Carlos Prates, a rising contender in the UFC welterweight division, suggests that the current champion, Islam Makhachev, might perceive him as a less challenging opponent compared to Ian Machado Garry. Prates recently delivered a stunning knockout victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth, adding to his impressive streak of consecutive knockouts against former champions. He is firm in his stance that his next fight will be for the welterweight title and is willing to wait for the outcome of a potential Makhachev vs. Garry bout.
During a discussion with Daniel Cormier, Prates elaborated on why he thinks Makhachev would favor a fight against him. He theorized that after his own past defeats involving takedowns by Leon Edwards, Jack Della Maddalena, and Ian Machado Garry, Makhachev might assume Prates would be an easier stylistic match-up.
Prates stated, “He [Islam] thinks I’m an easier fight than Ian Garry… I think so. Not easier but less hard… Maybe because Ian beat me. As I said, Leon Edwards took me down, “JDM” took me down, and Ian Garry took me down one time too. Maybe he thinks it’s gonna be easy.”
However, Prates quickly countered this notion by highlighting his resilience and grappling prowess. He emphasized that despite being taken down by previous opponents, he was never finished and always managed to get back up. “But when I fought those guys, I didn’t care about the takedowns… Of course Islam is a really good grappler. But when I fought Ian, Leon, and “JDM,” I knew I am a BJJ black belt… I am good on the ground also. I know those guys aren’t gonna finish me or keep me on the ground. Makhachev is a really good grappler, but until now, everybody who took me down, I got up. One thing I know is he’s not from another planet. He is human like us. So let’s see if he can take me down and stop me from getting back up.”
Prates’ confidence stems from his belief that while Makhachev is an exceptional grappler, he is still human and susceptible to Prates’ own formidable ground game and ability to recover from takedowns.
