Carlos Prates has been faced with a harsh reality coming out of his first loss in six years.
At Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 66, Prates (21-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was defeated by Ian Machado Garry (16-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who won by unanimous decision. The fight headlined the promotion’s event at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
“Guys, this is crazy,” Prates wrote Monday on Instagram in Portuguese. “Six years without losing, I had forgotten how much it hurts, how it hurts the heart, the soul, more than any other part of the body, all day thinking ‘what if I had caught the back,’ ‘what if I knocked it down,’ what if I touched it more” … and so on. Time to go home, take care of the body and come back stronger than every other time. Despite everything, this week was awesome, we had some awesome days, lots of lessons and so on, I have nothing to complain about. Thanks to everyone who cheered, sent messages, my team, my crown, everyone involved in this journey. I can’t wait to be back. THE NIGHTMARE HAS JUST BEGUN!”
Prates, 31, had an 11-fight winning streak snapped. His previous defeat came in June 2019 vs. Gadjimurad Abdulaev at ONE Warrior Series 6. Prates made his UFC debut in February 2024 and defeated Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang, and Neil Magny by knockout prior to his first main event vs. Garry.
