Carlos Prates has achieved the fastest accumulation of seven knockout victories in UFC history, doing so in just eight fights. The closest comparisons are Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, both heavyweights who needed nine fights. Out of 2,710 fighters who have competed in UFC over 33 years, only 62 (2.29%) have achieved seven knockouts total. Prates also holds the record for fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, achieved in just 17 incomplete rounds, giving him the highest average knockdown percentage per 15 minutes of fight time in UFC history. Additionally, he earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses faster than anyone, doing so in eight fights compared to the average of 15 fights for other fighters. The post notes that Prates knocked out two former UFC champions, both of whom had never been knocked out before, with one being stopped by leg kicks. The author suggests that if Islam Makhachev defeats Garry and Prates (and potentially Rakhmonov), he would equal or surpass Jon Jones's legacy.
Carlos Prates has cemented his place in UFC history with a knockout streak that no fighter across three decades of the promotion has matched, setting multiple all-time records through his first eight octagon appearances.
Prates, nicknamed "The Nightmare," enters the record books as the fastest fighter ever to accumulate seven knockout victories inside the UFC, doing so across just eight fights. To put that pace in context, the next-closest comparisons are former heavyweight champions Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, both of whom needed nine fights to reach the same milestone. Out of 2,710 fighters who have competed in the UFC over 33 years, only 62 — roughly 2.29 percent — have reached seven knockouts at all.
The Brazilian welterweight does not stop there. Prates also holds the record for the fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, achieving that mark across just 17 incomplete rounds, which translates to the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes in promotion history. Among his victims were two former UFC champions, neither of whom had ever been knocked out before facing him, with one being stopped by leg kicks. He also earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses faster than any fighter in UFC history — eight fights — compared to an average of 15 fights for others who have reached that number.
The 32-year-old Brazilian is ranked fifth in the welterweight division and brings an imposing physical frame to the octagon at six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach. He lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, and his switch-stance style has proven devastating at every level of competition.
Why it matters
- Prates is emerging as the most explosive finisher in welterweight history, not just among active fighters
- His record-setting bonus pace and knockdown rate suggest elite-level finishing ability that statistical outliers rarely sustain
- Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, now 28-1 at 34 years old and operating out of Russia's Eagles MMA, looms as a potential future opponent whose own all-time legacy could be shaped by how he handles Prates and other top welterweight contenders
