Carlos Prates made a thunderous statement at UFC Perth this weekend, dismantling former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in the main event with a third-round knockout that felt inevitable from the opening bell. Now riding a 7-1 UFC record—with every win coming by knockout and seven post-fight bonuses to his name—Prates is ready to stake his claim for the biggest fight in the division.
"I should be next," Prates declared at the post-fight press conference, his confidence as sharp as his striking. "Nobody beats two former champions in that really good way. They never do it by knockout, and then I come there and make it look easy. I respect them, they are tough. But against Leon, against 'JDM,' I make it look like easy. And I'm the next."
The Brazilian's path to a title shot is clear in his mind. Back in April, he told MMA Fighting about a "plan" involving Ian Machado Garry—the only man to defeat him in the UFC. Prates envisions Garry defeating Islam Makhachev for the belt, setting up a rematch in Brazil. But he's equally ready to face the Dagestani wrestling powerhouse himself.
"I was thinking about the bonus," Prates explained, reflecting on his patient approach when Maddalena was compromised by calf kicks. "I feel like his leg was hurt and he was bleeding. I was talking with him like, 'You become a wrestler now? You want to try takedown?'"
That calm under pressure is exactly what makes Prates dangerous. When critics point to a first-round trip attempt from Maddalena as evidence of a wrestling vulnerability, Prates shrugs it off. "If you see when he comes to take me down, I just opened my arm like, 'Ah, you now become a wrestler?' I'm not scared about takedowns. I'm BJJ black belt, you know? After hurting him, I feel like he's out of the fight."
With the UFC yet to announce Makhachev's next opponent, Prates is willing to wait—but not quietly. His message is clear: two former champions finished in devastating fashion, and the next man up should be him. Whether it's Makhachev or Garry, Carlos Prates is ready for the biggest stage of his career.