Carlos Prates has achieved the fastest accumulation of seven knockout victories in UFC history, doing so in just eight fights. The previous record holders were heavyweights like Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, who needed nine fights. Only 62 fighters out of 2,710 who have competed in the UFC over 33 years have reached seven knockouts, representing just 2.29% of all fighters. Prates has also recorded the fastest 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 became the fastest to earn seven Performance of the Night bonuses, doing so in eight fights compared to an average of 15 fights for other fighters. The post suggests that if Islam Makhachev defeats fighters like Ian Garry, Prates, and Shavkat Rakhmonov, he could be considered equal to or surpass Jon Jones in all-time greatness.
Carlos Prates has carved his name into the UFC record books in spectacular fashion, setting multiple historical benchmarks that place the Brazilian welterweight among the most devastating finishers in the promotion's three-decade history.
Prates, known as "The Nightmare," holds a professional record of 24-7 and is currently ranked fifth in the UFC welterweight division at 32 years old. Fighting out of Vale Top Team, the six-foot-one, switch-stance striker carries a 78-inch reach and lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute — one of the higher outputs in the division. His path through the UFC has been defined almost entirely by violence: he has now accumulated seven knockout victories in just eight UFC appearances, the fastest any fighter has ever reached that mark in the promotion's history.
The previous benchmark of nine fights was held by heavyweights, including names such as Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez. To put the achievement in broader context, only 62 fighters out of 2,710 who have competed in the UFC across 33 years have ever reached seven knockouts at all — a group representing just 2.29 percent of everyone who has set foot in the octagon.
The records do not stop there. Prates also holds the fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, achieving that total across just 17 incomplete rounds, giving him the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes of fight time. He has additionally become the fastest fighter to earn seven Performance of the Night bonuses, collecting them in eight fights against a historical average of 15 fights for other recipients.
Why it matters
- Prates's knockout rate places him in historically rare company regardless of weight class or era
- His 78-inch reach and switch stance create matchup problems that pure grapplers in the welterweight division will need to account for
- Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, who carries a 28-1 record and averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes, has been discussed alongside Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov as potential future opponents whose outcomes could shape all-time legacy conversations at 170 pounds
