Carlos Prates Beats Michael Morales at UFC 336

Carlos Prates has beaten Michael Morales at UFC 336, MMA Junkie reported, in a welterweight meeting between two of the division's top-ranked contenders. The method of victory has not been specified.

Prates, nicknamed "The Nightmare," enters the win with a 24-7-0 record and sits second in the welterweight rankings. The 33-year-old Brazilian trains out of Vale Top Team and fights from a switch stance. His most recent recorded fight came on May 2, 2026, when he stopped Jack Della Maddalena with a third-round KO/TKO. That extended a run of three straight recorded stoppage wins, also including a second-round KO/TKO of Leon Edwards at UFC 322 and a first-round KO/TKO of Geoff Neal at UFC 319. Prates lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, and he averages just 0.21 takedown attempts per 15 minutes.

Morales, a 27-year-old from Ecuador who trains at Entram Gym, came into the bout undefeated at 19-0-0 and ranked third at welterweight. His most recent recorded fight was a first-round KO/TKO of Sean Brady at UFC 322 on November 15, 2025. Before that he stopped Gilbert Burns in the first round in May 2025 and Neil Magny in the first round in August 2024. Morales throws at a higher volume, landing 5.62 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy, and averages 1.09 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• The result hands Morales the first loss of his professional career, ending a 19-fight unbeaten run.
• Both men sat in the top three at welterweight, so the outcome reshapes the upper end of the rankings.
• It was a contrast in styles: Prates' sharper accuracy against Morales' higher output and greater use of the takedown.

The physical gap was small. Morales is six years younger, owns a one-inch reach advantage at 79 inches (201 cm) to Prates' 78 inches (198 cm), and stands an inch shorter at six feet (183 cm) against Prates' six-foot-one (185 cm). Morales out-landed Prates by roughly 1.85 significant strikes per minute on career averages, but Prates' accuracy edge of six percentage points, and his record of finishing recent opponents, defined the matchup on paper.