Zuffa LLC

If Carlos Prates gets a title fight with Islam Makhachev, he thinks he’ll have to weather the grappling storm early.

Prates is confident that his name will be called to challenge Makhachev for the UFC Welterweight Championship next. The Fighting Nerds standout was in attendance to witness Makhachev’s first successful 170-pound title defense against Ian Machado Garry in Philadelphia.

Having seen Makhachev perform live, Prates doesn’t have any false notions about the pound-for-pound great. In fact, Prates believes he might struggle against Makhachev in the early going. Speaking to retired UFC fighter Gilbert Burns, Prates said he can see himself overcoming a bad start to put Makhachev to sleep (via MMAFighting).

“You look at his fight with Chael Sonnen, Chael Sonnen got the mount in the first round. In the second, [Silva] went out there and knocked the guy out,” Prates said. “And that’s what I think is going to happen. I think I’m going to start by getting smashed, and the first time I manage to get back to my feet and start hurting him, I’m going to knock him out somewhere around the fourth or fifth round.”

Prates has earned the reputation of being a finisher. After falling short in his bout with Garry back in April 2025, Prates scored big finishes over Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards, and Jack Della Maddalena. Two of those names are former UFC champions, and Prates believes that his resume should earn him a shot at Makhachev’s gold.

Makhachev has even said he prefers to face Prates next given the top contender’s momentum. It might be Makhachev’s most lucrative title defense at the moment given Prates’ popularity. The welterweight king plans to return to the Octagon before Ramadan, which would mean that Jan. 2027 would be the latest Makhachev fights again.

Do you think Carlos Prates can overcome Islam Makhachev’s grappling to eventually score the KO? Sound off in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM