“I Will Knock You Out” – Islam Makhachev Warned by Carlos Prates After Lackluster Title Defense Against Ian Garry

Knockout artist Carlos Prates eyes another finish to dethrone Islam Makhachev as welterweight champion after UFC 330.

“I Will Knock You Out” – Islam Makhachev Warned by Carlos Prates After Lackluster Title Defense Against Ian Garry

Carlos Prates warns Islam Makhachev

UFC 330 main event did not entertain fans like it should have. Islam Makhachev defended his welterweight title with his control time over Ian Machado Garry, which led to a unanimous decision in his favor. Carlos Prates or Michael Morales is likely next in line to face the champion.

Morales is undefeated in his career, and could offer a tricky challenge for the Dagestani superstar. Meanwhile, Prates is more active and recently finished Jack Della Maddalena in three rounds, an opponent Makhachev couldn’t finish in five rounds.

It is up to Dana White and the UFC brass to choose who is next for the welterweight champion. Nevertheless, Prates already knows what he needs to do to get the win over Makhachev. As such, he issued a bold warning to the Dagestani superstar.

I will knock you out bro. I will knock you out. I will bring that belt to Brazil, the first welterweight champ from Brazil.

Carlos Prates told @mmacrash

Compared to the JDM bout of last year, Makhachev looked vulnerable against Garry at UFC 330. Other than landing a knockdown in the second round, Makhachev looked lost on the feet and needed his wrestling pedigree to control the Irish star.

After five rounds, Makhachev’s face had more damage than his Garry’s, leading some fans to speculate what would have happened if the champion faced dangerous knockout artists like Prates and Morales. This is likely where the confidence comes from for Prates.

Nevertheless, Garry’s defensive grappling and scrambling ability is what made the fight so much tougher for Makhachev. Prates or Morales needs to possibly match that ability and hurt Makhachev on the feet to defeat the Dagestani superstar.

Prates got taken down in three out of his last four fights. JDM, Leon Edwards and Ian Garry took the Brazilian down during their octagon encounters. As such, letting someone like Makhachev get the takedown could prove disastrous for the Fighting Nerds member.

Nevertheless, the bout at UFC 330 showed that Makhachev is not unstoppable at welterweight like he was at lightweight. With the right adjustment and approach, any contender at welterweight, including Prates can defeat the Dagestani superstar.

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Chael Sonnen explains the pressure faced by Islam Makhachev at UFC 330

History was on the line at UFC 330 as Islam Makhachev aimed to break the record for the longest winning streak in the promotion’s history. Makhachev tied Anderson Silva’s record of 16-fight UFC winning streak last year at UFC 322. He needed one more win to set a new record at UFC 330.

Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev (via X)

Breaking the record with a lackluster decision didn’t impress many fans. They complained how Makhachev landed 0 significant strikes in the fifth round against Garry at UFC 330, and a total of 22 signficant strikes in 25 minutes inside the octagon.

Despite the complains, UFC legend Chael Sonnen thinks that it was because of the pressure that came with breaking Anderson Silva’s record. Sonnen cited his conversation with Makhachev’s friend, Daniel Cormier, to make his point.

I spoke to Daniel Cormier a moment ago… Daniel said, ‘I’m not sure the public is aware of the pressure that Islam was under. You don’t understand, beating Anderson Silva’s record was on the line. Seventeen straight wins in the UFC were on the line. These were the things that maybe the media talked about or you didn’t think about, but Islam was forced to because they kept asking him about it. They kept writing articles about it.’

Chael Sonnen via his YT Channel

It took someone more than a decade to reach Silva’s record. As such, it doesn’t look like anyone is coming near the new record set by Makhachev anytime soon.

At the age of 34, Makhachev is likely to compete at least two more times in the UFC. It remains to be seen if he can extend that to 19 or 20 straight victories by the time he is done with fighting.

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