Carlos Prates

Carlos Augusto Monteiro Prates (born August 17, 1993) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 12, 2024, he is #13 in the UFC welterweight rankings.
Prates was born August 17, 1993 in Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil to a single mother. During his teenage years he started smoking cigarettes, and later started Muay Thai at Vale Top Team and after four years started his mixed martial arts career. After his fourth loss Prates would move to Thailand to learn Muay Thai and compete before switching back to MMA in 2016.
On April 7, 2018 Prates faced Wu Sihan in Weifang, China. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
On April 28, 2018, Prates faced Jacob Ginter at Phoenix 7 in Phuket, Thailand. He won the fight by second round knockout.
On August 29, 2018 Prates took part in a 4-man tournament at MMC 035. In the semifinals he defeated Zhao Guangzhou by decision. In the finals he knocked out Wang Mingwu 35 seconds into the first round with a knee to the body.
On October 20, 2018, Prates faced Zhou Wei at the WLK - Xinhong Cup event. He lost the fight by decision.
On November 21, 2018, Prates faced Chen Zijun at the Kunlun Fight Club Professional League. He won the fight by first round knockout with a knee to the body.
Prates faced Glory veteran Dmitry Menshikov at Muay Thai Factory 1 on December 22, 2018. He lost the fight by decision.
On December 15, 2019, Prates faced Jiao Fukai at Hongjian Cup in Taicang, China. He won the fight by split decision.
Prates faced Diesellek Seardammhooplara at Muay Hardcore on September 12, 2020. He won by first round knockout with a knee to the body.
Prates faced Mansurbek Tolipov at UAM K-1 Combat on November 20, 2020. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Prates faced Dmitry Valent at Muaythai Night 6 on June 25, 2021. He won the fight by split decision.
On November 6, 2021, Prates faced Dengue Silva for the SFT Xtreme Welterweight title. He won the fight by fifth round knockout with a body punch.
His professional MMA debut took place in 2012, but his early career had a rocky start. Over his first nine fights, he faced several challenges, finishing with a 5-4 record. These setbacks were partly attributed to his competing in an unsuitable weight class and a lack of discipline in his training regimen. Eventually, Prates honed his skills and found his stride, particularly after an extended stay in Thailand, where he gained valuable experience in Muay Thai.
Prates fought extensively in the Asian MMA scene, participating in events like China’s Chin Woo Men and Thailand’s Full Metal Dojo. In 2016, Prates fought Lebanese fight Yousef Wehbe at Full Metal Dojo 8 and won via rear naked choke in Phuket, Thailand.
He also joined ONE Championship’s Warrior Series in 2019, where he gained recognition with wins against fighters such as Gunther Kalunda. Prates compiled a record of 15-6 from 2012 to 2023 before being invited to Dana White's Contender Series.
Prates made his Contender Series debut on Week 4 of Season 7. He won via knockout in the second round, earning a UFC contract.
Prates made his debut on February 10, 2024 at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer against Trevin Giles. Prates won via KO in the second round. This earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Prates later fought at UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Imavov against Charles Radtke, where he won via a knee to the body in the first round. This gave him another Performance of the Night bonus.
Prates made his pay-per-view debut at UFC 305 on August 18, 2024 against Li Jingliang. He won via a left hook knockout after dropping Jingliang twice, being the first to knockout Jingliang. This earned him his third consecutive Performance of the Night bonus.
Prates had his first main event on UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates against veteran Neil Magny. Prates defended all 7 of Magny's takedowns and dropped him twice, winning by knockout 4 minutes and 50 seconds into the first round. This earned Prates his fourth consecutive Performance of the Night award.
Prates was scheduled to face Geoff Neal on April 12, 2025 at UFC 314. However, Neal withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and the bout was subsequently cancelled.
Prates is scheduled to face Ian Machado Garry on April 26, 2025 in the main event at UFC on ESPN 66.