McGregor claims UFC floated Prates matchup to scare him away from welterweight

Conor McGregor has accused the UFC of using Carlos Prates as a scare tactic to push him away from welterweight, claiming the promotion dangled the surging contender as a potential opponent before withholding a contract. McGregor (22-6) makes his return from a five-year absence against Max Holloway (27-9) at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, McGregor said he verbally agreed to fight Prates after the Brazilian’s name was put to him, but waited roughly two weeks without receiving any paperwork. “They said to me about [Prates],” McGregor said. “I said, ‘Yeah, no problem. Send the contract.’ So I’m saying yeah for about two weeks. Where’s the contract? No contract came. Do you know what it was? They wanted me back down at 155 pounds.”

McGregor believes the UFC brass was deliberately presenting him with difficult welterweight matchups to steer him toward a lightweight comeback instead. He has competed twice at 170 pounds inside the octagon and is adamant about remaining in the division for his return.

The Prates suggestion was not without logic from a matchmaking standpoint. The Brazilian (24-7) has finished all seven of his UFC victories and suffered only a decision loss to Ian Garry. He further strengthened his title credentials in May with a brutal knockout of former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena, a result that put the wider division on notice.

Instead of Prates, McGregor will share the cage with Holloway — a former featherweight champion stepping up in weight — in what will be one of the most high-profile UFC bouts of the year. Whether the welterweight landscape, and any potential future matchups with the division’s elite, factors into McGregor’s plans beyond UFC 329 remains to be seen.