Carlos Prates the next contender? He is courting a fight for the UFC belt

Carlos Prates has no doubts – in his opinion he has done enough to compete for the UFC welterweight belt.

As of this moment, the first defense of the title by Islam Makhachev has not yet been announced. Loud about his chance is Ian Machado Garry, who argues that he is the one who deserves the championship duel. Meanwhile, Prates is entering the game more and more boldly, who, after his latest victory, declares himself ready to fight for gold.

The Brazilian dealt with former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in great style, finishing him before time in the third round. After the Perth gala, he didn’t bite his tongue and made his ambitions clear.

⚠️IMPRESIONANTE ⚠️

Carlos Prates domina a Della Maddalena y finaliza en el primer round dando una cátedra ‼️#UFCPerth | Ver en vivo por @PPlusDeportes pic.twitter.com/GA22SVs48R

– UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) May 2, 2026

“I should be next.” Prates targets belt fight

During the press conference after the gala, Prates argued that his achievements speak for themselves and he deserves to be the number one contender.

– I should be next. Nobody beats two former champions like this. Nobody does it by knockout, and I go in and make it look easy. I have respect for them, they are tough. But with Leon and with “JDM” I made it look easy. I’m the next one. No one has done it. Sure, there’s Morales, but Morales didn’t fight a former champion. I beat former champions, so I’m the one who will be next,” he said.

Prates is currently on a wave of three wins before his time. During that time he has knocked out the likes of Geoff Neal and former champion Leon Edwards. The win against Maddalena only solidified his position in the division and could open the door for him to the biggest fight of his career.

Interestingly, back in April 2025, the Brazilian had to acknowledge the superiority of Ian Machado Garry, losing by unanimous decision to the judges. That defeat interrupted his impressive series of 11 wins, but Prates quickly recovered.

Currently, relations between him and Garry have improved, but both realize that sooner or later they may cross gloves again – perhaps already in a fight for the championship belt.

In the next update of the ranking of the welterweight category, Prates’ name should clearly move up. Maddalena occupied the second position, and it is not impossible that it is the Brazilian who will take over his place, making an even stronger presence at the top.