One of the UFC’s best kickers has called for a ‘striking extravaganza’ with Carlos Prates.
‘The Fighting Nerds’ star Carlos Prates quickly became feared in the UFC Welterweight division with four-straight knockouts to begin his first year inside the Octagon.
The cigarette-smoking Prates earned a ranking next to his name last November with a knockout of perennial contender Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 100. The #13-ranked contender fought up the ladder over the weekend when he took on #7 Ian Machado Garry at UFC Kansas City.
Unfortunately for him, Prates wouldn’t walk away with the knockout, nearly getting Machado Garry out of there with strikes in round 5. The Brazilian ultimately lost a unanimous decision on the scorecards with Machado Garry outwrestling him and having more output on the feet
Not long after the fight, Prates received an interesting challenge from a UFC legend at 170lbs.
Stephen Thompson calls for striking-only fight with Carlos Prates
Still in the top-15 rankings is Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, a two-time UFC title challenger who’s seen just about it all in his 21-fight UFC career.
It’s no secret Thompson is one of the best strikers to have graced the Octagon, showcasing his karate skills on the world’s biggest stage for more than a decade.
The 42-year-old’s fallen on some hard times as of late, pitted against stylistic nightmares on the ground like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Belal Muhammad.
Having his fill of wrestlers and grapplers, Thompson says he’s more than interested in a fight with Prates, a devastating knockout artist.
“It will be a a a striking extravaganza,” Thompson said on MMA Today with RJ Clifford.
“I’m not Ian Garry, he’s good at the grappling. He’s good at the wrestling.
“Me and Prates, we want the fight to stay standing. We wanna see who the best striker is in the UFC. I think that would be an amazing fight as well. I’m all for it to be honest with you,” Thompson added.
Stephen Thompson has two fights left on UFC contract
Once on a 8-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC welterweight division, ‘Wonderboy’ has dropped four out of his last five fights.
Thompson was knocked out for the second time in his career when he fought top contender Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307 in October, a fight the striker was largely winning.
Now nearing the end of his career at 42, Thompson says he has two fights left on his UFC contract, one of which he’d like with a Fighting Nerd.
“Carlos, will you please sign the contract?” Thompson continued.
“Just sign the contract. Get out there, let’s have some fun. Let’s put on a show. Let’s punch each other in the face, and go have a beer afterwards.
“Maybe a few cigarettes on your part,” Thompson said of Prates.