Carlos Prates broke down how a title fight against UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev would go for him.
Makhachev just defeated Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in his first title defense, and it seems clear that his next assignment will be against the Brazilian knockout artist Prates, who has won two straight fights against former UFC welterweight champions Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena via KO.
If Prates does get the next UFC welterweight title shot as expected, then he has a feeling he knows how the fight will play out.
Carlos Prates Predicts Islam Makhachev Fight
Speaking to former UFC fighter Gilbert Burns on his YouTube channel, Prates explained how he feels a fight against Makhachev will play out.
In Prates’ opinion, the fight will play out like the rematch between UFC legend Anderson Silva and rival Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 in July 2012.
“You look at his fight with Chael Sonnen, Chael Sonnen got the mount in the first round. In the second, (Silva) went out there and knocked the guy out. And that’s what I think is going to happen. I think I’m going to start by getting smashed, and the first time I manage to get back to my feet and start hurting him, I’m going to knock him out somewhere around the fourth or fifth round,” Prates said (via MMAFighting.com).
Carlos Prates More Confident After Islam Makhachev Beat Ian Machado Garry
Although Makhachev beat Machado Garry at UFC 330, the Irishman had some success stopping his takedowns and getting back up to his feet.
Watching that fight live in person gave Prates even more confidence that he can do the same thing and be the man to end Makhachev’s UFC-record win streak at 17 fights in a row.
“If he was able to get Makhachev off his back, I can do it too. I became even more confident. Based on the things I saw and the amount of time we have to train, I was like, ‘(expletive), I think we can do this.’ I already thought so, and now I saw Ian Garry defend certain positions the same way I do, like the back against the cage. I do that a lot,” Prates said.
“I saw someone saying that (Makhachev) made an adjustment because (Garry) is very tall and it’s difficult for Makhachev to get his hooks in. And that defense he used, I do that every fight. I did it several times against Ian, but he would sit down and try to take my back. I already do everything standing so there’s no danger of losing the position. I was like, ‘Man, I think this guy is going to be in trouble.’ When I get my hands on him… I’m very confident that I’m going to bring that belt home.”
The betting odds for a potential Makhachev vs. Prates fight list the Brazilian as a sizeable underdog, but based on what he is saying, the Brazilian sniper truly believes he has a path to win this fight.