Carlos Prates has achieved the fastest accumulation of 7 knockout victories in UFC history, reaching this milestone in just 8 fights. The previous record holders were Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, both heavyweights who needed 9 fights. Out of 2,710 fighters who have competed in the UFC over 33 years, only 62 (2.29%) have ever achieved 7 knockouts total. Prates has also recorded 14 knockdowns faster than anyone in UFC history, accomplishing 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 any fighter in UFC history, needing only 8 fights compared to the average of 15 fights for other fighters. The post suggests that defeating opponents like Ian Garry, Prates, and Shavkat Rakhmonov would elevate Islam Makhachev to Jon Jones's level or beyond.
Brazilian welterweight Carlos Prates has etched his name into the UFC record books, becoming the fastest fighter in the promotion's history to accumulate seven knockout victories, achieving the milestone in just eight fights.
The previous benchmark was held jointly by heavyweight legends Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, each of whom needed nine fights to reach the same mark. To put that feat in broader perspective, of the 2,710 fighters who have competed in the UFC across its 33-year history, only 62 — roughly 2.29 percent — have ever recorded seven knockouts in total. Prates has done it faster than all of them.
The records do not stop there. Prates has also delivered 14 knockdowns faster than any fighter in UFC history, accomplishing that in just 17 incomplete rounds, giving him the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes of fight time the promotion has ever seen. He has additionally earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses in those same eight appearances, a pace that dwarfs the historical average of 15 fights for other fighters to reach that same bonus count.
Velasquez, one of the two fighters whose nine-fight record Prates eclipsed, compiled a career mark of 14-3-0 and remains one of the most decorated heavyweights in UFC history, averaging 5.13 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside his devastating striking output.
Why it matters
- Prates is redefining finishing-pace benchmarks at welterweight, a division that already features elite finishers
- Shavkat Rakhmonov, the undefeated Kazakhstani ranked third at welterweight with a 19-0-0 record and a 60 percent striking accuracy, looms as a potential future opponent in a matchup of elite finishers
- Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, 28-1-0 and ranked atop the pound-for-pound rankings, has been cited as a fighter whose all-time legacy could grow significantly by navigating threats like Prates and Rakhmonov
