Former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight kingpin Charles Oliveira believes rising contender Carlos Prates possesses the precise tools, striking arsenal, and knockout capability required to dethrone reigning welterweight titleholder Islam Makhachev.
Prates, who has rapidly ascended through the ranks and captured the attention of the mixed martial arts world with a string of devastating finishes, is widely expected to challenge for the prestigious 170-pound championship sometime next year. Oliveira, who knows the sting of sharing the Octagon with Makhachev firsthand, has analyzed the champion’s recent performances and sees glaring opportunities for "The Nightmare." According to the Brazilian veteran, the tactical openings exposed by Ian Garry during his recent championship challenge against Makhachev bode remarkably well for Prates’ chances of capturing UFC gold.
Charles Oliveira believes Carlos Prates can exploit Islam Makhachev’s openings with kicks and knockout power
The landscape of the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division shifted significantly following Islam Makhachev’s successful defense of his 170-pound strap. In that outing, Makhachev went the distance in a hard-fought battle against Ian Garry, securing a victory over the undefeated Irish contender. However, the fight was not without its moments of tension for the champion. Garry, known for his elite striking precision and fluid movement, enjoyed notable moments of success against the Russian wrestling maestro, forcing him into deep waters and landing telling blows that exposed rare defensive vulnerabilities.
Oliveira, who shares a training environment with Garry and understands the nuances of preparing for elite-level competition, believes that these newly revealed chinks in Makhachev’s armor provide a clear tactical roadmap for Prates. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sherdog, the charismatic Brazilian submission specialist broke down the stylistic matchup and explained why he views Prates as a genuinely live underdog in a potential championship showdown.
"I think Garry showed Prates the blueprint," Oliveira told Sherdog, shedding light on how strategic brilliance can neutralize dominant wrestling. "I usually say these matchups will be close, but this time, I believe Prates has a real chance to win. Beyond being a sniper, he possesses knockout power and is a black belt in jiu-jitsu. If he lands those kicks to the ribs and calves, just like Garry did, he could catch the champion off guard."
The analysis from Oliveira highlights the multifaceted danger that Prates presents to anyone holding a UFC championship belt. Nicknamed "The Nightmare," Prates has built a fearsome reputation inside the promotion through a relentless combination of surgical striking accuracy and concussive finishing ability. With a professional mixed martial arts record standing at 24 victories against 7 defeats, Prates has showcased an extraordinary 100% finishing rate across all seven of his appearances inside the Octagon, violently disposing of every opponent the organization has placed in front of him.
This unyielding finishing instinct, combined with his background as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, gives Prates an aura of constant danger that few fighters in the upper echelons of the welterweight division can replicate. Oliveira points out that while Makhachev is widely regarded as one of the most dominant pound-for-pound fighters in the history of the sport—having successfully defended his welterweight championship once since moving up from the lightweight division to conquer a second weight class—the champion is fundamentally human and susceptible to calculated disruption.
For Oliveira, the psychological and physical stamina required to weather an early storm from Makhachev will be the ultimate deciding factor for Prates. Makhachev is notorious for establishing immediate grappling dominance, imposing suffocating chain-wrestling, and hunting for submissions or punishing ground-and-pound in the opening five to ten minutes of a championship contest. If a challenger can survive that initial onslaught without sustaining catastrophic damage or expending all their energy trying to stave off takedowns, the momentum of the fight can drastically shift in the championship rounds.
"If Islam doesn’t secure a finish in the first or second round and Prates maintains the composure he’s shown in his recent fights, he has everything he needs to win," Oliveira added, emphasizing the importance of staying calm under the intense pressure that Makhachev invariably brings into the cage.
As the UFC matchmaking machinery looks toward the future of the welterweight division, the potential collision course between Islam Makhachev and Carlos Prates stands out as one of the most compelling and anticipated matchups on the horizon. With Makhachev holding a stellar professional record of 29-1 and looking to further cement his legendary status in a second weight class, any challenger stepping into the Octagon against him faces an uphill battle of historic proportions. Yet, with the analytical backing of a veteran like Charles Oliveira, the perceived blueprint is laid bare. Whether Carlos Prates can successfully execute that strategy, land his trademark kicks, and unleash his devastating knockout power to strip Makhachev of his crown remains one of the most fascinating questions heading into the next chapter of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
