UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Prates card on November 9 will be special in more ways than one. After all, the card will be a historical one since it would be the one hundredth Fight Night card hosted by the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Not to mention, it is slated to be headlined by an absolute banger of a welterweight clash between a veteran and a young and hungry lion.

After all, Carlos Prates, a DWCS alum, was declared reminiscent of Anderson Silva by UFC CEO Dana White after his Contender Series win. ‘The Nightmare’ is one of the most exciting prospects in the welterweight division, having won a Performance bonus in all three of his UFC fights so far. Prates is set to take on perennial underdog #15 ranked Neil Magny who has a knack for upsets. In this article, we take a look at their matchup and give our prediction for their fight.

UFC Fight Night: Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates prediction and stats

Carlos Prates has been very impressive, not just in the UFC, but in his entire MMA career so far. Overall, he is 20-6 (3-0 in the UFC), but most of his losses came in the early part of ‘The Nightmare’s pro-MMA career. The Brazilian lost his last bout five years ago and all of his other losses came before he turned 25.

While the former ‘SFT Combat’ welterweight champ is primarily a striker, he does have a submission game. Fifteen of Prates’ twenty wins have come via knockout and three of them have been submissions. Needless to say, the Brazilian has a knack for finishes and likes to end things early. While that is a plus for him as a fighter, it may also give Magny a pathway to victory as we will discuss more in depth later.

Neil Magny, on the other hand, is 29-12 in his pro-MMA career. But it is important to note that he has been fighting better competition for a lot longer than the Brazilian. In the UFC, Magny is 22-11 and has lost the last three of his five fights. To be fair, all those losses came against pretty good fighters. Like Prates, Magny, too is a striker but can handle himself defensively on the ground. Now let’s predict how the fight will go.

Magny vs. Prates breakdown and prediction

Neil Magny and Carlos Prates are roughly the same size. While the Brazilian stands at 6’1″ with a 68″ reach, Magny stands at 6’3″ with a slightly larger wingspan of 80 inches. Since their clash is expected to be a mostly stand-up affair, it is important to talk about both men’s striking.

On paper, Prates throws and lands marginally more than Magny, but the #15 ranked 170-pounder has a better defense than the Brazilian. To be fair, Prates is the kind of fighter who is willing to take a shot if he can give one in return and has a lot of confidence in his chin. Not to mention he is more heavy-handed than ‘The Haitian Sensation,’ which may nullify the defensive disadvantage Prates has on paper.

If the fight ends early, it will most probably be the -800 DraftKings favorite Prates, who emerges victorious. If however, the fight goes the distance, Magny may spring another big upset. Prates, after all, likes to party and hasn’t fought more than three rounds, and his penchant for smoking and drinking will stress-test his cardio in the later rounds. That is where Magny could shine and piece apart Prates to take a decision win. What is your prediction for the Neil Magny vs. Carlos Prates fight?