Carlos Prates aims trash talk at Conor McGregor with Instagram warning

Carlos Prates reacted to Conor McGregor's anticlimactic first-round TKO loss at UFC 329 not with sympathy, but with trash talk. The streaking welterweight knockout artist took to his Instagram story to both urge 'The Notorious' to leave MMA behind and warn him that a potential bout between the two would end badly for McGregor.

Carlos Prates believes MMA has passed Conor McGregor by

Conor McGregor made his long-awaited MMA return at UFC 329. It was his first time stepping inside the octagon since a devastating leg break five years ago at UFC 264 against Dustin Poirier. At UFC 329, he took on another former featherweight opponent in Max Holloway. Only this time, the bout took place at welterweight. However, in one of his most bizarre showings, McGregor immediately hurt his knee after attempting a jumping switch kick at the start of the fight. After attempting the same kick a second time and collapsing again, the referee eventually waved the fight off, having seen enough.

It marked McGregor's third consecutive loss, and prompted welterweight star Carlos Prates to mock him with a screenshot and some trash talk on his Instagram story, where he said (in Portuguese):

"If I fight against you, I would beat you with extreme cruelty. You did well in not accepting the fight against me McChicken. You already have your legacy, now sit and watch. And don't ever cut your hair like that."

Carlos Prates warned Conor McGregor to never accept a fight against him 😳

“If I fight against you I would hurt you bad bro. Don’t accept the fight against me McChicken. And have your legacy already, now it’s time for the new generation.

And never cut your hair like that… pic.twitter.com/bTAucvpk0p

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 12, 2026

While McGregor represents the biggest money fight in the sport, the likelihood of him and Prates ever crossing paths is slim to none. Prates, while a fun action fighter, isn't a big enough star to draw McGregor's attention. Furthermore, he is an exceptionally dangerous matchup as a large welterweight with vicious striking and freakish knockout power. Prates is currently on a three-fight win streak, having knocked out/TKO'd his last three opponents, including two former welterweight champions in Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards.

His current aim is to fight for the welterweight title against the winner of the Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry championship fight, which takes place at UFC 330. The bout will be especially meaningful for Prates if Garry ends up with the belt, as Garry remains the only fighter to beat him in the UFC, having defeated him via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 66.