Carlos Prates has achieved the fastest seven knockouts in UFC history, accomplishing the feat in just eight fights. The previous record holders were heavyweights Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, who needed nine fights. Only 2.29% of all UFC fighters (62 out of 2,710) have ever recorded seven knockouts in the promotion. Prates also holds the record for fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, achieving it in just 17 incomplete rounds, and has earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses in only eight fights—nearly twice as fast as the average. His recent victories include knockout wins over former UFC champions, including finishing Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena with strikes neither had been stopped with before. The post suggests Prates represents a historic challenge for Islam Makhachev and could be key to Russian MMA surpassing American dominance.
Carlos Prates has carved his name into UFC record books, becoming the fastest fighter in promotional history to register seven knockouts, achieving the mark across just eight appearances.
The Brazilian welterweight shattered a benchmark previously shared by two heavyweight legends. Cain Velasquez, the 14-3 former champion out of American Kickboxing Academy known for relentless output at 6.37 significant strikes landed per minute and 5.13 takedowns per 15 minutes, had reached seven UFC knockouts in nine fights. Junior dos Santos, the 21-9 Brazilian heavyweight nicknamed "Cigano" who stands six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, matched that same nine-fight pace. Prates did it in one fewer outing.
The records do not stop there. Prates has also accumulated 14 knockdowns in just 17 incomplete rounds, the fastest that milestone has ever been reached in UFC history. He has earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses across his eight fights, a rate described as nearly twice the historical average. To underscore how rare his finishing ability is, only 62 of the 2,710 fighters who have ever competed in the UFC — roughly 2.29 percent — have recorded seven knockouts inside the promotion.
His recent run has included knockout victories over former UFC champions Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena, finishing both men in ways they had never previously been stopped.
Why it matters
- Prates now stands as a credible threat in a welterweight division currently controlled by Islam Makhachev, the 28-1 champion and pound-for-pound number one contender out of Russia's Eagles MMA
- His finishing rate raises serious style-matchup questions for Makhachev, whose grappling-heavy game averages 3.2 takedowns and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes against a striker of historic stopping power
- The narrative around Russian MMA challenging long-standing American dominance in the sport gains a significant data point with Prates emerging as a potential title challenger
