Carlos Prates says he would do physical harm to Conor McGregor
in a cage. | 📷: Getty/UFC

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Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Carlos
Prates claims he would be a tough matchup for Conor
McGregor.

McGregor (22-7) returned to action after five years in a
welterweight matchup against Max
Holloway (28-9) at
UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Irishman's highly
anticipated return ended in 69 seconds after he injured his right
knee on the first kick he threw. While there were rumblings of
McGregor vs. Prates before the Holloway rematch was confirmed, the
Brazilian believes it wouldn't have worked out for the former
two-division champ.

Carlos Prates has a warning for Conor McGregor: ‘I would hurt
you'

Reacting to UFC 329's headliner, Prates says he would significantly
damage the UFC legend if they were to fight. “The Nightmareâ€
advises McGregor to never accept a booking against him. Prates also
believes that McGregor has already cemented his legacy and should
make way for the new generation now. He further took a dig at the
Irish star's mohawk, which he donned for his latest outing.

“If I fight against u, I would hurt you bad bro,†Prates wrote on
his Instagram stories. “[It's] alright don't accept the fight
against me Mc chicken. And have your legacy already, now it's time
for the new generation. And never cut your hair like this
again.â€

Prates (24-7) has finished all seven of his UFC wins so far, while
only dropping a decision against Ian Garry,
who challenges Islam
Makhachev for the title at UFC
330. There were initially rumors of McGregor returning to
action against Prates. “Notorious†even claimed that the UFC had
offered him the Brazilian 170-pounder, but the matchup ultimately
fell through in favor of the Holloway rematch.

Carlos
Prates warned Conor
McGregor to never accept a fight against him 😳

“If I fight against you I would hurt you bad bro. Don't accept the
fight against me McChicken. And have your legacy already, now it's
time for the new generation.

And never cut your hair like that… pic.twitter.com/bTAucvpk0p

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
July 12, 2026

Conor
McGregor believes the UFC offered him Carlos
Prates to try and scare him back down to 155

“I said yea, no problem. Send the contract.

They wanted me back down at 155 pounds. So I think they were trying
to throw names at me… yes, no problem.†😅

(via @arielhelwani)
pic.twitter.com/MCTVaO2lNX

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
June 16, 2026

Gable
Steveson blasted through his first potential roadblock in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division and did so
while sustaining minimal damage.

The five-time NCAA All-American wrestler and 2020 Olympic gold
medalist excelled in his long-awaited promotional debut, as he
swept aside Elisha
Ellison with punches and knees in the first round of their
featured
UFC 329 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ellison (5-3, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 2:31 into Round
1.

Steveson (4-0, 1-0 UFC) bypassed a feeling-out process in favor of
a tit-for-tat firefight. He tore into Ellison with front kicks to
the body and power punches upstairs, all while walking through the
return fire. Steveson closed the distance midway through the
opening stanza and smashed his fading adversary with close-range
punches and knee strikes. Ellison ultimately collapsed under all
the punishment.

Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes†winner Robert
Whittaker moved up to 205 pounds and stopped former Fight
Nights Global champion Nikita
Krylov with punches in the third round of their light
heavyweight spat.
Krlyov (31-12, 12-10 UFC) clocked out 61 seconds into Round
3.

Whittaker (27-9, 18-7 UFC) crowded the Ukrainian with punches, his
success in standup exchanges keyed by a potent jab. Krylov's pace
slowed noticeably in the second round and further diminished in the
third. Whittaker capitalized and clipped the Raty Team product with
a pair of wicked right hands, the second of which had his opponent
checking his jaw, turning away from contact and looking for a way
out.

The 35-year-old Whittaker has now posted wins in three UFC weight
classes.

Further down the undercard, Metro Fight Club's Adrian
Yanez wiped out Cody
Garbrandt with punches in the first round of their bantamweight
scrap.
Garbrandt (15-8, 10-8 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:47 into Round
1, falling for the third time in four outings.

Yanez (18-6-1, 7-3-1 UFC) withstood a flurry from the former
champion at the start and eventually clipped him with a pair of
counter right hooks. Garbrandt wobbled where he stood and could not
weather the avalanche of punched that followed. Hooks from both
hands tipped the Yanez spear and left his dazed-and-confused
counterpart wrecked at the base of the cage.

The victory was Yanez's first in more than two years.

