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Carlos Prates understands why Conor McGregor might not want to fight him. | Getty/UFC
While there was no formal fight offered to him by the UFC, Carlos Prates believes there may have been talks within the promotion about showdown with Conor McGregor.
Last month, McGregor revealed that he had been offered a “no name” for his next fight in a since-deleted post on social media.
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‘I Wouldn’t Accept That Fight Either’
“I believe they did offer my name to McGregor and then he chickened out and ran away because I’m a tough matchup, man,” Prates told Laerte Viana in a translated interview (via Championship Rounds). “The guy’s been inactive for five years, and it’s not even in his weight class.
“Even though his last fights were at 170 [pounds], he’s not a natural 170-pounder. I’m coming in with all the hype, knocking everyone out, so if I were in his position, I wouldn’t accept that fight either – no way. I think he probably wants to fight, I don’t know, maybe a former champion or someone like that.”
Though Prates-McGregor rumors didn’t last long, however, as The Fighting Nerds standout is slated to face former 170-pound champion Jack Della Maddalena in the UFC Perth headliner on May 2. “The Nightmare” has been victorious in six of his seven Octagon appearances and is coming off a second-round knockout of Leon Edwards at UFC 322 this past November.
McGregor, meanwhile, is simply teasing a return to action “sometime this summer” after previously all but guaranteeing that he would be part of the UFC’s highly-anticipated White House event. The Dublin native hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
🚨 Carlos Prates says he heard his name was offered to Conor McGregor and McGregor turned it down 😳
“He chickened out and ran away… because I’m a tough matchup, man. The guy’s been inactive for 5 years, and it’s not even in his weight class. I’m coming in with all the hype,… pic.twitter.com/Bh8HmCICjs
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 4, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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