Carlos Prates has options – 3 possible opponents
Carlos Prates defeated Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 100 with a first round knockout. Newly ranked in the top 15, Prates has options for what could be next.
The Fighting Nerds’ contender secured his ranking by putting Magny away and put a stamp on the 100th event at the UFC APEX arena. But now, fans are wondering what could be next for the 31 year old contender.
Today we will look at three of Prates’ best options for his future including two fights to boost his ranking even further and one that is just an exciting fight.
The tough fight: Michael “Venom” Page
Michael Page is new to the UFC but long in the tooth. “MVP” is coming off of a loss to Ian Machado Garry earlier this year. But he is still a fan favorite, and dangerous, fighter. While he’s openly welcomed a fight with Shara Bullet recently, Prates could sneak in there and take Shara Bullet’s big fight.
Page is ranked 13th, which wouldn’t boost Prates all that much in the UFC welterweight rankings. But a win over Page would boost his popularity in the eyes of the fans, which is necessary in this era of the UFC. A tough ask, sure, but one that the Brazilian would welcome.
Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates, the other Neal
A long time ago (2021) Neil Magny and Geoff Neal fought in the Nei/al Bowl. A fun little rivalry, the fight saw Magny emerge victorious. But Geoff Neal has had the last laugh with wins over Santiago Ponzinibbio, Vicente Luque, and Rafael dos Anjos. This has rocketed Neal to number ten in the UFC rankings.
If Carlos Prates wants to boost his rankings, a top ten opponent is the way to go and Neal is the best chance and option. Neal fought Dos Anjos in October and the timelines add up. It would allow Prates to skip names like Stephen Thompson, the aforementioned Page, and Michael Morales.
With a win, this fight would put Prates within the top ten and ready to make a title run.
Bryan Battle or Randy Brown: A banger either way
I know you didn’t think The Butcher was going to lose to a French dude! Well, Bryan Battle is taking on a Jamaican now. On December 5th, these two fighters will face off in a very fun, albeit not ranked, fight.
The winner of this fight will want a spot in the top 15 too. They would both deserve it as well. Since Brown’s loss to Jack Della Maddalena, he’s won three straight. Battle has only lost to Rinat Fakhretdinov since joining the UFC. He’s butchered (pun intended) AJ Fletcher, Gabe Green and Kevin Jousset in that time.
A win would earn them a fight with a ranked fighter and with Prates being the newcomer, he could be tapped to defend his ranking before ascending.
