Not only is Brazilian finisher Carlos Prates on an outstanding 10-fight winning streak, but he’s also riding on the back of a nine-fight knockout streak; and ‘The Nightmare’ knows who his perfect next dance partner would be.
The man firmly fixed in his crosshairs is none other than one of the flashiest strikers in all of Mixed Martial Arts, British fan-favorite welterweight contender, Michael ‘Venom’ Page.
MVP called out by ‘Nightmare’ knockout artist Carlos Prates
Carlos Prates was already on a five-fight knockout streak by the time he landed a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series, and it’s safe to say that the Brazilian has only gone from strength to strength since that 2023 breakout.
‘The Nightmare’ announced himself in a big way earlier this year with a second-round KO of Trevin Giles, followed up by a first-round KO of Charles Radtke just four months later, and then another second-round KO over Li Jingliang at UFC 305 in Australia.
That most recent finish over ‘The Leech’ was as brutal as they come and will likely be in contention for ‘Knockout Of The Year’ by the time 2024 is done; a year that Prates wants to end with a fight against a Top 15 opponent.
Earlier this week, Prates took to social media to call out British finisher Michael ‘Venom’ Page, even suggesting that the iconic kickboxer isn’t answering the calls from the UFC.
“I got to know that the company wants to give me the number of Michael Venom Page, but they don’t answer the phone, you must be having nightmares by now!”
In a separate post, Prates doubled down on his callout of MVP, calling on his fellow promotional newcomer: “Hey bro, sign this contract!”
Whilst MVP has yet to reply to the fight offer, ‘The Nightmare’ himself was, in response, also called out by Randy ‘Rudeboy’ Brown – who took to social media to simply call on the UFC to “Give me Carlos Prates.”
Prates had an unusual request following his KO win at UFC 305 in Perth
There are a whole host of exciting prospects who have made a splash in the UFC in recent years, but Carlos Prates is certainly one of the most interesting personalities that fans are getting behind.
This is, of course, thanks to his thrilling fight style and representation of the Fighting Nerds, the fastest-growing team in all of MMA, but also because he’s far more ‘relatable’ than the vast majority of UFC athletes.
In fact, following his brutal KO win over ‘The Leech’, Prates had one unusual request that fans found highly entertaining: he wanted a pack of celebratory cigarettes as he was all out himself.
“No bro, I tried to get one cigarette and I have no cigarettes [left]. I tried to have one after [my fight] but I don’t have any [left]… Please, if somebody has one, give me one, please. Especially the ones I smoke, they don’t have anywhere, they don’t have them in America, don’t have them here, that’s why I crave it.”
Speaking to Full Send MMA after his KO win over Charles Radtke earlier in the year, Prates explained why he doesn’t see an issue with smoking cigarettes after, or even before, his fights.
“I’m not the kind of guy [who’s an] athlete you know – I like to say that I’m a fighter, not an athlete because everybody says things; sometimes I go to parties, smoke cigarettes and drink… Of course, it’s not good but I know how to find a way [to win] and things might get done.
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“When I come to train, I’m the first guy to come to the gym and the last one to leave the gym – I think because of my lifestyle and people sometimes they say s*** but my coach knows how to work with me.”
Fingers crossed we get the chance to see Prates return to action before the end of 2024; who would you like to see him fight next – Michael ‘Venom’ Page or Randy ‘Rudeboy’ Brown?