A rumored White House fight with Conor McGregor could be a huge opportunity for Carlos Prates, but the welterweight contender has other plans. While the fight could be financially rewarding for the Brazilian fighter, Prates has surprised fans by preferring to fight a former welterweight champion instead of McGregor.

The number #5-ranked welterweight suffered his first UFC defeat in 2025 against Ian Garry. However, he made a strong comeback with back-to-back victories at UFC 319 and UFC 322, respectively. With the two knockout victories, Prates has made himself a potential contender for the welterweight title. While Ian Garry and Michael Morales are other strong contenders to get the next title shot, Prates thus plans to fight a former champion to make a strong case.

Carlos Prates addresses McGregor speculation, targets Jack Della Maddalena as top choice

“People are just speculating, but officially, nothing has reached us yet. I just want to fight, man. Obviously, my main goal is Jack Della Maddalena, a guy who takes me to the belt. But we’re open to [other] possibilities,” said Carlos Prates, expressing an interest in fighting Jack Della Madellena, who was mauled by the reigning Dagestani welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev, in his last outing.

Prates last fought against Leon Edwards in November 2025 at UFC 322. Carlos won that fight by knockout in the second round. His record is 23 wins and seven losses. The Brazilian welterweight, in particular, is slowly building his reputation as a knockout artist, with all six of his UFC wins coming by KO. However, amid that, are there any other opponent options for Conor McGregor‘s UFC return? Although Ariel Helwani believes a UFC lightweight fighter, Paddy Pimblett, would be a perfect match.

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Ariel Helwani pitches Paddy Pimblett as an ideal opponent for Conor McGregor’s return

Paddy Pimblett is one of the fighters who is often likened to Conor McGregor. The popularity of Pimblett has grown similarly to the way young McGregor gained fame.

A matchup between them becomes necessary because Ariel Helwani needs to see these two fighters compete. “The big fish for the White House card is Conor McGregor, right. That’s the big dog, that’s the big draw,” said Helwani on his show. “Among all the possible choices, Paddy stands out as the most important option. Paddy is a big-time draw.

Dana White said afterwards [UFC 324] exceeded expectations by double, but Paddy stands out as the best choice among all possible options that he can win. ‘The Baddy’ is fresh off a defeat against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324.

He will seek to fight a major opponent after his fight with Gaethje, but McGregor represents the best choice for him. People currently make speculations about Henry Cejudo and Ariel Helwani in all their statements. They are simply teasing or breaking down the best potential matchup for ‘The Notorious’.