Garry holds off Prates to win UFC Kansas City main event
Ian Machado Garry overcame a late surge from Carlos Prates to win the UFC Kansas City main event via unanimous decision Saturday night at T-Mobile Center.
The judges scored the fight 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in Garry's favor.
Garry, the No. 7-ranked welterweight, handed Prates his first UFC loss. Prates, ranked No. 13, debuted in the promotion in February 2024 and won each of his first four fights by knockout.
Garry's performance was exceptional through the first four rounds of the fight. He stayed busier than Prates on the feet, controlled the distance, and picked his opponent apart with a variety of strikes. Garry also secured four takedowns on 19 attempts. He said he used his ground game to stop Prates from "getting comfortable on the front foot."
"If you let him get comfortable, he'll put your ass out," Garry said.
Prates rallied hard in the fifth round in search of a come-from-behind finish. He walked Garry down, landing combinations, and then wound up on top with a minute left following a scramble on the ground. Prates battered Garry with ferocious ground-and-pound, but Garry survived and comfortably won on the scorecards.
Garry said he wasn't badly hurt during Prates' late onslaught.
"I was conscious at every moment," Garry said.
He added: "I was completely in control. Just wanted to be safe and not do something stupid, because that can happen in some of these fights."
Garry returned to the win column after suffering his first career loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 last December. UFC CEO Dana White said the 27-year-old Irishman will be the backup fighter for the UFC 315 main event between welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena, which takes place May 10 in Montreal.
"In two weeks' time, I'm flying to Canada," Garry said. "I'm the official backup for the world title fight, and I'm next in line for that world title."
Garry, who made his Octagon debut in 2021, lifted his promotional record to 9-1 and his professional mark to 16-1.
Prates, a 31-year-old from Brazil, fell to 4-1 in the UFC and 21-7 as a pro.