Bouncing back from the first defeat of his career in the promotion, welterweight phenom Carlos Prates picked up an amazing win at UFC 319 and may have just put himself closer to title contention than ever before.
Carlos Prates Logs Another Stellar Knockout in Chicago vs. Durable Veteran
Returning to action after nearly four months away from the cage, Carlos Prates put himself in the spotlight again on the main card of one of the most anticipated pay-per-view cards in recent memory, UFC 319. The occasion marked the Brazilian’s second company appearance since competing in his first headlining bout at UFC on ESPN 66, where he lost a close unanimous decision to Ian Machado Garry. This loss made for the first of his tenure with the organization and also his first since June 2019.
His opponent for his excursion to the Windy City was none other than formidable power puncher Geoff Neal, who was, himself, fighting for the first time this year.
Hailed for his high-level of toughness, Neal had faced off with some of the best welterweights in the world over the course of his tenure with the UFC, like Belal Muhammad, Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov. “Hands of Steel” notably had also never been stopped by strikes in his professional career in almost ten years, with the last time he was ever knocked coming in 2017 in a middleweight scrap with Kevin Holland.
Carlis Prates Stuns Neal at Tail End of Round 1, Reasserts Himself as Burgeoning Force at Welterweight
Although he took some punishment early on from the established Neal, the strength of Prates began to shine through as the first round wore on, with the 31-year old managing to almost shut the American’s left eye. As the final moments of the stanza began to tick away, audiences expected the horn to save Neal from any further punishment and to give him time to think of a better gameplan. That was until Prates ended the contest at literally the last second by starching Neal with a hellish spinning elbow that put the welterweight standout out cold. In so doing, he received a $50,000 (USD) cash advance for the Performance of the Night Award.
Rebounding from a disappointing outing in the Octagon this past Spring, Prates, again, made a statement to the rest of the division by handing Neal his first loss by blunt force trauma in quite some time. The victory also netted him fifth Performance of the Night bonus, making him arguably the most exciting competitor to watch in the 170-lb category.
Victory an Early Birthday Gift for Carlos Prates
A day removed from his 32nd birthday, Carlos Prates used his time on the microphone in his post-fight interview to ask UFC CEO Dana White to allow him to compete on the upcoming UFC Fight Night 261 show in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this October. He was also quick to call out former welterweight champion Leon Edwards as a dance partner on the card.
Given his recent track record of rip-roaring knockouts, the aptly named “The Nightmare” stands to take a huge leap in the rankings should he manage to flatten the once dominant European gold standard.
Carlos Prates also made a request to White to let his training partner and fellow Vale Top Team product Marcos Degli to fight at the event as well. Winner of 11 straight, along with having captured and defended the LFA Interim Flyweight Championship, “Tailandês” is easily one of the top prospects in South American right now.
