Carlos
Prates has a rather unconventional prediction for how a
showdown with Islam
Makhachev will unfold.
Prates claims that if he fights Makhachev, who recently defeated
Ian
Garry to retain his title, he would spend the early portion of
the fight getting dominated by the Russian’s wrestling before
turning the tables late and claiming the
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title via
knockout.
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Carlos Prates explains why UFC 330 made him more confident
against Islam Makhachev
Prates, the frontrunner for the next title shot at 170 pounds,
expects Makhachev’s grappling to create problems early, but
believes he can weather the storm and find a late finish.
“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
told Gilbert
Burns.
UFC
330’s main event between Makhachev and Ian Garry has
further solidified Prates‘ confidence in the matchup.
“If Garry was able to get Makhachev off his back, I can do it too,”
Prates said. “I became even more confident… Based on the things I
saw and the amount of time we have to train, I was like, ‘F*ck, I
think we can do this.’ I already thought so and now I saw Garry
defend certain positions the same way I do, like the back against
the cage. I do that a lot.”