Two top welterweight contenders topped off an epic night of fights at UFC Kansas City.
Anthony Smith retired following his co-main event fight with Zhang Mingyang before Ian Machado Garry looked to bounce back from a first career loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in December.
The newest UFC knockout artist, Carlos Prates, hoped to make it six wins in a row since joining MMA’s premier promotion in November 2023.
However, the cigarette-loving Brazilian got smoked by Garry in the first few rounds of the UFC Kansas City main event, which ended with the Irishman picking up a unanimous decision victory courtesy of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 scorecards.
Ian Machado Garry vs Carlos Prates result
It was a tentative first five minutes. Garry and Prates exchanged leg kicks for the majority of the opening round, which ended with a slip that allowed the Irishman to land some decent ground and pound.
Garry was almost untouchable through 10 minutes. ‘The Future’ danced around the cage and jumped in with pop shots, takedown attempts, and head kicks as he seemingly established a dominant lead on the scorecards.
Prates got absolutely dominated in the third frame. Garry wobbled him on the feet before switching to wrestling and continuing to overwhelm his opponent on the floor.
Just as Garry seemed to be dancing his way to a routine victory, Prates began landing shots that had his opponent covered in blood and looking for a moment to rest.
It was more of the same in the final round. Garry was clinging on for dear life in the end, but he managed to survive the Prates onslaught to take the UFC Kansas City main event to the scorecards, which read in his favor.
Ian Garry claims UFC 315 role
Welterweight champion Belal Muhammad will defend his belt against Jack Della Madellana on May 10.
After his latest win, Garry claimed he would travel to Montreal to be the official UFC 315 main event backup fighter.
“In two weeks time, I’m flying to Canada.
“I’m the official backup for the world title fight.
“I’m next in line for that title!”
UFC boss Dana White confirmed Garry’s statement to be true at his post-fight press conference.