Ian Machado Garry will headline UFC Kansas City with his long-awaited fight against Carlos Prates.
Less than a month after Ian Machado Garry’s fight with Carlos Prates at UFC 314 was cancelled, the pair will face off inside the octagon in the main event at UFC in Kansas City.
Despite Chael Sonnen calling the fight a step down for Garry, the Welterweight fighter will be hoping for a future title shot if he can get through Prates in Kansas City. However, Prates is on a 10-fight knockout streak and could pose a big danger to Garry. It’s anybody’s fight to win and will be an exciting main event for the UFC in Kansas City.
Elsewhere on the card, UFC veteran Anthony Smith will have his final ever UFC fight in the co-main event. Smith’s will end his career after his 60th fight, and has name Chinese fighter Zhang Mingyang as his final opponent.
Mingyang won his first two fights in the UFC, and knocking off a legend like Smith could do wonders for his career, although it won’t be easy for the Mountain Tiger.
Here’s everything you need to know about what promises to be a fantastic night of MMA action at UFC Kansas City.
What time does UFC Kansas City start?
UFC Kansas City will take place on April 26, 2025, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
The event will start with preliminaries at 6:00 PM (ET), 3:00 PM (PT) and 11:00 PM (BST).
Following on from that, the main card gets underway at 9:00 PM (ET), 6:00 PM (PT) and 02:00 AM (BST).
How to watch and live stream UFC Kansas City?
In the USA, both the prelims and the main card of the event will be available to watch on ESPN2 from 6:00 PM onwards. Fans will also be able to stream the event on their mobile devices through ESPN+.
Over in the UK, fans will be able to watch the prelims through the UFC Fight Pass from 11:00 PM before switching over to TNT Sports for coverage of the main card from 02:00 AM.
UFC Kansas City – Who’s fighting?
Main card
- Welterweight: Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates
- Light Heavyweight: Anthony Smith vs. Zhang Mingyang
- Featherweight: Giga Chikadze vs David Onama
- Middleweight: Michel Pereira vs Abus Magomedov
- Welterweight: Randy Brown vs Nicolas Dalby
- Middleweight: Ikram Aliskerov vs Andre Muniz
Prelims
- Flyweight: Matt Schnell vs Jimmy Flick
- Lightweight Evan Elder vs Ahmad Hassanzada
- Bantamweight: Da’mon Blackshear vs Alatencheili
- Bantamweight: Malcom Wellmaker vs Cameron Saaiman
- Women’s Strawweight: Jaqueline Amorim vs Polyana Viana
- Women’s Bantamweight: Chelsea Chandler vs Joselyne Edwards
Carlos Prates called Ian Machado Garry too ‘boring’ to headline a UFC event without him
The trash talking has been ongoing for weeks, and Prates has some key critisim for his opponent before their fight.
The Brazilian told MMAHoje that Garry was too “boring” in his fighting style to main event a UFC PPV without a knockout artist like himself to add interest.
Prates said: “I’ve been with the company for 1 year. 2 main events, and 4 knockout bonuses.
“This kid’s been in the UFC for 4 years and hasn’t won a single bonus in his life. A bunch of decisions, boring ass fights,”
“If he’s fighting in the main event today, it’s because I chose him. I said I wanted to fight him.”
Prates’ complaints are not without merit. Only 3 of Garry’s 9 UFC fights have ended in a knockout, compared to Prates’ 100% KO record in the UFC.
However, the Irishman won’t want to play into the Brazilian’s hands by going for a knockout. His best chance to win seems to be going the distance, something which Prates is unfamiliar with in his career so far.