Not to be outshined, Next Generation MMA standout Luke Riley
kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took care of
Kai
Kamaka III with punches and knees in the first round of their
featherweight battle.
Riley (14-0, 3-0 UFC) sealed the deal 3:03 into Round
1.

Kamaka (18-8-1, 2-3-1 UFC) enjoyed significant success with kicks
to the Englishman's lower lead leg and a few left hooks, but he
lacked the firepower necessary to go shot for shot with his
27-year-old opponent. Riley sat him down with a clean right,
allowed him to stand and then swarmed with knees and punches for
the finish.

The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Kamaka.

Elsewhere, fast-rising Nova Uniao prospect Damian
Pinas punched out Cesar
Almeida in the first round of their middleweight affair.

Almeida (7-3, 3-3 UFC) met his end 4:44 into Round 1,
as the Matheus Naccahce protégé suffered his second consecutive
setback.

Pinas (10-1, 2-0 UFC) exchanged high-velocity kicks and punches to
all levels with the experienced Brazilian kickboxer. Late in the
first round, the Aruban sent a devastating right cross crashing
through Almeida's defenses. The Lotus MMA product hit the deck in a
dazed state and absorbed one standing-to-ground hammerfist from
Pinas before referee Chris Tognoni waved it off.

The 24-year-old Pinas has won six fights in a row, five of them via
stoppage.

Deeper into the prelims, Ryan Gandra
dispatched fellow Dana White's Contender Series graduate Zachary
Reese with punches in the first round of their middleweight
tilt. Gandra (10-1, 2-0 UFC) brought it to a close 1:15 into Round
1, as he nailed down the seventh first-round finish of his
career.

Reese (10-4, 4-4 UFC) landed a few kicks to the body and lead leg
but lowered his shields at the wrong time.
Gandra floored him with a counter left hook and proceeded to slam
the door with a series of follow-up punches that prompted referee
Mike Beltran to intervene.

Gandra, 31, now finds himself on a nine-fight winning streak.

Finally, Lobo Gym export Alessandro
Costa filled in as a late-notice replacement for Ode
Osbourne and put away Cody Durden
with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight
encounter.
Durden (18-11-1, 7-9-1 UFC) conceded defeat 2:19 into Round
2, losing for the fifth time in six appearances.

Costa (17-5, 5-3 UFC) connected with the more consequential blows
throughout a competitive first round, then waited for an opening to
present itself. Durden slipped while throwing a kick and wound up
pinned to the mat against a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt early in the middle stanza. Costa flowed from side control to
the back, secured his position with a body triangle and
transitioned from a neck crank to the fight-ending choke.

The 30-year-old Costa has rattled off three straight victories.

In other action, Farid
Basharat (16-0, 7-0 UFC) laid claim to a unanimous decision
over John Garza
(6-2, 0-1 UFC) in their three-round bantamweight pairing, as he
earned 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges; and
Cong
Wang (10-1, 5-1 UFC) outstruck Tracy
Cortez (12-4, 6-3 UFC) to a unanimous decision—29-27, 29-27,
29-27—in their three-round women's flyweight confrontation.

Gable Steveson reflected on his successful Octagon debut at UFC
329. | 📷: Getty/UFC

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Ultimate Fighting Championship newcomer Gable
Steveson wanted Elisha
Ellison to feel “pressure†and “pain†at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas.

The U.S. Olympic gold medalist wrestler finished the fight against
Ellison via TKO at the 2:31 mark of their heavyweight clash at UFC
329. Following his debut Octagon win, Steveson discussed his
intentions going into the bout.

Gable Steveson's UFC debut ends with first-round TKO win over
Elisha Ellison

Steveson went into the contest as one of the biggest betting
favorites in UFC history. His performance reflected as much, as he
put away Ellison in the opening round. He out-landed his opponent
41-14 in total strikes.

“See, I wanted Elisha Ellison to feel that pressure; I wanted him
to feel pain. I wanted to go out there and make him quit,†Steveson
said after his win. “And I knew when Elisha Ellison got hit hard,
he would fall down. And he did fall down.â€

Steveson is already one of the most decorated wrestlers in U.S.
history, with two NCAA Division I titles in addition to his gold
medal at the Tokyo Olympics. All four of his MMA victories have
come through first-round knockout.

“When Gable
Steveson walks out, it’s a show.â€

Gable
Steveson reflects about his UFC debut and what fans can expect
from him moving froward. #UFC329

Complete Prelim Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/zJYzZphBW3 pic.twitter.com/ujIbPGwnOH

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
July 12, 2026