Carlos Prates argued that Brazilian fighters operate by a stricter personal code than their American and Chechen counterparts, saying remarks about family members would have severe consequences on Brazilian streets. He singled out Khamzat Chimaev's comments to Sean Strickland about his father as crossing a line, and also called out the things Hockett said to Poatan as similarly unacceptable. Prates drew on his own upbringing to explain the difference in life experience between himself and fighters like Strickland and Chimaev.
Carlos Prates has publicly taken issue with the kind of personal trash talk he sees from fighters like Khamzat Chimaev, arguing that the verbal rules are very different where he comes from.
The welterweight contender, known as "The Nightmare," made the remarks in the context of comments Chimaev directed at Sean Strickland regarding Strickland's father. Prates drew a hard line there, stating that in Brazil, targeting someone's family in that way would carry serious real-world consequences. He also pointed to remarks made by Hockett toward Alex Poatan as another example of language that crosses an unacceptable threshold. Prates traced the difference back to upbringing, arguing that his own life experience is fundamentally different from that of fighters like Strickland or Chimaev.
Prates is ranked fifth in the UFC welterweight division at 32 years old, carrying a 24-7 record out of Vale Top Team in Brazil. Standing six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach, he is a switch-stance striker who lands with 55 percent accuracy and averages 3.77 significant strikes per minute.
Chimaev, the man most directly targeted by Prates's criticism, sits at number one in the middleweight rankings and tenth on the pound-for-pound list. The 32-year-old representing the UAE holds a 15-1 record and is one of the division's most feared grapplers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes and landing his strikes at a 60 percent clip.
Strickland, the current middleweight champion, is a 35-year-old American from Xtreme Couture with a 31-7 record. He throws volume at a rate of 6.04 significant strikes per minute and owns a 76-inch reach.
Why it matters
- Prates's comments add a cultural dimension to ongoing tensions within the middleweight and welterweight divisions
- The remarks keep Chimaev in the spotlight ahead of any future divisional activity
- Prates, ranked fifth at welterweight, elevates his own profile by wading into a high-visibility feud
