UFC 319: Carlos Prates media day interview
UFC 319 fighter Carlos Prates spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his featured bout vs. Geoff Neal.
CHICAGO – Carlos Prates may have taken a step backward, but he doesn’t think it’ll take long to regain ground.
At UFC 319, Prates (21-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) aims to bounce back from a loss to Ian Machado Garry when he battles Geoff Neal (16-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in a three-round welterweight bout at United Center.
“I learned a lot about how to listen to my coach, first of all, how important the right game plan is,” Neal told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at a pre-fight news conference. “Of course Ian is great. He’s a really smart, really intelligent fighter. But I also learned how to be a complete fighter is important. Sometimes, it’s time to stop thinking about only bonuses and knocking people out and entertaining people, and just focusing on getting the win. Because at the end of the day, getting the win is more important than getting bonuses or something like that.”
Prates, 31, has lost several times in the lead-up to his UFC signing in August 2023. When he walked through the threshold of the UFC roster, Prates quickly ascended up the divisional ladder with knockouts of Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang, and Neil Magny.
When he got to Garry, Prates was competitive and nearly finished the Irishman late. However, Garry proved to be too crafty over the course of five rounds and won by unanimous decision.
Given the nature of that bout and where the division is at, Prates doesn’t think the loss set him back too far. A big knockout victory Saturday could put him back in the mix.
“After (beating) Geoff Neal, it’s going to make life on the top of the division,” Prates said. “You know when you talk about who is close to the title shot? Maybe one, maybe two or three fights? So you have some names there. I lost my last fight and I think my name is not there. But I think after I beat Geoff Neal, my name is going to be back with the guys close enough to a title shot. Maybe three fights or one year (from now) I can fight for the belt.”
