Carlos Prates is locking in on a potential title shot as he prepares to face Jack Della Maddalena in the headlining bout of UFC Perth this Saturday.
Prates is coming into the main event on a destructive run, with six knockouts and six $100,000 bonuses in the UFC, including recent knockout wins over Geoff Neal and Leon Edwards. He believes that beating Della Maddalena could be his ticket to gold.
“I’m training like crazy,” Prates said from Rio de Janeiro. “I believe this is the fight that will bring me a title shot so we’re going into it with the best possible expectations.”
Talk had swirled around a potential showdown with Conor McGregor, but Prates made it clear that he and his team were never contacted by the UFC about that matchup. “I didn’t put too much expectation on it, you know?” he said. “Of course, if it happened it would’ve been cool, it would’ve been awesome, but my focus is on Jack Della Maddalena to get the title shot. Now it’s time to move forward and focus on JDM.”
Looking beyond Perth, Prates already has his sights on the division’s summit. “I believe that in terms of media and merit, yes, they’ll give me the title shot if I win this fight against JDM,” he said, adding that his goal is “bringing that opportunity back to Brazil.”
At the top sits Makhachev, who won a decision over Della Maddalena in November 2025 to claim his second UFC belt.
