Javier Mendez isn't dismissing the idea of Carlos Prates as a threat to his own fighter. The longtime coach of UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has been talking up the Brazilian striker, praising his firepower and his growth as a fighter while comparing him to a former boxing champion, according to Ag. Fight. bjpenn.com picked up on the same sentiment, running with the idea that Mendez considers Prates 'amazing' ahead of any potential title clash between the two.

The praise comes with good reason. kalshi.com reports Prates is ranked number one at welterweight and just delivered one of the biggest statements of his career, stopping Jack Della Maddalena with elbows in the third round on May 2, 2026. That win has him sitting at a 1620 rating on our Elo system, built across nine tracked bouts, numbers that back up exactly why Mendez is paying attention rather than brushing him aside.

Makhachev, for his part, has looked every bit the champion in his own right. He most recently beat Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision on August 15, 2026, and carries a 1629 Elo rating from seven bouts, a mark that puts him right there with Prates when it comes to measurable form.

Neither man has fought the other, and the UFC hasn't confirmed anything, but Mendez's comments read like a coach doing his homework on a live threat rather than talking up a soft touch. If the promotion does eventually pair the champion with the surging Brazilian, Mendez's warning suggests Makhachev's camp already sees it as a legitimate challenge, not a showcase.