Who Should Get The Next UFC Welterweight Title Shot?

The Case For Carlos Prates

Prates is 33 years old, and he has come into his own as a true UFC superstar these last few years.

He first entered the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) in November 2023 with a knockout win over Mitch Ramirez to earn a UFC contract.

Since joining the UFC, Prates is 7-1 with all seven of his wins coming by knockout, over Trevin Giles, Charles Radtke, Li Jingliang, Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards, and Jack Della Maddalena.

He does have one loss, a unanimous decision defeat to the aformentioned Machado Garry.

In his career, Prates is 24-7 with 22 wins by stoppage, including 19 wins by knockout, and over his last 15 fights, he is 14-1 with 13 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

He has emerged as a true fan favorite and someone who almost everyone wants to see fight for the belt. But the loss to Machado Garry was the one thing holding him back from getting that title shot.

Now that Machado Garry has lost to the champ, however, it opens up room for Prates to get his shot at the title, and there is a good chance he will be next for 170 lbs gold.

But Morales is going to try and get the next title shot, too, leaving the UFC matchmakers facing a difficult decision of who should be next, as they have two fighters who are extremely deserving of getting their crack to fight for gold, but they can only choose one man for the job.

The Case for Michael Morales

Just 27 years of age, Morales is a perfect 19-0 in his MMA career with 15 wins by stoppage. In the UFC alone, he is 7-0, with five wins by knockout.

Morales first joined the UFC after also winning on DWCS, defeating Nikolay Veretennikov via unanimous decision in September 2021 to earn a UFC contract.

Since then, he has won all seven of his UFC fights, including over Trevin Giles (TKO), Adam Fugitt (TKO), Max Griffin (decision), Jake Matthews (decision), Neil Magny (TKO), Gilbert Burns (TKO), and Sean Brady (TKO).

He has two common opponents with Prates — Giles and Magny — whom both men knocked out.

Morales’s biggest win came over Brady, who is one of the top contenders in the UFC welterweight division.

But unlike Prates, who defeated Della Maddalena and Edwards, Morales has zero wins over a former UFC champion.

Still, the fact that he is undefeated, exciting to watch, and was also the official backup fighter for the UFC 330 title fight between Makhachev and Machado Garry means that Morales, along with Prates, is very much in the mix for the next welterweight title shot.

So, with all that being said about both men, who should ultimately get the next title shot at 170 lbs?

In my opinion, it should be Prates, as the UFC needs to strike while the iron is hot.

Morales is only 27 years old, so he still has plenty of time in his career to fight for the belt. Prates, though, is 33, so he does not have the benefit of time.

Prates is also a superstar right now, and the UFC should take advantage of his stardom by granting him the next shot at 170 lbs gold.

Yes, it’s a tough situation for Morales that he will have to wait longer to get his shot at the belt, especially since he did the UFC a favor by being the backup for the UFC 330 welterweight title fight.

But the right move is to give Prates the title shot and then let Morales fight for it next after that.

Since that would mean a lengthy layoff for Morales, he should take another fight in the meantime, perhaps over the aforementioned Della Maddalena, so he can get a former champion’s scalp on his resume and further strengthen his case for the next UFC welterweight title shot after Prates.

Because right now, Prates should be next in line.