trouble.’ When I get my hands on him… I’m very confident that I’m going to bring that belt home.”
Read the full article here
