UFC welterweight Carlos Prates can celebrate his birthday in grand fashion after passing the toughest test of his career thus far.
Prates (20-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) stepped into the octagon at UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, to take on Li Jingliang in the pay-per-view opener. After thrilling end to Round 1, Prates put the finishing touch on Jingliang (19-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) with a vicious walkoff knockout at 4:02 in Round 2.
Big punches from Prates landed late in Round 1, as he rocked Jingliang more than once. “The Leech” who is known for having a tough chin, continued to fire back to see the next frame.
Without rushing things, Prates continued to work his offense, eventually finding a combination of punches to rock Jingliang again. A final blow sent Jingliang crashing to the canvas.
WHAT A KNOCKOUT BY CARLOS PRATES 😲 #UFC305 pic.twitter.com/MaWWbsQxJW
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 18, 2024
With the win, Prates extends his winning streak to 10. The Brazilian debuted in February after a stoppage victory last August on Dana White’s Contender Series. Three fights in, and Prates has stopped everyone placed in front of him. Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, and now Jingliang all were stopped early by the striking of Prates.
Will Prates be the Newcomer of the Year? His 2024 run is pretty hard to top.
On the other side, Jingliang failed to get back into the win column after the longest layoff of his professional career due to a spinal injury. He also walks away as a loser of two straight fights for the first time in his career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 305 results include:
- Carlos Prates def. Li Jingliang via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 4:02
- Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa via verbal submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 4:56
- Ricardo Ramos def. Josh Culibao via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Casey O’Neill def. Luana Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Jack Jenkins def. Herbert Burns via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 0:48
- Tom Nolan def. Alex Reyes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Song Kenan def. Ricky Glenn via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
- Jesus Aguilar def. Stewart Nicoll via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:39
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.
