Carlos Prates says the UFC is now paying him seven figures every time he steps in the cage. In comments carried by Fighters Weekly, the Brazilian contender said his newly signed contract is worth more than $1 million per fight. “It’s more than $1M per fight. I’m really happy,” Prates said, and he repeated the “really happy” part in case anyone missed it.
In the same news cycle, Prates took a swing at Islam Makhachev over their canceled matchup. Speaking to Oscar Willis, he floated the idea that the champion backed out because he’s comfortable, which is a different charge from cowardice. “Maybe he’s lazy. Maybe he don’t want to do a fight camp right now,” Prates said. He added that Makhachev might want more time off and is, in Prates’ words, extremely rich. Prates was explicit that he doesn’t think fear is the issue: “I think not because he’s scared.”
What White said
The Prates comments landed right after Dana White put the withdrawal on the record. White told reporters, in footage shared by The Mac Life, that Makhachev had agreed to the fight before stepping away. “Yeah, it was verbally agreed,” White said. Championship Rounds’ summary of the remarks tied that agreement to January.
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White didn’t sound thrilled about it. He said he can’t tell what Makhachev is thinking or what he wants next, and he made his preference for an active champion plain: “I don’t expect you to fight 3 times a year, but twice would be nice.” He also pointed out that a champion sitting out starts to back up a division full of fighters who want title shots.
White then offered a broader explanation that lines up almost exactly with Prates’ read. Asked why stars like Khamzat Chimaev, Ilia Topuria and Makhachev fight about once a year, White pinned it on money. “I think it’s money, I mean once you get so much money,” he said, explaining that young, hungry fighters want to fight often to get paid, while fighters who have already banked enough don’t feel the same pressure.
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Prates had already made his feelings known before the contract news. He reposted a Makhachev quote from the UFC Performance Institute and added three lying-face emojis, which is about as clear as a repost gets.
Quick take
The funny part is that the promoter and the snubbed contender just gave the same diagnosis from opposite ends of the table. White’s version is polite and Prates’ version is the one you’d hear in a locker room, but both of them are telling you Makhachev’s calendar is now set by his bank account. I don’t love it. A champion who verbally agrees to a fight and then walks away leaves everybody behind him stuck in the hallway, and Prates is now a $1 million-per-fight hallway occupant with every reason to keep talking. If Makhachev wants the lazy label gone, the fix costs him one training camp. Until he books one, Prates gets to keep the line, and he’s earned the right to keep repeating it.
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