Daniel Cormier sees Carlos Prates on the shortlist for the title after UFC Perth. Prates delivered a statement performance in the main event of UFC Perth, stopping former champion Jack Della Maddalena in the third round. The win marked his second straight dominant finish over a former titleholder and pushed him deeper into the welterweight title conversation.
A breakout performance
Cormier said on his YouTube channel:
”Carlos Prates has now put himself on the short-list of fighters who could potentially challenge the champion, Islam Makhachev,”
Cormier pointed to Prates’ body of work leading into the fight and how it built toward this moment.
“Before he goes in there with Jack Della Maddalena, that happens when you’ve already got a victory over Leon Edwards, when you already have beaten guys like Geoff Neal and so many others on your way towards a fight with a former champion, Jack Della”
What stood out most was how one-sided the fight became.
“You beat the former champion in the way that he beat Della Maddalena because that was bad. That was bad.”
“Honestly, when I was watching that from afar, I thought to myself because I’ve never seen Jack just get beat on like that ‘How does Prates win?’ going into the fight.”
“I thought Jack Della Maddalena had a style that would create some real issues for Prates. No issues at all for Carlos.”
Growth since Garry loss
Prates’ rise has not been without setbacks. After bursting into the UFC with finishes and bonuses, he hit a wall in a main event loss to Ian Machado Garry. Cormier believes that experience changed him.
”That performance told me two things: One, Prates is ready to compete for the UFC championship. Two, Prates learned.”
“We look at these fighters, old ones, young ones, and when they hit the main event scene, they have to prove to themself and they have to prove to people that they’re absolutely ready.”
He contrasted the Garry fight with what fans saw in Perth.
“The first time Prates did that, against Ian Garry, he froze. He froze. He did not fight well, and Ian Garry’s an absolute stud.”
“We had him smoking cigarettes all over the internet the week of the fight: all these things that just didn’t seem like he was ready for the spotlight the main event carries.”
Cormier left no doubt about his current stance.
”I watched him deliver at a level that tells me he’s championship-ready. Dude’s championship-ready. He’s championship-ready right now.”
Title picture getting crowded at 170
Even with the momentum, the path to a title shot is not simple. The welterweight division remains stacked with contenders, including Garry, who owns a win over Prates.
Cormier acknowledged that reality while still keeping Prates in the mix.
“Here’s the issue though: The weight class is so stacked,” Cormier said.
“It feels like it’s going to be Ian Garry, but if it was to be Prates after that? Nobody would complain.”
He also pointed out that Prates’ performance vs Della Maddalena was more impressive than that of the champ.
“Nobody would complain, and I’ll tell you why: We just saw Islam beat Jack Della Maddalena in the way that he did.”
“We saw him dominate Jack Della Maddalena to win the championship.”
“The way Islam beat Jack was not nearly as impressive as what Carlos Prates did the other day.”