Carlos Prates had a front-row seat to the action at UFC 330 in Philadelphia this past Saturday. With his sights firmly set on the victor, Prates watched intently as UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev defended his title against Ian Machado Garry. In the end, it was Makhachev who walked away with a hard-fought unanimous decision to secure his first defense of the 170-pound title. The competitive affair left Brazil's Prates optimistic and excited to challenge the reigning pound-for-pound superstar Makhachev. Speaking Tuesday's on "The Ariel Helwani Show," Prates revealed that he had a conversation with UFC CBO Hunter Campbell while in Philadelphia — and according to the top-ranked knockout artist, Prates is indeed next in line. "I'm the next for the title. New contract. The next one for the title, let's go," Prates told Uncrowned. "Eight fights [on the new contract]. ... I think [Michael Morales] is going to fight Belal Muhammad or somebody, another fighter. Maybe, I don't know, but another fight."
Throughout his UFC career, Prates (24-7, 7-1 in UFC) has been an exceptionally entertaining fighter. He's knocked out his opponents in all seven of his promotional wins, including former welterweight champions Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards. By contrast, Prates isn't overly wowed by what he’s seen from Makhachev’s first two welterweight bouts. "I think [Makhachev's style] is boring," Prates said of the former UFC lightweight champion. "I don't like watching fights at all. Striking fights or some friends, of course, I like to watch. But especially if there's a grappler fighting, I don't like to watch. I like to watch people getting knockouts, a lot of action and things like that. "It's crazy because now I really like to train grappling more than striking, but I don't like to watch grappling and fighters going to the ground and boring fights." Prates, 33, last fought when he finished the aforementioned Della Maddalena in their May showdown in Perth. He was hopeful he'd get the title shot over Garry, but instead now must wait until what he expects will be December, due to the damage Makhachev recieved at UFC 330 and the champion's usual long wait between fights. Carlos Prates scored a massive win over ex-champ Jack Della Maddalena in May. Ed Mulholland via Getty Images
"I'm in no rush. As much as I need to wait, I'm going to be training, you know. Studying, be training, so I can be more ready," Prates said. "On the takedowns, or when he's striking, I see the way I can defend some things and stop some takedowns. … He has good kickboxing, bro. Of course, I'm much better, so I'm excited to test myself against him. … I really think I can win, shock the world, make everybody surprised. I will do this." Prates has his own history with Garry, too. The lone loss of the Fighting Nerds product's UFC career came to Garry in their April 2025 meeting in Kansas City. Much like UFC CEO Dana White and Makhachev after UFC 330, Prates was confused by Garry's extreme showings of respect in the title tilt. Regardless, he can see his old foe fighting for UFC gold again, and praised Garry for his mental strength at just 28 years old. "I don't like that he hugged so much during the fight and being really friends. But everybody has the way they like to do the things," Prates said. "He likes this way, but I don't think it's a nice way to go to the fight. "He's young, but his mindset is really good."
As optimistic as Prates is to be next for Makhachev, nothing is official just yet. Surging contender Michael Morales was also in attendance at UFC 330, and seemingly stands as the lone obstacle in Prates' path to a title shot. Some sportsbooks have already given the undefeated Morales a better chance of dethroning Makhachev than Prates. Prates, though, isn't concerned about being skipped over for the title shot, and he even understands why Morales may get the public nod. The hype is justified with the Ecuadorian, he says. Prates admits a matchup between the two would be a great fight. "People think Morales can fight better than me just because he's stronger, but of course, in the striking, I would kill Morales," Prates said. "Grappling? I don't know. Everybody calls that guy a wrestler, but I've never seen him try to get a takedown. Maybe people say Morales would have more chance to beat Islam because he's bigger, like he's really heavy, but in terms of technique and things like that, I think I'm much better. "He's not overhyped. He's really good. He's undefeated. But I think people believe he has a better chance of beating Islam because he's stronger [than me] — [that] he's a bigger guy, and it would be a little bit harder for Islam to take him down."