That’s 4 straight wins all by knockout for Carlos ‘The Nightmare’ Prates after his knockout of Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 100, now entering the top 15 of the welterweight division. After impressing on Dana White’s Contender Series (where Dana White compared him to a “young Anderson Silva”) Carlos Prates has followed it up in impressive fashion.
There’s no doubt current form has impressed the UFC brass and fans alike. The Brazilian fighter, packs over a 100 Muay Thai and kickboxing fights to his name, and has certainly showcased his pedigree in the Octagon, using his piston like left hand to slump his opponents to the canvas. Last night’s win against Neil Magny was a real test. Magny is almost an unofficial gatekeeper to the top 15, and many fighters have had to bypass him to enter the rankings. Shavkhat Rakhmonov, Ian Garry, Michael Morales to name a few. But it’s not always guaranteed. Mike Malott was on the rise when Neil Magny put a stop to him at UFC 297 in dominant fashion.
Nevertheless, after a first round knockout over Neil Magny, a fight with someone in the top ten looms large. He himself called out Jack Della Maddalena after his victory in his post-fight interview, though he acknowledged the gap in the rankings may be too big, something I’m inclined to agree with.
However, he also called out Geoff Neal, which is a very interesting and more plausible callout. Geoff Neal came away with the win relatively unscathed in his outing against Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 308, and with Carlos coming away with the win injury free that could make for a quick turnaround fight.
Alternatively, there exists other enticing striking matches outside the top ten. Michael ‘Venom’ Page is currently ranked 13th and is looking to bounce back from what was a close decision loss against Ian Garry. This match-up would pit the clean, points style striking MVP is renowned for against Prates’ Muay Thai. This match-up would be a very hard test for Prates, as no striker ever comes away looking clean against MVP, with what is an especially unique style to him.
Michael Morales is another name who’s sitting just outside the top ten, though given Morales’ undefeated record, the UFC may hold off on that fight for later down the line.
There’s no shortage of fights for what is one of the most exciting divisions in the UFC currently for Prates. Perhaps even a fight with the ageing Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson or a Joaquin Buckley, though the latter may be looking to fight up rather than the down.
Whichever fight he takes on next, UFC fans will be sure to keep their eyes peeled in what is a division stacked with talent.
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