Carlos Prates is a prominent Brazilian fighter in the UFC. Photo: Instagram / Carlos Prates
Carlos Prates could have a memorable night at UFC 322. The Brazilian faces Leon Edwards on the same card where Jack Della Maddalena fights for the welterweight title (up to 77 kg) against Islam Makhachev . According to his coaches, this event could pave the way for the Fighting Nerds representative to get closer to a title shot.
In a video published on Flavio Álvaro's YouTube channel, Pablo Sucupira revealed that he believes that, in the event of a victory over Edwards, Carlos Prates could be invited to step into the octagon to challenge the winner of the duel between Maddalena and Makhachev.
"You can write this down: I think the UFC will have Carlão come back to watch the title fight and step into the octagon to challenge the champion. The UFC only does that when he's handpicked. In fact, if it's Jack Della Maddalena , you can bet on it: Carlão will step in, challenge him, jump the queue, and fight for the belt," said Sucupira.
Confident in his pupil's potential, Flavio Álvaro highlighted that Maddalena would be a more favorable opponent for Prates than Makhachev, despite seeing the Australian as superior to the Russian.
"Jack is a great fight for Carlão, much better than Makhachev. Let's watch Makhachev at 77 to see how it goes. Because, for me, Maddalena will completely wipe out Makhachev... like Maddalena did to Belal with his takedown defenses," Álvaro assessed.
Signed through the Contender Series, Carlos Prates debuted in the UFC in February 2024 and accumulated four consecutive victories, all by knockout. In his fifth fight, however, he was defeated by Ian Garry . The Brazilian returned to winning ways at UFC 319, when he knocked out Geoff Neal with a spinning elbow.
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