'Sorry'… Carlos Prates issues social media statement after first UFC loss against Ian Garry (2025)

The main event in Kansas City saw one of the welterweight division’s most exciting contenders suffer his first defeat inside the Octagon.

Carlos Prates was a breakout star for the UFC in 2024 after he racked up four consecutive knockout wins to ascend up the 170-pound pecking order.

In his second main event, Prates looked to silence the criticisms of Ian Machado Garry who had labelled him a quitter based on footage of one of his old fights.

‘The Nightmare’ certainly didn’t give up but he didn’t emerge victorious either with Machado Garry beating Prates via unanimous decision at the end of five rounds.

His stock has certainly taken a hit after many fans questioned why he didn’t push harder to try and finish the fight in the closing moments after hurting his opponent.

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Carlos Prates reflects on his first UFC loss in Kansas City in a social media statement

In the four fights that we had seen from Carlos Prates inside the Octagon before his outing in Kansas City, it was clear that the Brazilian is incredibly dangerous early on in the fight.

His explosive power would be his key to victory against Ian Machado Garry but he wasn’t able to find a home for it in the opening rounds.

Instead, it was the Irishman who dominated the first three rounds, winning them on all three scorecards, before Prates had a late resurgence to try and turn the tables.

‘The Nightmare’ needed a finish heading into the fifth round and he seemingly came close to producing a remarkable comeback in the final minutes but Machado Garry did enough to survive.

Some fans were critical of Prates for letting his opponent off the hook as he let ‘The Future’ back to his feet and didn’t throw any more strikes as the clock began to ran down.

His second main event was certainly an experience that the 31-year-old will learn from going forward and he echoed that sentiment in his first social media post after the defeat.

Prates wrote a brief message on his Instagram story where he reflected on being unable to put Machado Garry away.

“Unfortunately I couldn’t end the fight and that wasn’t enough. Sorry family, I’ll come back stronger!”

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Carlos Prates should return against his originally scheduled opponent

Carlos Prates’ momentum may have been slowed down in Kansas City but there is a fight that he was originally scheduled for that could help bring this back.

He came up short against one of the top contenders in the division but the Fighting Nerds athlete is so popular with such an exciting style that he’s sure to get another big matchup next time out.

Before he received a big opportunity to face Ian Machado Garry, Prates was booked to face the #10-ranked Geoff Neal at UFC 314 and no one is going to be annoyed about seeing them get put back together.

We learned a lot about Prates after he went the distance for the first time but he’s still going to be a must-watch name at 170-pounds if he can bounce back.