Carlos Prates has laid out his plans for the future as the Brazilian aims to become the UFC Welterweight champion. Prates has been touted by many as a potential top-five fighter and even future champion of the UFC. Prates fights out of the well-esteemed Fighting Nerds and has shown he is a top-level fighter with the appetite to push for the title. Prates has revealed his plans to win the belt and rematch Ian Machado Garry, who is currently the only fighter to have defeated Prates in the UFC.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Prates said “I’m gonna fight for the belt, I’m gonna win the belt, then I’m gonna challenge (Ian Garry) to a rematch, and then I’m gonna stop fighting MMA,” Prates also stated that he does not want to fight too much and wants to retire and enjoy life, saying “I don’t want to fight too much. Just enjoy life, BBQ, some beers… enjoy my time by the pool, just chill, take care of my mom.”
It is particularly interesting to see Prates talk about a potential rematch with Ian Garry. Both fighters were pictured together at the UFC Paris card last week, and were seemingly both friendly with each other; however, it does seem like a fight that Prates wants to prove that he can win. The first fight saw Garry win a unanimous decision, where he was able to control the fight with his slick striking and well-timed grappling, with Prates struggling in this fight to close the distance; however, Prates was able to nearly mount a comeback in the last round, as he landed potentially fight-ending ground-and-pound. It was still a bad night at the office for Prates.
Prates has fought once since then, defeating Geoff Neal last month at UFC 319, where he was able to KO Neal via a spinning elbow. Prates is a talented fighter for sure, but whether or not he has the ability to win the belt remains to be seen.
