A main member of the Fighting Nerds contingent in the UFC is watching other divisions closely.
Current lightweight king Ilia Topuria claimed the vacant throne by punching out Charles Oliveira in June. This victory propelled Topuria into rarified air, as he secured a belt in a second weight class, something only a few athletes have done in the Octagon. While Topuria is Sherdog’s No. 1 Pound-for-Pound fighter on our rankings, count Carlos Prates among those that think his time will soon be up.
Speaking to Sherdog on Thursday, Prates guaranteed the current lightweight champion would have a hard time at featherweight against Jean Silva as well as at 155 pounds against Mauricio Ruffy.