Carlos Prates says lightweight move is possible as he discusses Ilia Topuria title fight
Carlos Prates feels he is on the verge of a title shotCarlos Prates thinks a win in Perth would put him right in line for a welterweight title shot. While Ian Machado Garry looks to be first in line for Islam Makhachev, Prates is keeping an eye on the winner if he comes through this weekend.
Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images Carlos Prates feels he is on the verge of a title shot Carlos Prates thinks a win in Perth would put him right in line for a welterweight title shot. While Ian Machado Garry looks to be first in line for Islam Makhachev, Prates is keeping an eye on the winner if he comes through this weekend. Meanwhile, if both Ilia Topuria and Makhachev win their next fights, there’s every chance that the bout could get pushed further down the road.
Speaking ahead of his May 2 main event, Prates also suggested that stepping up to 155 pounds wouldn’t be out of the question for him if he ever decided to make the move. Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC Carlos Prates is confident he could handle the move to lightweight, but sees no need With a second win over a former champion, Carlos Prates is convinced he’ll be in line for a title shot. But that path might change depending on what Ilia Topuria decides to do next.
Prates touched on this during a recent interview, joking that if ‘El Matador’ moves up to welterweight, he’d drop down and go after the lightweight belt instead. He also mentioned that stepping into the 155-pound division isn’t out of reach for him physically. “I can do 155,” he told MMA Fighting.
“Of course I can. Normally I’m like 85 kilos, 84, so I can do lightweight. But, I’m kidding.