A matchup between surging welterweight contender Carlos Prates and former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards may very well be on the horizon following a not-so-cryptic social media submit by “The Nightmare.”
The previous yr has been great for Prates and if it wasn’t for the dominance by UFC champions Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria the Brazilian contender might have walked away with 2024 Fighter of the 12 months honors. That’s as a result of he’s gone 4-0 in 2024 with 4 knockouts, 4 efficiency of the evening awards, his first UFC fundamental occasion bid, and an eventual No. 13-ranking within the ultra-stacked welterweight division.
With unbelievable success inside the Octagon over the previous 12 months Prates is lining himself as much as contend for the 170-pound belt in 2025. It appears loopy contemplating Prates solely made his UFC debut this previous February, however subsequent yr may very well be a giant yr for the Brazilian fighter. It will likely be particularly massive if Prates is ready to land a matchup with Edwards, which he teased within the beneath social media submit on Thursday:
In case you forgot, Edwards hasn’t competed since dropping his title to Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 in Manchester, England. It was the third time “Rocky” was defending the title since profitable it off Kamaru Usman again in Aug. 2022. Regardless of the homefield benefit, Edwards seemed utterly out of types at UFC 304 and allowed Muhammad to stroll out of England with the title. Struggle followers have been ready for the return of “Rocky” ever since.
Whereas there could also be another engaging matchups for Edwards at 170 kilos a gathering in opposition to Prates may be the best-case situation for the promotion. It offers Prates the big-time identify he wants to interrupt into the highest 5 whereas permitting Edwards the chance to knock off a hungry up-and-coming contender to show he’s nonetheless a prime menace.
We’ll see if UFC is ready to shut the deal and guide Prates vs. Edwards subsequent.
