Rising Ultimate Fighting Championship talent Carlos Prates has already earned a place on the marquee.
Per MMA Fighting on Thursday, the promotion has pulled Prates (20-6) from his welterweight pairing with Randy Brown at UFC 309. Instead, the surging Brazilian will collide with grizzled veteran Neil Magny (29-12) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 247, also known as UFC Vegas 100. An excited Prates has since confirmed the matchup on his Instagram page.
Fan-favorite Magny has alternated wins and losses in his last eight, staving off tough outs Mike Malott and Daniel Rodriguez while coming up short to elite threats in the division like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Gilbert Burns. Most recently, the 37-year-old saw his brief bit of momentum from the Malott victory dry up when Michael Morales punched him out in the first round. Magny, who now goes by the nickname of “The Haitian Sensation,” holds a litany of records at 170 pounds including the most appearances (33), the most wins (22), the most triumphs on the scorecards (14) and the most significant strikes landed (1,418).
Powerhouse Brazilian Prates has punched and kneed his ways into hearts and minds by rattling off three straight knockouts since joining the roster in February. A one-hitter quitter of Trevin Giles led to a blistering knee that dispatched Charlie Radtke, and “The Nightmare” rose to the occasion in August by becoming the first fighter to stop Jingliang Li with strikes. As a pro, the Fighting Nerds up-and-comer has finished his opponent in 90% of his wins, and he rides a 10-fight win streak—including nine by stoppage—into this main attraction.
UFC Fight Night 247 will go down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with Magny-Prates now on the books as its marquee bout. While the remainder of the lineup has not yet been ordered, matchups expected to take place on the main event include a gunslinger’s battle at 135 pounds between Cody Garbrandt and Miles Johns, a grappler’s delight at middleweight as Reinier de Ridder takes on Gerald Meerschaert and a collision at strawweight between Luana Pinheiro and Gillian Robertson.
