Jean Silva Backs Carlos Prates to KO Makhachev and Take the 170 Belt

Carlos Prates says the paperwork is basically done: an agreement with the UFC to challenge welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, with only a date and venue left to sort. And his Fighting Nerds teammate Jean Silva isn't hedging on the outcome — he thinks Prates (24-7, 19 KOs) is the man who brings the 170-pound strap back to Brazil.

Prates earned the slot the hard way. He knocked off former champ Leon Edwards, then starched Jack Della Maddalena with elbows in the third round, the same Della Maddalena who later dropped the belt to Makhachev on a lopsided decision. Makhachev has since defended once, outpointing Ian Machado Garry. Silva's read on that fight is the whole basis for his pick.

Why Silva Likes the Puncher

Silva's argument is simple. Makhachev was willing to trade with Garry because Garry doesn't carry one-punch power. Prates does — 19 of his 24 wins come by knockout — and Silva doubts Makhachev will stand in that pocket for 25 minutes without eating something that ends the night. In his words, the moment Prates lands a clean hand, it's over, and five rounds is a long time to dodge it.

It's a bold take given who's across the cage. Makhachev's resume speaks for itself, and his grappling is the great equalizer against any striker. But Silva's betting that five rounds of risk management against a knockout artist is a game Makhachev would rather not play.

A Whole Gym Climbing

This isn't just a one-man run. Silva himself sits at 7-1 in the UFC after finishing Jose Delgado in September, angling for a featherweight title shot against the winner of Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev. Middleweight Caio Borralho (18-2, #5) is also stacking wins and chasing 185-pound gold. Three teammates from the same São Paulo gym, all within shouting distance of a belt.

Silva frames the Fighting Nerds surge as earned, not lucky — the product of sitting down, studying, and planning inside the limits of reality. Nobody stumbled into a title shot, he says. They worked for it, and the results are just the math catching up. Now Prates gets the biggest test of the lot.