Carlos Prates Set for Pivotal Clash with Geoff Neal at UFC 319
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Carlos Prates is set for a fairly quick turnaround at UFC 319 when he faces off against veteran Geoff Neal.
Prates’ scheduled bout comes just four months after his first UFC loss, when Ian Garry beat the Brazilian by unanimous decision in a five-round main event. Until this point, Prates was on a vicious 13-fight winning streak in MMA, finishing all of his last five opponents. Understandably, Prates was a favorite to beat Garry.
It seemed Garry’s wrestling and grappling took Prates by surprise, as the fighting nerd struggled to find his range all night. However, Prates remains motivated after the loss, and his upcoming fight could be the ideal matchup for him to regain momentum.
Why is Neal A Good Opponent for Prates?
We expect this to be a classic three-round stand-up war with a high volume of strikes, which will favor Prates.
| Carlos Prates TD Avg | Geoff Neal TD Avg |
| 0.25 | 0.56 |
Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes, according to UFC Stats
As we know, before the loss to Garry, Prates didn’t leave it to the judges when it came to his fights, finishing most by strikes in earlier rounds. Prates often looks to utilize weapons at range with jabs, straights, and kicks to find different angles. Something that benefits him going into this one.
Neal packs a punch, but he often fights flat-footed and relies heavily on counter punches, making his striking predictable. This was evident in his fights against both Shavkat Rakhmonov and Stephen Thompson, where he was outstruck by fighters who used different angles against him.
After a closely contested five rounds against Garry, Prates has shown even more evidence of his ability to keep fights competitive in later rounds. He even almost finished Garry in the last round. Neal, on the other hand, has consistently shown signs of fading in the final round. Most notably in his decision loss to Neil Magny and, more recently, when he was stopped by Rakhmonov in the third.
With age also on Prates’ side, a win over Neal could shape an exciting 2026 for “The Nightmare”.
A Win Over Neal Gets Prates Into the Top 10
Prates, currently ranked #12 on the UFC’s welterweight rankings, is fighting someone in Neal who is above him at number #11.
It would be no surprise to see Prates leapfrog both #8 Joaquin Buckley and #9 Colby Covington, who both lost their last fights. The welterweight division itself has many question marks over it right now, as a new era is underway with Jack Della Maddalena as champ.
Prates is still on 31-years-old and has taken minimal damage so far in the sport. Still improving and staying active, Prates is almost certain to keep climbing the rankings. A win over Neal would take him one step closer to a potential title-eliminator sometime next year.
From start times to who’s fighting on the card, here’s everything else you need to know about UFC 319.
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