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Carlos Prates of the UFC

Welterweight Sean Brady said that Ian Machado Garry should be “worried” that Carlos Prates has passed him by for the next title shot.

Prates knocked out Jack Della Maddalena last Saturday at UFC Perth in one of the most destructive performances we have ever seen inside the Octagon. With the victory, Prates moved to 7-1 overall in the UFC with seven knockout wins. He also moved up to the No. 2 spot in the official UFC rankings, one spot behind No. 1 contender Machado Garry, who beat Prates by decision in April 2025.

If we go by their recent head-to-head record, it stands to reason that Machado Garry will be next in line to fight UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev for the title. But if you ask one of the welterweight division’s top fighters, Prates has likely done enough to pass Machado Garry by.

Sean Brady Says Ian Machado Garry Has Been Passed by Carlos Prates

Speaking to reporters ahead of UFC 328, Brady — who fights Joaquin Buckley on the main card — was asked what he thought about Prates’ impressive win over Della Maddalena. According to Brady, Prates has now jumped ahead of Machado Garry in the title queue at 170 lbs.

“If Garry didn’t sign that (title fight) contract, Prates is probably getting that (expletive) next,” Brady said, while gushing over Prates’ performance against Della Maddalena.

“Man, Carlos looked great, but I’ve always known, looking at Carlos, you’d better grapple with him. He’s big, he’s long. Obviously, Jack had some success at the end of the first (round), he took him down. Second round, he almost had his back, slid off the top. That was a crucial moment. And yeah, he ended him with kicks,” continued Brady.

“Prates looks amazing. Like I said, if Garry hasn’t signed that title contract, I would be very worried that they might be sliding Prates into there. He’s a superstar. That’s it.”

Welterweight Division Chock Full of Contenders

The UFC welterweight division is chock-full of contenders at the moment. At the top of the 170 lbs ladder is the champ Makhachev, and then right behind him are Machado Garry and Prates, who are both equally deserving of a title shot. Then, you have Michael Morales, who isn’t far behind them either.

After that, you have Brady and Buckley; you have four former UFC welterweight champions in  Kamaru Usman, Belal Muhammad, Leon Edwards, and Della Maddalena; you have rising contenders like Mike Malott, Gabriel Bonfim, Yaroslav Amosov, and Uros Medic; and you have veterans like Michael Page and Daniel Rodriguez filling out the top 15. That’s not even mentioning UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who is rumored to be eyeing a superfight with Makhachev down the road, or UFC superstar Conor McGregor, whose rumored return against Max Holloway at UFC 329 will take place at welterweight. There’s also Shavkat Rakhmonov, the former No. 1 contender who has been out for over 500 days with injuries.

The UFC welterweight division is as good as it’s ever been, and with quality fighters like Prates and Machado Garry at the top of the title queue, the promotion’s matchmakers have a good problem on their hands as they try to figure out who to give the next title shot to.