Carlos Prates’ fantastic 2024 could have been even more epic but broken foot derailed it

There’s no denying that UFC Welterweight Carlos Prates enjoyed one of the most impressive rookie years in recent memory. His reward? A top-10 showdown with Geoff Neal at UFC 314 on Sat., April 12, 2025, set to take place at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

Remarkably, Prates’ 2024 could have been even more extraordinary if not for an untimely injury.

“Many things happened this past year. For two days of my life, I had [potential] fights with Leon Edwards, and then it didn’t happen. Then I almost fought Shavkat Rakhmonov, but now I’m fighting Geoff Neal,” Prates told MMAMania.com.

watch highlights), marking his fourth win of the year. Shortly after, behind the scenes, he was tapped to replace Belal Muhammad against Rakhmonov at UFC 310—only to be sidelined by an existing injury.

here.