Carlos Prates has an interim welterweight title fight against Michael Morales booked for January. When Laerte Viana asked him whether anyone at 170 pounds would be a harder fight than Morales, leaving champion Islam Makhachev out of it, Prates gave it some thought and named a friend. His answer was Gabriel Bonfim, the No. 5-ranked Brazilian everyone calls ‘Marretinha.’
Bloody Elbow relayed the interview. Prates was careful about Morales. He acknowledged the danger and the physical strength the Ecuadorian brings, but he made it clear he doesn’t rate Morales as highly on technique, at least next to Bonfim’s all-around game.
“Man, I think so,” Prates told Viana. “He’s good at boxing, he was a boxing champion. He’s good on the ground. He might not be as strong as Morales, but he’s good on the ground. I’m sure he’s better on the ground than Morales.”
Then came the catch. The two have become friends over the years, and Prates said that friendship comes with a price tag on any fight between them.
“Marretinha is my partner, bro,” he said. “I think for us to fight, man, it would only be in a title situation because he’s a kid I really like. We talk, we’ve hung out, we’ve had a few drinks together. When we run into each other, we catch up. He’s a good guy. So for me to fight him, I think it would only be for a belt.”
The strength question about Morales is a real one. He’s known for cutting a lot of weight to make welterweight, and Prates isn’t treating that size lightly in camp. Earlier in the same interview, ‘The Nightmare’ said that for the fighter he is now, Morales would be a tougher assignment than a rematch with Ian Machado Garry, the Irishman responsible for Prates’ only UFC loss. Camp has also taken him home. MMA Sucka posted video of Prates returning to where it all started to prepare for Morales.
Bonfim, meanwhile, is stuck without a dance partner. He was supposed to face Sean Brady this weekend, but Brady withdrew on short notice with a staph infection. Bonfim is left with a full camp behind him and no fight in front of him.
I like this answer more than most of what fighters say in the months before a title fight. The usual line is that whoever’s next is the toughest man alive. Prates instead ranked his own opponent behind a friend, credited Morales’ strength and questioned his ground game in the same breath, and gave a cleaner piece of scouting than you’ll get from a dozen promo packages. Morales will hear it, and he’ll have until January to decide whether it was respect or a jab. The Bonfim clause is smart too. Two Brazilians ranked this high were always going to get asked about each other, and Prates has already settled the terms. If he gets past Morales in January, he’ll be holding exactly the kind of belt that could put his drinking buddy across the cage from him.
