Islam Makhachev successfully defended his welterweight crown at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, edging out Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47. The grueling victory marked his first defense at 170 pounds and extended his UFC winning streak to a historic 17 fights, eclipsing Anderson Silva’s previous mark.
While the promotion has not announced his next fight, the champion plans to return before Ramadan 2027, with Carlos Prates emerging as the likely challenger. Despite Makhachev’s 29-1 record, UFC featherweight Jean Silva believes his Fighting Nerds teammate has the advantage if they really fight next year.
Jean Silva Explains Why Carlos Prates Can Finish Islam Makhachev
Silva shared his thoughts with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, claiming that Makhachev took unnecessary risks on his feet during his last outing. The No. 5-ranked featherweight insists the champion cannot afford those same exchanges against Prates, who has finished 19 of his opponents by knockout or technical knockout.
“[Makhachev] stood to trade with Ian Garry because Ian Garry doesn’t have the kind of knockout power that Prates does,” Silva told MMA Fighting. “He’s not going to stand and trade with Prates. That’s a huge advantage for Carlos Prates, because he knows that the moment he lands his hand, the fight is over. It’s five rounds. I doubt he can go five rounds without taking a big shot from Prates.”
Jean Silva is confident Carlos Prates will be the one to dethrone Islam Makhachev:
“The moment he lands his hand, the fight is over, It’s five rounds. I doubt he can go five rounds without taking a big shot from Prates.”
(🎥 @guicruzzz) https://t.co/0wQ9C26NFd
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 13, 2026
Recent fight footage from UFC 330 supports Silva’s warning. Makhachev dropped Garry with a head kick early in the fight, but Garry fought back and out-struck the tired champion in the third round.
This makes the game plan for both men obvious. Makhachev will likely rely heavily on his wrestling, just like he did when he controlled Garry on the ground for over 12 minutes. Prates must stop these takedowns and get back up to keep the fight on the feet.
In fact, Prates already expects an early wrestling storm and plans to survive it before hunting for a knockout in the later rounds. He already warned that the champion’s ground game will not work on him.
Moreover, branding himself “Wrestling’s worst nightmare” in a recent video on social media, his coach Eric Albarracin added, “He smokes American cigarettes, he drinks Irish whiskey, he breaks women’s hearts, and he’s coming to dethrone the pound-for-pound king!”
Carlos Prates calls out Islam Makhachev and says he’s “wrestling’s worst nightmare” 👀 https://t.co/szwwsoNjxr
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 9, 2026
Prates (24-7) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Ian Machado Garry back in April 2025. Following that setback, “The Nightmare” went on a tear, knocking out Geoff Neal, stopping former champion Leon Edwards in the second round at UFC 322, and finishing former champion Jack Della Maddalena with a third-round TKO on May 2 in Perth. Prates has won all seven of his UFC victories by knockout.
Recent reports reveal that the promotion is working behind the scenes to headline UFC 336 on Jan. 30 with this title fight, though the date has not yet been officially announced
