Jean Silva backs Carlos Prates to end Makhachev's reign: 'The moment he lands his hand, it's over'

Carlos Prates is closing in on a UFC welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev, and his Fighting Nerds teammate Jean Silva is convinced the Brazilian has the tools to end the champion’s dominant reign.

Prates secured his position as the leading contender by finishing two former welterweight champions in succession — Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena. Makhachev, meanwhile, claimed the 170-pound title with a dominant decision over Maddalena before defending it for the first time against Ian Machado Garry.

Silva, who improved to 7-1 in the UFC with a finish of Jose Delgado in September and is now eyeing a featherweight title shot, pointed to Makhachev’s willingness to trade with Garry as a critical miscalculation the champion cannot afford to repeat.

“He stood to trade with Ian Garry, because Ian Garry doesn’t have the kind of knockout power that Prates has,” Silva told MMA Fighting. “He’s not going to stand and trade with Prates. That’s a huge advantage for Carlos Prates, because he knows that the moment he lands his hand, the fight is over. It’s five rounds. I doubt he can go five rounds without taking a big shot from Prates.”

Prates has publicly stated he has an agreement in place with the UFC for the title challenge, with a date and location still to be confirmed.

The Fighting Nerds gym in São Paulo has become one of the UFC’s most productive training camps, with Silva himself on the cusp of a featherweight title shot and heavyweight contender Caio Borralho also climbing the middleweight rankings toward the 185-pound belt.

For Silva, the cluster of title contenders emerging from a single gym is the product of deliberate preparation rather than fortune.

“It’s about knowing that proper planning, within the realm of reality, works,” Silva said. “It shows that the more people sit down and study, the more we can accomplish things that nobody has done before. We weren’t just walking down the street and stumbled upon a million dollars. No, we worked to earn a million dollars. That’s normal.”