Prates was in attendance at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia as Makhachev defeated Ian Garry by unanimous decision to retain the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title in the UFC 330 main event. The Brazilian is certain he’ll knock out the Russian champ when they lock horns.
Carlos Prates vows to knock out UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev
Makhachev was pushed to the limit by Garry and needed a dominant final round to seal the decision win. However, many of his takedowns and submission attempts were shut down by the challenger. This marks Makhachev’s second decision win in as many welterweight bouts after finishing most of his challengers at lightweight.
After the event, Prates made a bold claim, vowing to put the Dagestani pound-for-pound king to sleep.
“I will knock you out, bro,” Prates said. “I will knock you out. I will bring that belt to Brazil. The first welterweight champion from Brazil.”
Prates also crossed paths with fellow top-ranked welterweight Michael Morales, who weighed in as the backup for Makhachev vs. Garry, at the event. “The Nightmare” laid out his plans for the year ahead, looking to win the title in December and defend it against Morales next summer.
“No, I'm going to beat Islam and then we'll fight,” Prates told Morales. “I'm going to fight Islam in December and then I'm going to fight [you] in April.”
Makhachev also identified Prates as the most deserving next challenger for the 170-pound title.
Carlos Prates sent a message to Islam Makhachev after his win last night:
"I will knock you out, bro. I will knock you out. I will bring that belt to Brazil. The first welterweight champion from Brazil." 😳
(via @mmacrash) pic.twitter.com/FmorNR1WoQ— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 16, 2026
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