Carlos Prates has achieved several historic UFC milestones faster than anyone in promotional history. He reached 7 knockout victories in just 8 fights, the fastest ever, surpassing heavyweights like Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez who needed 9 fights. Only 2.29% of all UFC fighters (62 out of 2,710) have ever reached 7 knockouts. Prates also recorded 14 knockdowns in just 17 incomplete rounds, the highest knockdown rate per 15 minutes in UFC history. Additionally, he earned 7 Performance of the Night bonuses in only 8 fights, when most fighters require an average of 15 fights to reach that total. The post notes that Prates consecutively knocked out two former UFC champions who had never been knocked out before.
Carlos Prates has quietly rewritten the UFC record books, and the numbers behind his eight-fight run inside the promotion are drawing widespread attention.
The Brazilian welterweight, fighting out of Vale Top Team, has accumulated seven knockout victories in just eight UFC appearances — the fastest any fighter in promotional history has reached that mark. Previous holders of that distinction were heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, both of whom needed nine fights to get there. Prates cleared that bar an entire fight sooner.
Ranked fifth in the welterweight division, the 32-year-old stands six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach and carries a career record of 24 wins and 7 losses. He fights out of a switch stance and lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 55 percent — a combination that makes him one of the most consistently dangerous finishers in the 170-pound weight class.
The milestones extend beyond the knockout total. Prates has registered 14 knockdowns across just 17 incomplete rounds, producing the highest knockdown rate per 15 minutes in UFC history. He has also collected seven Performance of the Night bonuses in those eight outings, a pace that dwarfs the promotional average of roughly 15 fights to reach the same number. Only 62 of the 2,710 fighters who have competed in the UFC — just 2.29 percent — have ever reached seven knockouts total, let alone this quickly.
Among his victims were two former UFC champions who had never previously been stopped by strikes, underscoring the level of opposition against which these records were set.
Why it matters
- Prates enters the welterweight top five as one of the most statistically dominant finishers in UFC history regardless of division
- His knockdown rate per 15 minutes sets a benchmark no other fighter on the roster has matched
- Seven bonuses in eight fights signals consistent, crowd-pleasing performances that raise his profile well beyond his current ranking
- The caliber of opponents — including two previously unbeaten-by-KO champions — gives the records meaningful context
