Carlos Prates has achieved the fastest accumulation of 7 knockout victories in UFC history, accomplishing the feat in just 8 fights. The previous record holders were heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, who needed 9 fights. Only 2.29% of UFC fighters (62 out of 2,710) have ever achieved 7 knockouts in their careers. Prates also holds the record for fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, achieving this in just 17 incomplete rounds, and the fastest to earn 7 Performance of the Night bonuses. He has knocked out two former UFC champions who had never been knocked out before. The post suggests that if Islam Makhachev defeats Ian Garry, Prates, and Shavkat Rakhmonov, he would surpass Jon Jones as the greatest of all time.
Carlos Prates has cemented his place in UFC history by accumulating seven knockout victories faster than any fighter in the promotion's history, reaching that mark in just eight fights.
The Brazilian welterweight arrived in the UFC and immediately began dismantling opponents with finishing power that few in the division can match. His record of seven Performance of the Night bonuses, also achieved faster than any fighter in UFC history, underscores just how consistently spectacular his performances have been. Prates has also set the record for the fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in UFC history, doing so across only 17 incomplete rounds. Perhaps most remarkably, two of his victims were former UFC champions who had never previously been knocked out. To put the knockout record in broader context, only 62 of 2,710 UFC fighters — roughly 2.29 percent — have ever reached seven career knockouts at all. The previous record for reaching that milestone fastest was held by heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez, each of whom needed nine fights.
The discussion around Prates now intersects with a larger conversation about UFC pound-for-pound supremacy. Islam Makhachev, the current welterweight champion and the promotion's top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, carries a 28-1 record and averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes with 58 percent striking accuracy. The 34-year-old Russian has been discussed as a potential opponent for Prates, along with the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. Rakhmonov, ranked third at welterweight, enters any conversation at 19-0 with a six-foot-four frame, a 77-inch reach, and 60 percent striking accuracy.
Why it matters
- Prates now owns three separate UFC records tied to finishing pace, a historically rare feat regardless of weight class
- His two knockouts of previously unbeaten former champions elevate the quality of his record beyond raw numbers
- A potential Makhachev run through Prates and Rakhmonov would carry enormous pound-for-pound and historical implications, with comparisons to Jon Jones — who holds a 28-1 record of his own — already being drawn
