Carlos Prates believes he is one or two wins away from a title shot following his impressive bounce-back victory at UFC 319.
‘The Nightmare’ delivered one of the evening’s most brutal highlights in Chicago, scoring a vicious spinning back elbow KO against Geoff Neal with a single second left in the opening round.
CARLOS PRATES KNOCKED OUT GEOFF NEAL WITH A SPINNING BACK ELBOW 😳
ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS 🔥 #UFC319 pic.twitter.com/9lmRiaYDUA
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 17, 2025
Later that same night, Khamzat Chimaev put on an absolutely dominant display against Dricus Du Plessis to claim the UFC middleweight world title. During a MiddleEasy exclusive interview with James Lynch, Prates offered his take on Chimaev’s title-winning performance.
“It was the way everybody expected; really good wrestling,” Prates said. “A really good game on top. He didn’t let his opponent do anything. It was Khamzat being Khamzat. He’s really good with grappling, a really dangerous guy. Now he’s proved he’s the best.
“I didn’t watch the fight. I just watched some highlights, but I really like to watch the guy try to escape, but the guy can’t escape. Khamzat is just really dominant, and I’d like to see how he does that.”
While things are up in the air regarding Chimaev’s first middleweight title challenger, Prates knows exactly who he wants next and where he wants them.
“Yeah, it’s what I want,” Prates said when asked about potentially fighting at UFC Rio on October 11. “There are two things I want: fighting in Brazil [at UFC Rio] or fighting against Leon [Edwards]. If they both happen in Brazil, that would be amazing.”
After calling out Edwards during his post-fight interview with ‘Chi-Town,’ Prates offered some additional insight into why ‘Rocky’ is at the top of his wish list.
“I’m a huge fan of him,” Prates said. “I respect the guy, but I’m here to be a champ. I’m here to prove I’m the best. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, and I think after I beat Leon Edwards, I want to be close to a title shot. Maybe one or two fights more, and I can fight for the title.”
As for how he stacks up against the well-rounded Edwards, Prates said:
“He’s a really good grappler. He took down Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad, so he has good skills in grappling, but I’m really excited to fight him. It would be a dream come true to share the cage with him. It’s going to be a really interesting fight.”
Carlos Prates is Ready to Fight Anyone the UFC Puts in Front of Him
Of course, Edwards isn’t the only man Prates is open to throwing hands with on MMA’s biggest stage.
“I’m ready to fight whoever the UFC sends me. My first option is Leon, but if they say Michael Page, just send him to Brazil, and I’m gonna fight.”
Asked about other fighters on his radar, Prates added: “Probably Joaquin Buckley or [Michael] Morales. Belal Muhammad also. He’s [ranked] number three, I think.”
Who do you think would be the perfect opponent for the Fighting Nerds’ star?
Check out the full exclusive interview below:
