Carlos Prates has confirmed that his eight-fight contract with the UFC guarantees him more than $1 million per fight.
‘I’m Really Happy,’ Says UFC’s Prates
Fighters Weekly secured exclusive access to Prates, courtesy of Squawka, and probed the welterweight title challenger about claims that his new deal would net him $1M per fight.
“It’s wrong,” Prates replied. “It’s more [than $1M per fight]. I’m really happy. I’m really happy.”
Eight fights is a lifetime in the UFC, and we were interested to see Prates’ plan for those fights, and whether he thought he could be locked out of big fights in boxing, like his fellow countryman Alex Pereira.
“I don’t know if I’m gonna do all the eight fights. Or maybe two, or three, or one fight,” Prates explained. “I cannot say when I’m gonna stop fighting. Maybe I can stop tomorrow, maybe I can stop after the next fight. I don’t know. I just like to live day by day, bro. I want to make money and beat everybody, be a champ, and when I get tired of this, I’m gonna stop.
“I’m addicted to winning, I’m addicted to competing. So if I want to compete and win, I need to train. That’s why I train hard every time. When I feel like I cannot compete anymore, I cannot be the number one anymore, it doesn’t make sense to fight. So maybe then I can retire.”
Prates Weighs Boxing vs. UFC
‘The Nightmare’ has his sights set firmly on the belt, which he fights for at UFC 336 in January, opposite undefeated welterweight phenom Michael Morales.
“Do I want a big money boxing match? I really want the UFC belt,” Prates said. “I really want to see how it is to be UFC champion, how it is to be, on that night, the baddest motherf***** in the world. I wanna feel this, how happy I will be. I don’t care about money. Of course money is really good, but for me it doesn’t matter.”
Prates is a deserving title challenger, having defeated two former welterweight champions in a row. However, some argue his style propelled him into big fights against Ian Garry and Leon Edwards.
‘Just my Gameplan,’ Prates Explains UFC Favored Style
UFC is quickly becoming the knockout company, with 2026 having the highest knockout rate in nearly two decades.
Prates thinks the UFC’s attitude towards its fighters depends on who’s performing.
“I don’t know, I think it depends on the fighter,” Prates said. “I don’t feel any pressure to entertain when I fight. It’s just my game plan. Step in the cage, start to hit my opponent, hurt him, make him give up, and get the win. I’m a striker, I’m a Muay Thai fighter. That’s the way I know how to win a fight.”
Prates fights for Makhachev’s interim welterweight title at UFC 336 in January 2027. It marks Prates’ first title opportunity in eight UFC contests.
Among 112 other UFC welterweights with 8+ fights in the promotion, Prates ranks first for finishes by knockout and well above the median for first-round finishes and winning rate, and he has never been finished himself.
A victory for Prates would make him the first welterweight champion of Brazilian descent, and would surely secure him a shot against Makhachev later in 2027.