PERTH, AUSTRALIA – MAY 02: (L-R) Carlos Prates of Brazil elbows Jack Della Maddalena of Australia in a welterweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at RAC Arena on May 02, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)
Carlos Prates completely dominated and destroyed former UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena via TKO in Round 3. Prates has never looked sharper, faster, and scarier than he did against JDM. All of Prates’s weapons were on point Saturday, as he dismantled JDM using body kicks, leg kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Heading into the fight, many believed JDM was the better striker, but it was evident that Prates was the more versatile striker. In fact, Prates made it seem as if JDM did not belong there with him. He completely overwhelmed JDM, out-striking the former champion 46-1 in round three.
What Carlos Prates has done in a short time with the UFC is nothing short of impressive. The 32-year-old Prates has fought eight times since joining the UFC in 2024. In that timeframe, he has delivered some of the most memorable highlights in recent UFC history, with his seven knockouts are the most in the UFC since 2024.
In just the eighth UFC fight of his career, Carlos Prates earned his seventh Performance of the Night Bonus on Saturday (the most in Welterweight history), and tied Conor McGregor (14 fights) and Tom Aspinall (10 fights) for fourth in UFC history. Sharing a place in the record book with names like Conor McGregor and Tom Aspinall, two of the most electric fighters in the sport, puts him in rare air. McGregor and Aspinall are fighters synonymous with must-watch moments, viewed as among the most devastating knockout artists in the UFC’s 30+ year history, and Prates is matching their success at an even faster rate. The three fighters in UFC history with more Performance of the Night bonuses are Charles Oliveira (14x POTN, 38 UFC fights), Kevin Holland (9x POTN, 29 UFC fights), and Paul Craig (8x POTN, 21 UFC fights). What we are witnessing with Carlos Prates is truly special.
To put his impact on the Welterweight division into perspective, only legends like Chris Lytle (10 fight bonuses), Matt Brown (9 bonuses) and Stephen Thompson (8 bonuses) have earned more total fight bonuses in welterweight history—and all of them needed significantly more fights to get there. Seven performance bonuses in eight fights is not only an impressive achievement but a historic one. Those seven Performance bonuses are not simply a result of a hot streak; they are the most in welterweight history. With fighters like Ian Machado Garry, Michael Morales, Jack Della Maddelena, Buckley, and Brady, the welterweight division is quickly becoming the most exciting division in the UFC, and Prates is leading the charge.
At this point, it’s hard to argue otherwise: Carlos Prates is the most entertaining welterweight in UFC history. Since he arrived in 2024, Prates has carved out a place among the most exciting fighters of all time alongside names such as Charles Oliveira, Tom Aspinall, and Conor McGregor. The trajectory that Carlos Prates is not just one of a rising welterweight contender, but also of a UFC legend.
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