A Recurring Nightmare
Carlos Prates continued his impressive winning streak on Saturday night as he knocked out perennial welterweight gatekeeper Neil Magny in the main event at UFC Vegas 100.
“The Nightmare” has now finished all four of his opponents inside the Octagon in the space of just ten months and the win over “Haitan Sensation will likely see the Brazilian enter the 170lb rankings later this week.
With knockout wins over Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke and Li Jingliang under his belt already in 2024 (alongside an impressive victory over Mitch Ramirez on Dana White’s Contender Series last year), Prates has announced himself as a fighter of real interest in the welterweight division.
Let’s take a look at some possible options as his next opponent:
Michael Page
“MVP” is regarded as one of the most dangerous strikers in the world of mixed martial arts. The long-time Bellator contender impressed on his UFC debut against Kevin Holland in March of this year before suffereing a decision defeat against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 in June.
Page, much like Prates, is also a walking highlight reel and any fight between the pair would be sure to bring out the best in both fighters.
Stephen Thompson
The veteran Thompson is also regarded as one of the most exceptional strikers in the division, but finds himself in freefall down the welterweight rankings having suffered defeat in four of his last five outings.
With 41-year-old “Wonderboy” perhaps having past his sell-by date for the promotion in terms of championship contention, they may look to use the former title challenger’s star power to jettison Carlos Prates into the top ten at 170lbs.
Geoff Neal
“Handz of Steel” is just a couple of weeks removed from his win over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 308 so the timing may just be perfect for him to provide the next test for Prates.
Interestingly, the UFC has have handed both Neil Magny and Geoff Neal in quick succession to a couple of their prize prospects (Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry) and they may look to do the same thing with their latest shiny new toy.
Gilbert Burns
Another former title challenger seemingly in freefall following a poor run of results. Successive defeats at the hands of Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady have seen “Durinho” vanish from the title discussion, and much like Thompson he may find himself defending his place in the rankings against one of the division’s rising stars.
An all-Brazil clash with “The Nightmare” would certainly be a fight that would excite UFC fans, and a victory for Prates would springboard him into the upper echelons of the welterweight division.
Whatever the UFC decide to do next with Carlos Prates, one thing is for sure: they have an exceptional talent on their hands with the potential to make some fascinating fights going forward.
