Carlos Prates believes Leon Edwards is done as a true contender at welterweight.
Prates is set to take on Edwards in a pivotal fight at welterweight on the main card of UFC 322. The winner of the fight will be right in the title picture, and Prates is confident that it will be him.
Heading into the bout, Carlos Prates is a sizable betting favorite, and he understands why, as he believes Leon Edwards is past his prime.
“He’s done. We cannot teach heart,” Prates said at UFC 322 media day. “If you already give up one time, you’re going to give up always. Leon is the kind of fighter that, when things start to get hard, when he sees it’s going to be a hard night, he starts to give up. He don’t do too many things to try and change the game and forgets about the win, just try to survive during the fight.”
Carlos Prates plans to bring ‘bad moments’ to Leon Edwards at UFC 322
Although Prates thinks Edwards cracks under pressure and is easy to break, he said he won’t bring the pressure. Instead, he will be focusing on bringing ‘bad moments’ to Edwards at UFC 322 to get the win.
“Not pressure, but bad moments,” Prates added. “Pressure is easy to survive. But I want to see how he can fight when someone really tries to hurt him.”
The Brazilian is coming off a highlight-reel KO win over Geoff Neal, and he’s hoping to add to his resume on Saturday. He’s also hopeful Edwards is a willing dance partner to have an exciting fight for the fans.
“Don’t try to be boring,” Prates said. “I come to New York to fight. To make a really good show to the people, and get my title shot. But if he tries to rush the fight, I think it’s going to be better for me.”
Carlos Prates is 22-7 as a pro and coming off a win over Neal. Before that, he suffered a decision loss to Ian Machado Garry which was his first loss in the UFC.