Daniel Cormier thinks Carlos Prates is ready for title shot following UFC Perth: “Nobody would complain”

If Carlos Prates gets the next UFC welterweight title shot, Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe there would be much complaining.

Prates was in action this past Saturday against former 170-pound champion Jack Della Maddalena. The bout headlined UFC Perth, so Maddalena had the crowd advantage but that didn’t make a difference at all. Prates scored a third-round TKO victory in emphatic fashion to emerge as a top welterweight contender.

While many have speculated that Ian Machado Garry will be Islam Makhachev’s first challenger at welterweight, some have wondered if Prates will leapfrog him. Garry is the last fighter to score a win over Prates, but Cormier noted on his YouTube channel that he feels this is a different version of “The Nightmare” (via MMAJunkie).

“That performance told me two things: One, Prates is ready to compete for the UFC championship. Two, Prates learned (from his loss),” Cormier said. “Against Ian Garry, he froze. He did not fight well, and Ian Garry’s an absolute stud. I don’t care what you think of him. Ian Garry’s an absolute stud, but in that fight, Carlos looked like he just wasn’t ready. We had him smoking cigarettes all over the internet the week of the fight – all these things that just didn’t seem like he was ready for the spotlight the main event carries. Not this time, though.”

Cormier went on to say that if Prates gets called upon to challenge Makhachev instead, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“I watched him deliver at a level that tells me he’s championship-ready. Dude’s championship-ready right now. Here’s the issue: The weight class is so stacked. It feels like it’s going to be Ian Garry, but if it was to be Prates after that, nobody would complain. I’ll tell you why: We just saw Islam beat Jack Della Maddalena in the way that he did. We saw him dominate JDM to win the championship. The way Islam beat Jack was not nearly as impressive as what Carlos Prates did.”

Prates has already called for a title opportunity at 170 pounds. Whether or not he will be the first one to challenge Makhachev for the UFC Welterweight Championship remains to be seen.

What would your reaction be if Islam Makhachev vs. Carlos Prates is announced? Tell us in the comments below.