Outside Source
The UFC welterweight division is currently teeming with title contenders. Islam Makhachev became the new welterweight champion with a dominant victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 on Saturday. Meanwhile, Prates announced himself as a legitimate contender by knocking out former champion Leon Edwards on the main card. The same card saw Michael Morales emerge as a contender with a first-round knockout win over Sean Brady.
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Meanwhile, Ian Garry will face Belal Muhammad in another potential title eliminator in the co-main event at UFC Qatar next weekend at the ABHA Arena in Doha. However, Prates isn’t worried about Garry jumping ahead of him or Morales in the title race. While “The Nightmare” believes Garry can beat Muhammad, he doesn’t think the Irishman can do it convincingly enough to warrant an immediate title shot. Prates notes that it’s difficult to earn a highlight-reel stoppage win against the former champion. If not him, Prates believes the undefeated Ecuadorian, Morales, is next in line for the welterweight title shot.
A Difficult Matchup
“I think the next one is gonna be me or Morales,” Prates told Full Send MMA. “I think Ian Garry can win against Belal, but I don’t think he can win in a really good way, like a knockout. So I don’t think he is gonna be the next for the title shot. Because Belal is hard to knock out… If I don’t fight for the belt, Morales is gonna fight for the belt.”
Prates (23-7) has finished all six of his UFC opponents so far, while only dropping a decision against Garry (16-1) this past April. Garry’s win over Prates saw him rebound from his lone career loss against Shavkat Rakhmonov. Meanwhile, Muhammad (24-4) lost his title to Maddalena this past May in a shocking upset, marking the end of an 11-fight unbeaten streak.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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