Carlos Prates has provided fans with an update on his rumoured fight with Conor McGregor, saying he has not had contact from the UFC.
This week, rumours circulated that McGregor’s intended comeback to the Octagon could come against Prates, as the Irish star looks to end a five-year absence from mixed martial arts (MMA).
McGregor, who broke his leg in his last fight, is seeking a summer return. However, his desired involvement in the UFC’s unprecedented White House event in June looks unlikely at the time of writing.
And Prates has claimed that a pairing between himself and McGregor would be unlikely, too, with the fifth-ranked welterweight predicting that he would “hurt” the former champion “bad”.
“A lot of you guys have been asking me about the Conor McGregor fight,” said the Brazilian in an Instagram video. “I didn’t get anything from the UFC yet.
“I’m really happy you guys are saying my name, of course it’d be a huge honour for me to fight against him. I really want a fight that’s gonna bring me the title shot – JDM [former champion Jack Della Maddalena], Conor McGregor.
“To be honest, I think the fight is hard to happen, because Conor McGregor is five years without any fight, retired [from] MMA, and after five years he wouldn’t [come] back to fight the most entertaining welterweight in the world.
“Nothing against him, you know? But everybody knows – I know, he knows – I would hurt him bad. I would knock him out, so I don’t think it’s the right way to make the comeback of a huge superstar like him.
“But if he wants to fight, I’m here, I’m ready. Let’s see. I’m waiting for the UFC to send me something – any name, any place. I’m just ready to fight, but of course I want the title shot. So JDM, Conor McGregor, let’s work.”
Prates is 23-7 as a professional and is 6-1 in the UFC, with his sole loss coming against McGregor’s compatriot Ian Machado Garry in April 2025. Prates, 32, bounced back with two straight KOs, against Geoff Neal and former welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
All of the Brazilian’s other wins in the UFC have come via KO as well, and his overall career knockout rate is 78 per cent.
Last week, McGregor wrote on social media: “It’s a no name up next for me possibly, folks […] I ACCEPT. Send the contract, lads.” The 37-year-old later deleted the post, however, and UFC president Dana White said: “If it was done and he accepted it, I would announce it.”
McGregor returned to social media on Monday to write: “Day 15 of ‘I accept, send the contract.’”
McGregor is a former featherweight and lightweight champion, but he has fought three times at welterweight in the UFC. He has made clear his desire to fight at the White House on 14 June, but that currently seems unlikely, given White said last week that the card is “built” – before the UFC president made his claim that McGregor’s next fight is not “done”.
McGregor last fought in July 2021, suffering a broken leg in a second straight loss to Dustin Poirier. The Irishman was due to return against Michael Chandler in June 2024 but withdrew on two weeks’ notice while citing a broken toe.
