Prates backs Ruffy to beat Chandler despite Fighting Nerds split

Carlos Prates is backing Mauricio Ruffy to defeat Michael Chandler at UFC White House on June 14, despite Ruffy’s recent and official departure from their shared Fighting Nerds team in São Paulo, Brazil.

“He has his own team,” Prates said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “He’s really smart and intelligent. I’m sure he is doing a really good job. I think he’s gonna win against Chandler, I’m really excited to watch the fight… For me, no [hard feelings].”

Ruffy’s exit from the Fighting Nerds was not entirely clean. He first stepped away from the team following his UFC loss to Benoit St. Denis last year, temporarily joining City Kickboxing in New Zealand. He returned to the octagon under that arrangement and knocked out Rafael Fiziev in January before officially cutting ties with the Fighting Nerds altogether. A personal falling out with teammate Jean Silva — whom Ruffy had once considered one of his closest friends and mentors — compounded the split, with Silva publicly confirming the friendship was over.

Prates, however, represents a different tone within the camp. Head coach Pablo Sucupira has echoed that sentiment, stating the doors at Fighting Nerds remain open to Ruffy should he ever wish to return, even for a short training camp. Ruffy (13-2) has reportedly assembled his own coaching setup for the Chandler (23-10) fight.

The Fighting Nerds rose rapidly through the UFC ranks as a collective, with Prates, Ruffy, Silva and Caio Borralho all finding success under Sucupira’s guidance. Their shared identity — symbolised by the nerd glasses they wore — made them one of the more recognisable team brands in recent UFC history. Ruffy’s departure marks a significant fracture in that story, even if not everyone within the group views it with bitterness.

For Prates, the focus is squarely on what Ruffy can do next rather than how he left.