Meet Carlos Prates, UFC’s latest sensation
Meet Carlos Prates, UFC’s latest sensation
It takes courage and determination to make it into the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but it takes much more to sustain and succeed.
Numerous fighters make their UFC debuts every year, but only a few stand out from the rest. Brazil’s Carlos Prates is one such fighter who made a name for himself in his first couple of fights.
On the surface, one might assume Prates’ inclusion in the UFC roster was due to his impressive performance at Dana White’s Contender Series, where he scored a second-round knockout against Mitch Ramirez. But it’s much more than that.
Prates made his professional MMA debut in 2012 and had over 20 fights under his belt before he decided to try his hand at the UFC. He went on to clinch the welterweight title at the Sao Paulo-based MMA promotion Standout Fighting Tournament in 2022.
Cut to February 2024: ‘The Nightmare’ made his UFC debut and did not look back. He adjusted seamlessly, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his knockout of Trevin Giles.
He pocketed another bonus four months later, knocking out Charles Radtke in the first round. But he was just getting started. He closed out 2024 with back-to-back knockouts of Li Jingliang and Neil Magny, earning two more Performance of the Night bonuses and securing a spot in the welterweight Top 15.
Another fighter who looks destined for greatness is Fatima ‘The Archangel’ Kline of the USA. She suffered an agonising unanimous decision loss to veteran Jasmine Jasudavicius on debut. However, the loss cannot be a yardstick to gauge her abilities, as she accepted the fight on short notice.
Kline’s 2025 started with a bang as she earned a second-round knockout win over Russia’s Viktoriia Dudakova. The strawweights engaged in a scramble-heavy contest, with Dudakova often initiating. Still, Kline frequently worked to the top position, quickly focused on delivering damage, and eventually won via strikes.
Before her UFC entry, Kline boasted an impressive 6-0 professional record. This includes championship victories in the strawweight and flyweight divisions under the Cage Fury Fighting Championships banner, preceded by a streak of four consecutive wins in Invicta FC.
A highly regarded grappler and a training partner of prominent flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield, Kline possesses the potential to mirror her teammate’s successful trajectory within the UFC.
India’s Anshul Jubli (left) will return to action in the UFC when he faces Quillan Salkilld of Australia in a lightweight bout at UFC 311.
Anshul will aim to bounce back from an underwhelming UFC debut and become the second Indian to secure a win in the UFC after Puja Tomar.
In his fight against the USA’s Mike Breeden, Anshul began positively but quickly lost momentum in a matter of seconds. Displaying superior technique, he dominated the majority of the first two rounds. However, he started to lose focus when Breeden resorted to trash-talking at the start of the third round.
Although Anshul could counter Breeden’s physical offence, he struggled mentally, losing focus midway through the final round. This led to him dropping his guard and ultimately being knocked out by Breeden.
The 30-year-old later admitted that a lack of experience contributed to the loss. However, with more than a year of additional training and his problematic knee taken care of, the ‘King of Lions’ is determined to turn his fortunes around.
Arch-rivals and former middleweight champions Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya were recently seen sparring together. Whittaker posted pictures on his official Instagram account with the caption, “Rivals one day, friends the next.”
This training session comes ahead of Adesanya’s main event bout against France’s Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night on February 2.
The pictures highlight Adesanya’s meticulous preparation. Both fighters were seen wearing shin guards and engaging in an intense exchange of leg kicks.
The reason? Imavov, who has had 10 fights in the UFC and is ranked fifth compared to Adesanya’s second, uses an unorthodox side stance with agile footwork and relies on leg kicks to tire out his opponents.
On a mission to reclaim his lost middleweight belt, Adesanya appears to have figured out the formula for success. However, his training session with Whittaker emphasises that longevity in any field demands continuous experimentation and adaptation.
