Carlos Prates has achieved multiple historic UFC records in just eight fights. He earned seven knockout victories faster than anyone in UFC history, surpassing heavyweights like Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez who needed nine fights. Out of 2,710 fighters in UFC's 33-year history, only 62 (2.29%) have achieved seven knockouts total. Prates also set the record for fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns in just 17 incomplete rounds, establishing the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes of fight time. Additionally, he earned seven Performance of the Night bonuses faster than anyone, needing only eight fights compared to the average of 15. Prates has consecutively finished two former UFC champions who had never been knocked out before. Analysts suggest that if Islam Makhachev defeats fighters like Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov, it would place him among the all-time greats.
Carlos Prates has cemented himself as one of the most prolific finishers in UFC history, with a remarkable eight-fight run that has shattered multiple long-standing records across the promotion's three-decade existence.
The Brazilian welterweight reached seven knockout victories faster than any fighter in UFC history, accomplishing the feat in just eight bouts. That benchmark previously belonged to heavyweight legends Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, both of whom needed nine fights to reach the same total. Velasquez, now 43 and holding a career record of 14-3, was one of the most physically dominant heavyweights of his era, averaging over five takedowns per 15 minutes and landing significant strikes at a rate of 6.37 per minute. Reaching seven knockouts faster than fighters of that caliber underscores just how rare Prates's finishing ability truly is.
To put the achievement in broader perspective, only 62 fighters out of 2,710 to compete in the UFC across its 33-year history — roughly 2.29 percent — have ever recorded seven knockouts in total. Prates has also set the record for fastest accumulation of 14 knockdowns, doing so across just 17 incomplete rounds, establishing the highest average knockdown rate per 15 minutes in UFC history. He has further claimed seven Performance of the Night bonuses in those eight appearances, a pace nearly double the historical average of 15 fights to reach the same mark.
Among his recent victims are two former UFC champions who had never previously been knocked out, adding further weight to an already extraordinary streak.
Why it matters
- Prates has redefined finishing benchmarks in a welterweight division that also features undefeated contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is 19-0 with a 60 percent striking accuracy and ranked third at 170 pounds
- Islam Makhachev, the current champion at 28-1 and ranked number one pound-for-pound, is identified as a measuring stick — analysts suggest victories over elite finishers like Prates and Rakhmonov would place him among the all-time greats
- The volume and pace of Prates's finishes have elevated the divisional stakes heading into any future title picture conversations
