Former UFC welterweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal had high praise for No. 2-ranked contender Carlos Prates.
Jorge Masvidal is sold on Carlos Prates after the Brazilian’s latest statement win, and he made that clear following Prates’ performance last weekend in the UFC welterweight division. Fighting his way deeper into the title picture, Prates stopped Jack Della Maddalena and strengthened his case for a championship opportunity.
That result matters at 170 pounds because the division has been searching for its next clear challenger, and Prates is suddenly impossible to ignore. For American fans, that kind of rise always gets attention fast: an action fighter with real finishing ability, a loose style, and the kind of unpredictability that makes him must-watch.
Masvidal, a former title challenger himself, said he sees something rare in the way Prates fights.
“I really think Carlos is scary. He reminds me of those soccer players who stay up late, smoke, drink, but when you give them the ball, they score four goals, like Ronaldinho.
The way he’s fighting right now is crazy. He’s my favorite active fighter. The toughest guy I’ve seen. Seeing those elbow shots after knee strikes, after elbow shots … He’s very fluid, but with heavy weapons. No soft touches—everything he throws is meant to take your life away, and he does it beautifully,” Masvidal said on the Depp Waters podcast.
Prates’ appeal goes beyond the highlight-reel violence. If he keeps stacking wins like this, he could force the UFC to decide whether to match him with another top contender or move him straight into a title fight. That is a major shift in a division that has recently leaned on established names.
For Prates, the next step is proving this surge is more than a hot streak against the right opponent at the right time. For the rest of the welterweight class, he is becoming the kind of problem nobody wants to deal with until they have to. His next booking should show exactly how serious the UFC is about him.
