Carlos Prates' nickname 'The Nightmare' has an unexpected origin unrelated to his fighting style. In the 2000s, a popular Brazilian children's show called 'Sítio do Picapau Amarelo' featured a character named Pesadelo, which translates to 'Nightmare.' Prates' friends believed he resembled this television character and gave him the nickname. The moniker later transitioned perfectly from his personal life into his professional MMA profile. Prates is currently on a strong run in his fighting career.
Carlos Prates has one of the more memorable nicknames in the UFC welterweight division, but the story behind it has nothing to do with what he does inside the cage. "The Nightmare" moniker actually traces back to a beloved Brazilian children's television program from the 2000s called Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, which featured a character named Pesadelo — Portuguese for "Nightmare." Prates' friends decided he bore a resemblance to the character and the name stuck, eventually following him from his personal life into his professional fighting career.
Prates, 32, represents Brazil and trains out of Vale Top Team. The Switch-stance welterweight stands six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach, giving him a physical frame that complements his aggressive output. He carries a professional record of 24-7-0 and is currently ranked fifth in the UFC welterweight division. His numbers inside the Octagon back up the menacing label his friends gave him years ago — he lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 55 percent, figures that place him among the more precise and active strikers in the 170-pound class.
Why it matters
- The origin story adds a rare human-interest dimension to a fighter who has become one of welterweight's most dangerous ranked contenders.
- Prates sitting at number five in the division means his nickname now carries genuine weight in a title picture that is always closely watched.
- His high striking accuracy combined with strong volume makes the "Nightmare" label an accidental piece of perfect branding, regardless of how it was born.
