Athletes
Carlos Prates' Journey To Main Event
In Just Three Trips To The Octagon, Brazil’s Carlos Prates Earned His Way To A Main Event Opportunity Against Neil Magny
One of the enduring storylines in 2024 is that of Brazil’s Fighting Nerds. The São Paulo-based gym is having a banner year due to the success of the likes of Caio Borralho, Jean Silva, Mauricio Ruffy, Bruna Brasil and November 9’s headliner, Carlos Prates. Borralho broke through first and scored a main event victory for himself when he beat Jared Cannonier earlier in the year, and now Prates, who made his Octagon debut in February, has a chance to follow in those footsteps and keep the team’s momentum rolling.
Prates found his way onto the roster via Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2023, when he scored a second-round knockout on Mitch Ramirez. He’d repeat the result six months later in his debut at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer, doing the same on veteran Trevin Giles and earning his first performance bonus. It was clear from the jump that “The Nightmare” was going to be a problem for those in the 170-pound ranks.
READ: Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates
A month after teammates Borralho and Ruffy scored knockout wins at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Prates returned for his sophomore outing against Charles Radtke. This time, it was a brutal knee to the body that folded “Chuck Buffalo” before the end of the first frame in Louisville. The finish earned him his second performance bonus in as many fights, and it seemed like it was time for a big jump in competition for Prates.
Full Fight | Carlos Prates vs Li Jingliang
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Full Fight | Carlos Prates vs Li Jingliang
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Next came fan favorite and all-action veteran Li Jingliang at UFC 305. Despite the gap in Octagon time, Prates seemed like the veteran, methodically pressuring “The Leech,” who was making his return after an injury-riddled two years away from the Octagon. In the second round, Prates upped the pressure, and with a minute left in the period, he planted a left hook to the Li’s jaw to get the stoppage. On top of that, Prates became the first man to knock out Li. For his efforts, Prates got his third performance bonus in as many fights.
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It's that hot streak that brought Prates to the main event, as well as his fourth fight in just nine months. He admitted he didn’t expect to fight so much in his proverbial “rookie season.” Alas, that’s the burden or blessing for an exciting fighter who stacks highlight-reel win after highlight-reel win.
Magny is undoubtedly his toughest test. The 37-year-old veteran will push Prates’ cardio and force him to fight mindfully for as long as the fight lasts, just as Magny did when he came back to beat Mike Mallot at UFC 297 in Toronto. Granted, Prates has 26 professional fights under his belt, as well as a red-hot group of teammates who feel like it’s their time to take the sport over.
FULL FIGHTS: Neil Magny vs Mike Malott | Carlos Prates vs Li Jingliang
In a division as intriguing as welterweight, filled with veteran elites and hungry newcomers alike, Prates could position himself for gigantic fights in 2024. He can’t look ahead just yet, though. Overlooking Magny means all that momentum goes up in smoke. For Prates, that’s the last thing he wants, but if he adds another bonus-worthy finish in the biggest spot of his career, the lights only get brighter for the 31-year-old.
UFC Fight Night: Magny vs Prates took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 12, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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