Carlos Prates gets his wish – well, at least half of it.
While he won’t be fighting in Rio de Janeiro, Prates (22-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will be fighting exactly who he requested. He’ll fight former welterweight champion Leon Edwards (22-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC) in a three-round bout at UFC 322, which takes place Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York. UFC CEO Dana White announced the bout Thursday evening on Instagram Live.
Prates, 32, rides high off a big knockout win over Geoff Neal at UFC 319 on Aug. 16. The victory bounced him back from a unanimous decision loss to Ian Machado Garry in April. All five of Prates’ wins have come by knockout.
Edwards, 34, aims to snap the first two-fight skid of his career. After he lost the title to Belal Muhammad, Edwards was submitted by Sean Brady in March. The two losses came after 13 straight fights without defeat.
With the addition, the UFC 322 lineup includes:
- Champion Jack Della Maddalena vs Islam Makhachev – for welterweight title
- Champion Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili – for women’s flyweight title
- Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates
- Erin Blanchfield vs. Tracy Cortez
