Carlos Prates has revealed a surprising plan involving his former opponent, Ian Machado Garry. The Brazilian welterweight is eager for a rematch with Garry, whom he lost to last April. However, Prates has a specific condition for this second encounter: he wants Garry to first dethrone current UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Prates is set to face Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth in May. Following his knockout victories over Geoff Neal and Leon Edwards, Prates believes a win against Della Maddalena would solidify his claim for a title shot. He stated that defeating a former champion for the second time consecutively would leave no other contender for the belt but himself.
Should his plan come to fruition, Prates fully supports Ian Machado Garry in his potential future bout against Islam Makhachev, expected in August. Prates sees Garry, nicknamed “The Future,” as the ideal candidate to end Makhachev’s reign. He even shared that he and Garry have discussed this scenario.
“I think that beating a former champion for the second time in a row and by knockout will lock in the title shot,” Prates explained. “Then there’s no one else for them to give the fight to but me. If everything goes right and I win another bonus, that’ll be eight fights and seven bonuses. Come on, who else is there?”
Prates added that after his fight with Della Maddalena, he plans to take time for recovery before a potential title fight. In the interim, he is hoping Garry will emerge victorious against Makhachev.
“I would rather let Ian Garry fight for the belt and then we will see what happens and I fight later,” Prates elaborated. “I am rooting for [the belt] to change [hands] so Ian Garry and I can have our rematch for the belt. He [Garry] called me about three weeks ago and we have a plan: I beat Maddalena, he beats Makhachev, and then we do our rematch here in Brazil.”
English Translation:
Carlos Prates has revealed a surprising strategy involving his previous opponent, Ian Machado Garry. The Brazilian fighter is keen on a rematch with Garry, whom he previously lost to in April. However, Prates has a particular stipulation for this second fight: he wants Garry to first unseat the current UFC welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev.
Prates is scheduled to compete against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth in May. Following his consecutive knockout wins against Geoff Neal and Leon Edwards, Prates is confident that a victory over Della Maddalena will secure him a title contention. He believes that defeating a former champion for the second time consecutively would make him the undeniable next challenger for the belt.
If his plan unfolds as anticipated, Prates is fully backing Ian Machado Garry in his potential upcoming clash with Islam Makhachev, which is slated for August. Prates views Garry, also known as “The Future,” as the perfect contender to end Makhachev’s championship run. He mentioned that he and Garry have already discussed this prospective scenario.
“I believe that defeating a former champion for the second time in a row, and by knockout, will guarantee the title shot,” Prates stated. “Then, there will be no other fighter for them to give the fight to but me. If everything proceeds as planned and I earn another bonus, that would mean eight fights with seven bonuses. Who else is there? Will [Michael] Morales fight? How? In what way? It’s impossible. He has never defeated a former champion. The young fighter is undefeated, he’s good, but it’s just not possible.”
Prates further added that after his encounter with Della Maddalena, he intends to take a break to focus on recovery before commencing training for a title fight. Meanwhile, he hopes Garry will emerge victorious against Makhachev.
“I would prefer for Ian Garry to fight for the belt, and then we will assess the situation, and I will fight later,” Prates explained. “I am hoping for the [belt] to change [hands] so that Ian Garry and I can have our rematch for the belt. He [Garry] contacted me about three weeks ago, and we have a plan: I defeat Maddalena, he defeats Makhachev, and then we have our rematch here in Brazil.”
