Carlos Prates believes Ian Machado Garry’s willingness to step up on short notice may have earned him a major reward from the UFC.
The Brazilian striker has been one of the hottest names in the welterweight division over the past year. Even so, he thinks the promotion is leaning toward giving Machado Garry the next shot at Islam Makhachev.
Prates and Machado Garry met in April 2025, when the Irish contender handed him his first UFC loss after five rounds. Since then, Prates has responded with three straight knockout wins, including stoppages over two former champions.
Still, he believes the UFC values the risks Machado Garry took during his recent run.
Prates Points To Garry’s Short Notice Fights
Before facing Prates, Machado Garry accepted a fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 with less than a month to prepare. It marked the first defeat of his UFC career.
Not long after that, he stepped in again on short notice to face Prates.
According to “The Nightmare,” those decisions may now be paying off.
“I think he got two fights on short notice. Me and Shavkat,” Prates told the Pound 4 Pound podcast.
“What I think is this is probably the way the UFC say like, ‘Okay, you got two fights and now we’re going to help you.’”
Prates stopped short of calling it favoritism, but he sees it as a reward for Machado Garry answering the call when the UFC needed him.
“Not help, but it’s your prize,”
“Because he was in a really good position, he was a top contender. He didn’t need to fight on short notice. Especially against me.”
Makhachev Mentioned Prates As A Possible Opponent
Despite expecting Machado Garry to get the opportunity, Prates recently revealed that Islam Makhachev had shown interest in fighting him as well.
The Brazilian said he believes the lightweight champion may view him as a more manageable matchup because of his defensive grappling.
Across his last four fights, Prates has been taken down eight times. Half of those came during his loss to Machado Garry.
Even with those numbers, the Brazilian striker does not believe wrestling-heavy opponents have truly tested him yet. He argued that he never felt threatened by the grapplers he previously faced, which is why he wasn’t overly concerned about defending takedowns.