Carlos Prates has heard Michael Morales say he’s afraid of him, and he’s not buying it. In a video shared by Red Corner MMA, Prates appears to brush off the accusation with real pity in his voice: “Dude is saying I’m scared to fight him, poor guy. I’ll fight him right now if he wants.” MMA Sucka framed the exchange as a fallout from leaked DMs between the two, and the Red Corner caption suggests the conversation happened before the UFC formally booked them. The timing barely matters now, because the fight is booked and both men are leaning into it.
They meet for the interim welterweight title on January 30 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Essentially Sports reports it’s the co-main event under Joshua Van’s flyweight title defense against Manel Kape. That’s more than three months away, which leaves plenty of time for both of them to keep talking.
How We Got Here
Prates was originally lined up to challenge champion Islam Makhachev on that Toronto card. Makhachev stepped aside, the UFC created an interim belt, and Morales got the call. Prates didn’t take the Makhachev news quietly. He called the champion a coward in a viral rant and blamed him for denying him a title opportunity.
This back and forth with Morales goes back months. About two months ago, Prates reportedly insisted he wasn’t scared and said he was the No. 1 contender who wanted the belt first. “If they offer me, of course I will knock you out really fast, first round,” he said at the time, adding that the UFC had never offered him the matchup. Then the two were filmed talking at UFC 330, where Makhachev defended against Ian Machado Garry, and people started guessing about who would get the next shot.
Morales has been just as loud since the booking. “You called me a coward, but you needed ten months to get ready to fight me?” he wrote. He followed it with a jab about conditioning: “Now shut your mouth and quit smoking, because trust me, you’re gonna need those lungs.”
The Résumés
Prates came through Dana White’s Contender Series 60 and debuted in the UFC on February 10, 2024. His only promotional loss came against Garry on April 26, 2025. Every one of his wins has been a stoppage, including back-to-back Performance bonuses and a second-round knockout of Leon Edwards at UFC 322.
Morales earned his contract on DWCS 40 and debuted in January 2022. He’s unbeaten in his last three, and all three ended in the first round. The most recent was a first-round finish of Sean Brady on that same UFC 322 card. Morales has also called out Shavkat Rakhmonov and traded words with Garry, so he doesn’t seem to mind which contender he insults.
My take: the trash talk is entertaining, but the lung comment from Morales is the line I’d pay attention to. He has finished three straight fights in Round 1, which tells you how dangerous he is early and also tells you we haven’t seen much of his late-fight gas tank against this level. Prates has knocked people out deeper into fights, including Edwards in Round 2. If this goes past the first five minutes, I’d want to be holding a Prates ticket at whatever price the books post. Lines haven’t been posted in the sources I’ve seen, so check back when they open.
