Carlos Prates has achieved the fastest accumulation of 7 knockout wins in UFC history, doing so in just 8 fights. The previous record holders, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, both heavyweights, needed 9 fights. Out of 2,710 fighters in UFC's 33-year history, only 62 (2.29%) have achieved 7 knockouts total. Prates also holds the record for fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, achieving this in just 17 incomplete rounds, giving him the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes of fight time. Additionally, he earned 7 Performance of the Night bonuses faster than anyone in UFC history, requiring only 8 fights compared to the average of 15 fights. The post describes his recent run as one of the top three most impressive 8-fight streaks in UFC history, noting he has finished two former UFC champions who had never been knocked out before. The author suggests that if Islam Makhachev defeats Ian Garry and Prates, he would equal Jon Jones's legacy, and surpass it with an additional win over Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Carlos Prates has etched his name into the UFC record books in multiple categories, becoming the fastest fighter in the promotion's 33-year history to accumulate seven knockout wins, doing so in just eight fights.
The previous record in that category was held jointly by two former heavyweight champions, Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, each of whom required nine fights to reach seven UFC knockouts. Velasquez, now 43, holds a career record of 14-3 and is remembered as one of the most physically dominant heavyweights in promotion history, averaging an extraordinary 5.13 takedowns per 15 minutes during his run. The rarity of Prates's accomplishment is underscored by the fact that only 62 fighters out of 2,710 to compete in the UFC — just 2.29 percent — have ever reached seven knockouts in total.
The records do not stop there. Prates also holds the fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, reaching that mark across just 17 incomplete rounds, giving him the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes in the promotion's history. He has also earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses faster than any other fighter, needing only eight fights compared to the historical average of 15. Notably, two of his finishes came against former UFC champions who had never previously been stopped by strikes.
His recent stretch has been described as one of the three most impressive eight-fight runs in UFC history.
Why it matters
- Prates now sits alongside the rarest company in UFC history for finishing power and bonus accumulation
- His record of seven knockouts in eight fights surpasses two former heavyweight champions in a traditionally knockout-heavy division
- Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, who holds a 28-1 record and is the current pound-for-pound number-one fighter, has been linked to potential matchups with Prates and Ian Garry, with Shavkat Rakhmonov — the undefeated 19-0 third-ranked welterweight from Kazakhstan — also in that conversation
- Those potential opponents would represent a defining test of whether Prates's finishing ability translates against elite-level opposition
