Carlos Prates has gone from a Dana White’s Contender Series signee to a UFC main eventer after just three fights.
At UFC Fight Night 247 on Nov. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will get his first headlining opportunity. The hard-hitting Brazilian welterweight will share the main stage with a mainstay in the rankings, Neil Magny. Two sources confirmed the news with MMA Junkie following a first report from MMA Fighting.
Prates, 31, was signed to the UFC after impressing on DWCS last August with a second-round knockout of Mitch Ramirez. He made his UFC debut in February, and picked up another second-round finish, earning his first Performance of the Night bonus for stopping Trevin Giles.
Four months later, Prates stopped Charles Radtke in the opening round to earn his second POTN award. The bonus machine Prates took another fight two months later, where he earned his third $50,000 check in his first UFC main card slot for stopping Li Jingliang at UFC 305 – a victory that extended his current winning streak to 10.
Prates previously agreed to face Randy Brown at UFC 309, but the fight fell through.
Looking to hault his momentum will be UFC welterweight wins leader Magny (29-12 MMA, 22-11 UFC). “The Haitian Sensation” has traded wins and losses over his last eight appearances as he has struggled to build momentum of his own.
In his most recent outing, Michael Morales stopped the 37-year-old welterweight in the first round at UFC on ESPN 62. Prior to the setback, Magny came through as a sizable underdog against Mike Malott at UFC 297, finishing the fight in a wild third round comeback.
With the addition, the current UFC Fight Night 247 lineup includes:
- Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Miles Johns
- Luana Pinheiro vs. Gillian Robertson
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dusko Todorovic
- Melissa Mullins vs. Montserrat Rendon
- Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli
- Bernardo Sopaj vs. Ricky Turcios
- Denise Gomes vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
- Reinier de Ridder vs. Gerald Meerschaert
- Nicolas Dalby vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
- Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Stamann
- Gaston Bolanos vs. Cortavious Romious
