The time has finally come for the UFC Kansas City Main Event as we’ll see two ranked beasts in the Welterweight (170) Division face off for a desirable spot in the standings. No. 7-ranked Ian Machado Garry of Ireland will take on Brazil’s No. 13 Carlos Prates in a can’t miss fight atop this card. Check the UFC odds series for our Garry-Prates prediction and pick.
Ian Machado Garry (15-1) has gone 8-1 inside the UFC since 2021. He rode an eight-fight unbeaten streak since entering the promotion and has been one of the most exciting fighters on the roster. He fell short during his bout agains top contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, but he’s determined to prove himself once again as a title hopeful. Garry stands 6-foot-3 with a 74.5-inch reach.
Carlos Prates (21-6) went a perfect 4-0 inside the UFC since debuting last year in 2024. He’s won all four of his fights via devastating knockout and has earned “Performance of the Night” honors on each occasion. He’s had about as perfect of a start that anyone can have, but he’ll face his strongest opposition to-date in Garry. Prates stands 6-foot-1 with a 78-inch reach.
Here are the UFC Kansas City Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
Ian Machado Garry: -130
Carlos Prates: +110
Over 3.5 rounds: -125
Under 3.5 rounds: -105
Ian Machado Garry gained a ton of respect by not beating around the bush and choosing to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov for his chance at the No. 1 contender spot. While Garry was clearly outmatched at points throughout the fight, he managed to keep himself rather safe and didn’t look to be at risk of the knockout. He proved he could hang with any of the top-level fighters in the division and he has double the experience Prates has in the UFC.
Garry is also supremely confident in his skill set as a striker and he knows his boxing is levels above that of Prates. His defense has also been solid throughout his whole career, but he’ll be dealing with a true one-punch knockout artist in Prates during this one. While he’s not much of a submission threat, his constant work with Charles Oliveira during his training camps has significantly improved his grappling as we’ve seen him show greater competence on the ground.
Carlos Prates has arrived as the new boogeyman of the Welterweight Division and his 4-0 start with four knockouts is reminiscent of the start we saw when Alex Pereira first arrived to the UFC. Prates fights with a similar straight-up style where he generates a ton of sneaky power from his stance. Prates also doesn’t telegraph most of his punches and is able to throw combinations from unique angles without much tell. His leg kicks to the body and head are terrifying and if he’s able to land clean on Garry, he’s bound to put him in some serious trouble.
Carlos Prates, while erratic at times, has shown great patience as a relatively new prospect onto the scene. Much of that is thanks to his training with the Fighting Nerds Camp with fellow teammates Jean Silva and Caio Borralho constantly improving each others games. It seems as though Prates is only continuing to get better as his game rounds out, but he’ll have to put serious focus into his training and making sure he’s in shape to face a disciplined fighter like Garry.
This is easily one of the better Fight Night Main Events we’ve seen during this calendar year as both men are two of the top strikers in the division. Ian Machado Garry continues to prove himself as a potential title challenger at Welterweight while Prates is looking to continue his devastating streak of knockouts.
Garry is certainly the more disciplined fighter and his defense should hold up well against the striking of Prates. However, Prates’ reckless abandon is what makes him most dangerous and it’ll be interesting to see how Garry handles not being able to dictate the pace himself.
With Ian Machado Garry is the more skilled fight all-around, it’s hard to bet against Carlos Prates right now and his dangerous striking skill set. Unless Garry can tie him up on the ground, I don’t see Prates giving up too much in the striking and it’s hard to imagine he falls behind in the overall numbers. He’s also got the massive knockout upside, so we’ll side with him for our final prediction as he continue to climb the rankings.
Final Ian Machado Garry-Carlos Prates Prediction & Pick: Carlos Prates (+110)
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The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
The New York Yankees already made headlines by acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. That may not be their only move ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Yankees have an extensive shopping list. While a right-handed hitting infielder is a priority, New York is also looking for help in the rotation and bullpen. Acquiring McMahon may have contributed to the push for a right-handed hitting infielder. McMahon has struggled against left-handed pitching throughout his career, posting a .231/.307/.378 batting line in 1,079 plate appearances, hitting 34 homers and 35 doubles. Those struggles have been even more pronounced this year. McMahon is slashing .207/.289/.310 in 97 plate appearances against southpaws, with two homers and three doubles. Kirschner specifically listed Minnesota Twins utility man Willi Castro as someone the Yankees are targeting, whose career .260/.306/.399 batting line in 689 plate appearances against lefties would make him a solid complement to McMahon. Likewise, the club's pursuit of pitching makes sense. Marcus Stroman has been much better since returning from the injured list at the end of June, but he cannot be considered a reliable option. Rookie Will Warren has been inconsistent, and with Clarke Schmidt likely lost until 2027 due to Tommy John surgery, the rotation needs work. New York's relief corps may be further down the team's needs. While every contending team looks to bolster the bullpen ahead of the trade deadline, the Yanks' upgrades could come from within. Relievers Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. are expected back in August, while fellow reliever Yerry De los Santos was activated from the IL on Saturday. The Yankees still have a lot of work to do ahead of the trade deadline. It could be a busy next few days in the Bronx.
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit into the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .217/.288/.408 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability, and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts, and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
There are only 450 spots in the NBA, 540 if you count two-way contracts. Each year, there's a group of players who hit the free-agency market and quietly fade into the obscurity of professional basketball outside of the NBA's bubble. Most of those players head overseas, either to Europe, Australia or China. In recent years, the jump from the NBA to Europe has grown in popularity. The talent level across the top European leagues has dramatically increased, with some teams now closing in on NBA levels of skill and athleticism. And with that talent increase, the pay has started to rise, too. It makes sense, then, that some notable names for NBA fans have made the jump across the Atlantic this summer. Here are the top three players to head to Europe since the start of the offseason. Lonnie Walker IV This time last summer, there was significant chatter about whether Lonnie Walker IV would earn the 15th and final spot on the Boston Celtics roster. The same roster that had won the NBA championship just months earlier. After seeing his Exhibit 10 deal with Boston expire, Walker ended up heading to Lithuania to play for Zalgiris Kaunas before the Philadelphia 76ers brought him back for the second half of the season. Now, after failing to secure a new contract with the Sixers, Walker is heading to Israel, where he's signed a three-year, $10 million deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Walker will now be one of the highest earners within all of European basketball. Oshae Brissett Walker will join Oshae Brissett over in Tel Aviv, as the former NBA champion has also signed with the franchise this summer. Brissett is just 18 months removed from playing a role on the Celtics roster that won the 2024 championship. Brissett doesn't have the athleticism and scoring skill that Walker brings to the table. As such, he won't be bringing home the same level of pay packet. However, he will undoubtedly be one of the better players, both in the Israeli league and in Europe. Brissett leaves the NBA having played in 233 games, averaging 6.6 points and 3.9 rebounds on 41.9 percent shooting from two-point range and 33.7 percent from deep. Shake Milton Nobody can deny that Shake Milton has outperformed expectations after entering the NBA as the 54th pick in the 2018 draft. He leaves the NBA having suited up for 359 regular-season games and 40 postseason outings. Milton has spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers. Impressively, he's consistently earned playing time, regardless of what roster he's been on. Nevertheless, it would appear that Milton has sought out an opportunity where he can be a core member of a rotation. According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, Milton has signed a two-year deal to play in Serbia for Partizan Belgrade. If he can adjust to the physicality of the Serbian league and the slightly different rules set, Milton could become a high-level player in the domestic league and perhaps even in Europe.