Carlos Prates has achieved seven knockout wins in just eight UFC fights, the fastest in promotional history. Previous record holders Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, both heavyweights, needed nine fights. Prates also holds the record for fastest to 14 knockdowns in UFC history, accomplished in under 17 total rounds, and the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes. He has earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses faster than any fighter in UFC history, requiring an average of eight fights compared to the usual 15. The post suggests potential future matchups with Islam Makhachev, Ian Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and others. Prates recently finished two former UFC champions who had never been knocked out before.
Carlos Prates has rewritten the UFC record books, becoming the fastest fighter in promotional history to accumulate seven knockout victories, achieving the feat in just eight octagon appearances.
The Brazilian welterweight needed only eight UFC fights to surpass a mark previously shared by two heavyweight legends. Former champions Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez — Velasquez now 43 with a career record of 14-3 — each required nine fights to reach seven stoppages by knockout. Prates did it a fight sooner, and he did it at 170 pounds.
The records do not stop there. Prates also holds the UFC mark for fastest to 14 knockdowns, accomplishing that in under 17 total rounds of action, along with the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes in promotional history. He has collected seven Performance of the Night bonuses faster than any fighter ever, reaching that total in roughly half the number of fights the average UFC athlete requires — eight fights compared to the usual 15. His recent run has included finishing two former UFC champions who had never previously been knocked out.
Why it matters
- Prates has established himself as one of the most dangerous finishers at welterweight, a division that already features elite-level competition
- Undefeated welterweight contender Shavkat Rakhmonov sits ranked third in the division at 19-0, and a matchup with Prates would pit two of the sport's most prolific finishers against one another; Rakhmonov, standing six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, lands strikes at 60 percent accuracy
- Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev carries a 28-1 record and holds the pound-for-pound top ranking, making any path to a title shot in that division run directly through elite-level competition
- The names mentioned as potential future opponents — Makhachev, Ian Garry, and Rakhmonov among them — reflect how quickly Prates has elevated his own profile inside the UFC
