Carlos Prates' nickname 'The Nightmare' actually originated from his childhood rather than his fighting style. In the 2000s, there was a popular Brazilian children's show called 'Sítio do Picapau Amarelo' (Yellow Woodpecker Farm) featuring a character named Pesadelo, which translates to 'Nightmare.' Prates' friends thought he resembled this character and gave him the nickname, which later became his fighter moniker. The post author notes they don't see the resemblance themselves but the nickname has worked out perfectly as it transitioned from personal life to his professional fighting career. Prates is currently on an impressive run in the UFC welterweight division.
Carlos Prates has one of the more distinctive monikers in the UFC welterweight division, but the origin of "The Nightmare" has nothing to do with the punishment he delivers inside the octagon.
The nickname traces back to Prates' childhood in Brazil, where a popular children's television series called "Sítio do Picapau Amarelo" — translated as Yellow Woodpecker Farm — aired in the 2000s. The show featured a character named Pesadelo, the Portuguese word for "Nightmare," and Prates' friends decided he bore enough of a resemblance to the character to give him the name. Whatever the comparison was based on, the label followed him out of his personal life and into professional fighting, where it has taken on an entirely different and far more ominous meaning.
Prates, 32, now carries that childhood tag into the UFC as the No. 5-ranked welterweight contender. The Brazilian fighter, who trains out of Vale Top Team, holds a professional record of 24-7 and brings a genuine physical edge to his bouts, standing six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach and fighting out of a switch stance. His offensive output reflects the menacing reputation the nickname now carries — he lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 55 percent, figures that place him among the more efficient strikers in the 170-pound division.
Why it matters
- The story adds human texture to one of the welterweight division's most recognizable nicknames
- Prates' ranking of fifth at 170 pounds means his profile and moniker are only becoming more visible
- The switch-stance striker's accuracy and volume numbers underline why "Nightmare" has proven a fitting professional identity, whatever its origins
