Prates denies ducking Morales and predicts first-round knockout if UFC makes the fight

UFC welterweight contender Carlos Prates has flatly denied avoiding Michael Morales, telling the Ecuadorian he would finish him inside a round if the promotion ever made the fight — though Prates insists a title shot against Islam Makhachev must come first.

The Brazilian, who holds the No. 1 contender ranking at 170 pounds, responded in a video posted online after Morales allegedly claimed that Prates was scared to face him. Prates was direct in his rebuttal.

“If the guy has two arms and two legs like me, bro, I can fight him,” Prates said. “You say I am scared to fight you. I am not scared of a fight with you… I am the No. 1 contender, so I want to fight for the belt. The UFC never offered me a fight against you. If they offered me the fight, of course I would knock you out really fast, in the first round.”

Prates made clear that his priority remains a welterweight title challenge, and that any matchup with Morales would have to wait until after that. “But you will have to wait until I get my belt and then we can fight,” he added.

The sequence Prates has in mind — title shot first, Morales second — has at least partial backing from the champion’s camp. Makhachev has previously indicated he is open to defending against Prates in his next title fight, lending credibility to the Brazilian’s claim that a belt shot is the logical next step rather than a detour through the contender rankings.

Morales, meanwhile, has been building his own case for a top welterweight matchup after a strong run of results. His suggestion that Prates is ducking him appears designed to pressure the UFC into either booking the fight or clarifying the division’s pecking order. Prates, for his part, has made his position unambiguous: he is not afraid of Morales, but he sees no reason to fight a fellow contender when a world title is within reach.