Carlos Prates
Brazil’s Prates was a shoo-in to the promotion after he sparked Mitch Ramirez in his Dana White’s Contender Series bout in November 2023. The suave striker quickly became a fan-favorite in 2024 as he picked up four consecutive knockout wins over Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang and Neil Magny, each earning a performance bonus.
The cult of fanfare dovetailed with the rise of the Fighting Nerds in 2024. Prates, who splits his time with the Nerds and his home squad Vale Top Team, carried the banner along with Jean Silva, Caio Borralho and Mauricio Ruffy. The quartet was equal parts style and devastating substance, and the MMA fandom quickly came to adore the cigarette-smoking sniper, Prates.
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The 31-year-old “Nightmare” experienced his first stumble in his second main event shot, a relatively late-notice crack at Machado Garry in Kansas City. Although the Irishman mesmerized with his technical ability and movement, Prates’ power gave him an opportunity late in the bout as he cracked Machado Garry and nearly scored a late finish. Alas, the judges gave Machado Garry the unanimous nod, snapping Prates11-fight winning streak.
That Prates returns to the matchup with Neal, thus marking a sort of return to where he was before the loss, speaks to the maintained belief in his stock.