Carlos Prates and Ian Garry have discussed a plan where they would eventually meet in a title fight. According to Prates, Garry called him approximately three weeks ago to outline the scenario: Prates would defeat Maddalena, Garry would beat Makhachev, and then they would fight in Brazil. Prates believes the UFC would make the matchup and suggested that if Garry wins the belt, they would have a rematch. The post's commentary expresses skepticism about whether the ambitious plan will actually come to fruition, despite acknowledging it sounds appealing.
Carlos Prates has revealed that Ian Garry reached out to him roughly three weeks ago to propose an ambitious road map that would ultimately lead the two welterweights to a title fight on Brazilian soil.
According to Prates, the plan Garry laid out follows a specific sequence: Prates defeats Jack Della Maddalena, Garry beats welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, and the two then meet in Brazil for the belt. Prates added that if Garry were to win the title, their eventual meeting would carry the added framing of a rematch.
Prates, nicknamed "The Nightmare," enters the conversation as the fifth-ranked welterweight at 24-7-0. The 32-year-old Brazilian out of Vale Top Team is a switch-stance striker who lands an active 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, and his near-zero takedown and submission averages underscore just how committed he is to finishing fights on the feet. At six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach — 198 centimeters — he carries genuine physical tools for the division's upper tier.
Standing between that scenario and any title picture, of course, is Makhachev, the reigning welterweight champion. The 34-year-old Russian represents one of the sport's most complete fighters, posting a 28-1-0 record while landing takedowns at a rate of 3.2 per fifteen minutes and averaging 1.1 submission attempts in the same window. His 58 percent striking accuracy further illustrates why dethroning him would be no small task for Garry or anyone else.
Why it matters
- A Prates victory over Della Maddalena would push the Brazilian firmly into title contention at 170 pounds.
- If Garry were to upset Makhachev, a fight with Prates in Brazil would carry enormous commercial appeal in one of the UFC's most passionate markets.
- The stylistic contrast between Prates's high-volume striking and any grappling-heavy opponent adds genuine intrigue to the potential matchup.
- Skepticism remains reasonable given how many variables must fall into place before the fight could be made.
