Charles Oliveira thinks Carlos Prates can solve Islam Makhachev, and he’s got a game plan ready.
“If he lands those kicks to the ribs and calves like Garry, he could catch Islam off guard. If Islam doesn’t secure a finish in the first or second round and Prates maintains his composure, he has everything he needs to win,” Oliveira said, in comments shared on X by the account @DovySimuMMA.
The Garry in question is Ian Garry, whose kicking work Oliveira pointed to as the model. The conditions matter here. Oliveira did not say Prates walks through Makhachev. He said Prates has to survive the early danger, stay calm and chop away at the body and legs. That’s a grappler’s read on how to beat a grappler, which is worth something coming from Oliveira.
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Oliveira is a fourth-degree BJJ black belt who holds the UFC records for most submission wins (17), most finishes (21) and most bonuses (21). He’s a former UFC lightweight champion, the current symbolic BMF titleholder, and sits No. 4 at lightweight in the Knockout Daily rankings at 37-11. He also turned 37 on the day the comments circulated, so apparently he spends birthdays doing other people’s matchmaking.
Prates is the guy Oliveira is betting on. The Vale Top Team product is 24-7 and No. 5 at welterweight in our rankings, with his last fight on May 2, 2026. He came up as a Muay Thai fighter in Thailand and China, finishing opponents with knees and body punches, then knocked his way through the Contender Series and stopped Trevin Giles in Round 2 of his UFC debut on February 10, 2024 for a Performance of the Night bonus. Calm under fire and heavy hands are exactly the traits Oliveira is banking on.
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The obvious hole is the takedown defense, and Prates seems to know it. A clip of him drilling wrestling made the rounds on X on October 15.
Makhachev, for his part, has been in a lighter mood online, trolling his friends in a video and planning a horseback hunting trip to Dagestan with Alexander Volkanovski, according to comments Volkanovski gave TMZ Sports.
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Oliveira has his own business first. He faces Diego Lopes in the main event of UFC 335 on December 12, 2026, and said earlier this week, via @laertevianamma, that a win there should earn him a title shot.
