Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates may have been chummy following their April 2025 clash, but “The Future†is all business inside the Octagon.

Garry has been telling reporters that Prates is the most deserving contender in the welterweight division. The Irish contender's thoughts might be pivotal depending on the outcome of the UFC 330 main event. Garry is set to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC Welterweight Championship on Saturday in Philadelphia.

During a media day scrum (video via Home of Fight), “The Future†said he plans on capturing UFC gold and putting his title at stake against Prates, but he warned the Brazilian bruiser that he's in for a rude awakening.

“Carlos Prates has earned it,†Garry said. “Nobody else in the entire division has earned it. They all need to fight at least one more fight. Prates is coming off two fights against two guys that have never been finished and he did it in insane fashion, and I whooped his ass for 24 minutes, and I did it on three weeks' notice. So, if he wants to give me three, four months, he's knows what's gonna happen. He'll be able to sleep well after the next one.â€

After falling short in a competitive fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov back in 2024, Garry took on Prates in Kansas City the following year. Garry was in control throughout the fight before “The Nightmare†made a late rally attempt prior to the final horn. “The Future†won the bout via unanimous decision.

Since that fight, Prates has gone on a three-fight winning streak. He knocked out Geoff Neal with one second left in the opening round at UFC 319. Prates followed that up with a brutal second-round knockout finish over former UFC welterweight titleholder Leon Edwards. He then cemented himself as a top contender with his third-round TKO victory over another former champion in Jack Della Maddalena.

If Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates fight again, who would you give the edge to? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Only one victor didn't impress Dana
White and the
Ultimate Fighting Championship matchmakers on Week 1 of

Dana White's Contender Series 2026.

Joseph Kropschot, Tom Pagliarulo, Bilal Hasan and Anthony Wint
earn UFC contracts at DWCS 2026 Week 1

Joseph
Kropschot (9-3) opened the action in a middleweight outing
against Jonathan
Kunneman (10-1). Kropschot dislocated Kunneman's elbow with an
armbar in the final seconds of the fight. He earned a unanimous
decision win after his opponent refused to tap. Kropschot's intent
to finish was enough for White to give him a UFC contract.

“When he got that armbar, I said, ‘I'm gonna give him a shot.' 31
years old, he went for the finish. I'm always looking for guys to
finish,†White said. “That fight should have been finished… Joseph,
you went for it and you swayed me and changed my mind.
Congratulations.â€

Tom
Pagliarulo (11-2) was the second fighter to earn a contract on
Week 1. The featherweight prospect finished Ananias
Mulumba (10-4) with vicious ground-and-pound in the final
seconds of the fight.

“Thomas, you were in a dog fight; turned it on in the third round,
and finished a really tough kid,†White said. “Congratulations,
you're in.â€

Former
Cage Fury Fighting Championships flyweight champion Bilal Hasan
(9-0) was a -5000 favorite going into his matchup against Mridul
Saikia (9-2). Hassan absolutely justified the odds by
dispatching Saikia in 45 seconds to earn his UFC contract. White
can't wait for Hasan's first UFC bout.

“This is an absolute no-brainer. Even with the ton of hype,
absolutely lived up to it,†the UFC CEO said. “When you're the
biggest favorite in the history of the Contender Series, 10 years.
That's how you treat somebody, and you absolutely did. I'm excited
to see your future. I'm really pumped for your first fight in the
UFC.â€

Abe
Alsaghir (9-0) earned a split decision win in a lightweight
tilt against Fabrizio
Escarrega (9-2). While both fighters went toe-to-toe, White
believes neither fighter stood out to earn a contract. The UFC head
honcho also disagreed with the judges' scorecards on this one.

“I actually thought this was a dog fight between two tough guys
with great records,†White recalled. “And the third round was where
I was looking to see who was going to be my guy, and it never
happened. And I don't agree with the judges. I don't think you won
that fight. I think the judges absolutely blew that decision. And I
just didn't see anything that I was looking for.â€

Anthony
Wint (7-0) earned the final contract of the night with a
first-round stoppage win over Matthew
Adams (6-3). The heavyweight powerhouse took hardly over 30
seconds to reverse a takedown and rain brutal ground-and-pound to
secure the stoppage.

“Anthony, you're a f*cking tank, my friend… Holy sh*t!†White said.
“I didn't get to see much, but what I got to see was pretty nasty.
And I have a long history with your coach, who has nothing but good
things to say about you. Welcome to the UFC.â€

AN ABSOLUTE TANK 🫡

Anthony
Wint secures his spot in the heavyweight division after a
knockout on #DWCS!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/xVCHyWrsOK

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 12, 2026

INDONESIA, STAND UP 🇮🇩

Bilal
Hasan is officially a UFC fighter after securing a contract
from #DWCS!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/MhUPFcSqge

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 12, 2026

TOMMY P is in the UFC 🤩

Tom
Pagliarulo is signee #2 of S10 of #DWCS!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/WomRdRyzuK

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 12, 2026

Joe Kropschot is UFC bound! ðŸ‘

Signee #1 of S10 of #DWCS!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/cStzAaZHqf

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 12, 2026

Tom
Pagliarulo's career aspirations are finally coming to
fruition.

Pagliarulo (11-2) took on Ananias
Mulumba in a featherweight clash on Week 1 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026. “The Phenom†left it all in
the cage, finishing Mulumba with ground-and-pound in the final
seconds of the fight, earning an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract for his efforts.

‘Most afraid I've ever been': Tom Pagliarulo details how his
team helped him stay focused ahead of DWCS Week 1

Pagliarulo admits that he was very nervous throughout fight week.
However, his coaches and teammate, UFC bantamweight Cory
Sandhagen, helped him stay dialed in. The 29-year-old is glad
to have finally made it to the biggest stage in MMA, even if it
came a little later than he expected.

“This is the most afraid I've ever been in my life, all week,â€
Pagliarulo said in his post-fight interview. “My coaches and Cory
Sandhagen back home kept me locked in. Just reminded me to go be
me, and that will always be enough. I'm like a cockroach; you got
to kill me if you want to put me away… I was never the most
talented or naturally gifted kid. Growing up, doing all these
sports, I fell short of all my goals. I was never the starter in
all of those team sports. But I was always the hardest worker in
the room; I kept showing up. My coaches back home told me, ‘You've
always had that fire.'â€

UFC CEO Dana
White later commended Pagliarulo's performance before awarding
him a contract.

“Thomas, you were in a dog fight, turned it on in the third round,
and finished a really tough kid,†White said. “Congratulations,
you're in.â€

GNP gets the job done 💪

Tom
Pagliarulo earns the first finish of #DWCS
S10!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/5AkTat5vp4

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 12, 2026

TOMMY P is in the UFC 🤩

Tom
Pagliarulo is signee #2 of S10 of #DWCS!

[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/WomRdRyzuK

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
August 12, 2026