Carlos Prates brushes off Michael Moraes fight in cage-side encounter: "I'm gonna fight Islam"
Carlos Prates isn't interested in fighting Michael Morales, at least not yet, as he dismissed the matchup in a cage-side conversation with his fellow welterweight.
Carlos Prates is gunning for the UFC welterweight title and he won't settle for anything less. In a friendly cage-side conversation with Michael Morales and Martin Gonzalez, a friend of the Ecuadorian bruiser, who served as a translator, Prates made it clear that he has no intention of taking on one more fight before facing Islam Makahchev for the belt.
Carlos Prates only has eyes for Islam Makhachev
At UFC 330, Carlos Prates crossed paths with fellow welterweight power-puncher Michael Morales, who was in the company of a friend, Martin Gonzalez. Both men were cordial, despite being within touching distance of each other in the divisional rankings and eyeing Islam Makhachev for a title fight. In fact, it was their mutual desire to fight for the title that led to a brief conversation in which Gonzalez kept pushing Prates to take on Morales in a title eliminator. However, Prates stood firm in his decision to wait for Makhachev, who he believes he will fight at some point in December.
"No, I'm gonna beat Islam and then we'll fight. I'm gonna fight Islam in December, and then I'm gonna fight in April."
Makhachev, who just defended his welterweight belt in a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry, also believes that Prates is more deserving of a title shot than Morales. However, he is also now preoccupied with adding more size to his frame following his struggles with Garry's physicality.
Both Prates and Morales are on win streaks, with Prates riding the momentum of three consecutive wins, having knocked out Geoff Neal and Leon Edwards in rounds one and two at UFC 319 and UFC 322 respectively, before TKO'ing Jack Della Maddalena in round three at UFC Fight Night 275. With wins over two ex-welterweight champions in Edwards and Della Maddalena, Prates feels he has nothing more to prove.
Meanwhile, Morales is currently undefeated at 19-0. Unfortunately, he has no wins over former champions, but his last three opponents, who he knocked out in round one, are Sean Brady, Gilbert Burns, and Neil Magny, who all fell to Morales at UFC Vegas 96, UFC Vegas 106, and UFC 322 respectively. He also served as the UFC 330 main event backup fighter, but might have to win one more fight to earn a title shot.
