Carlos Prates and Ian Garry have formulated a plan where they would eventually meet in a title fight. According to Prates, Garry called him about three weeks ago to discuss the scenario. The plan involves Prates defeating Maddalena while Garry beats Makhachev, setting up a championship bout in Brazil. Prates believes the UFC would book this fight, and if Garry wins the belt, they would have a rematch. The post concludes with skepticism about whether this plan will actually come to fruition.
Carlos Prates has revealed that Ian Garry reached out to him roughly three weeks ago to map out a potential future title fight between the two welterweights, with the bout ideally taking place in Brazil.
Prates, known as "The Nightmare," holds a 24-7 record and is currently ranked fifth in the welterweight division. The 32-year-old Brazilian trains out of Vale Top Team and brings a physically imposing frame to the matchup, standing six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach. He has built his reputation as a high-volume striker, landing 3.77 significant strikes per minute at an impressive 55 percent accuracy.
According to Prates, the plan Garry laid out hinges on both men handling their respective next opponents first. Prates would need to defeat Magno Maddalena, while Garry would have to get past Islam Makhachev. With those conditions met, the two would then collide for the welterweight championship on Brazilian soil. Prates also indicated that if Garry were to win the belt, a rematch clause would be part of the arrangement.
Why it matters
- A title fight in Brazil would carry enormous significance for Prates, who would be competing in front of a home crowd with championship gold on the line.
- Both fighters face substantial hurdles before any such meeting could happen, making this arrangement entirely conditional.
- The style matchup between Prates's high-output striking and Garry's technical welterweight game would present an intriguing contrast at championship level.
- Skepticism remains reasonable given how many pre-arranged scenarios in MMA fail to materialize once real fight results intervene.
