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UFC fighter Carlos Prates is set to face Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth on May 2, motivated by a special family reunion. He brought his mother to Australia to meet his daughter, who lives there.
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - DECEMBER 06: UFC fighter Carlos Prates speaks during a panel as part of the CCXP Sao Paulo 2025 at Expo Sao Paulo on December 06, 2025 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images For Paramount+) | Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images For Paramount+
Carlos Prates asked for a fight with Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth on May 2 and thatās what heās getting next. Other than facing a former welterweight champion in a main event spot, āThe Nightmareā had a very special reason to travel to Australia: his daughter.
Pratesā 6-year-old daughter lives in Australia, and the Fighting Nerd welterweight has brought his mother Regina overseas for the first time so they can finally meet in person.
Regina is a constant presence in her sonās life, making sure he performs at his best in the gym and under the bright lights of the UFC; however, this time, she only has eyes for her granddaughter.
āSheās not even focused on the fight anymore,ā Prates told MMA Fighting. āNow itās all about seeing her granddaughter. Sheās already forgotten Iām fighting. She doesnāt care at all [laughs].ā
Prates fought once in Australia as a UFC fighter in 2024, knocking out Li Jingliang. His daughter was in attendance that night, and will be inside RAC Arena this Saturday to watch her father face off with Australiaās own Della Maddalena.
Prates is no stranger to competing in enemy territory and he couldnāt care less about any bad vibes because āthe crowd can boo or cheer, but when the cage closes, itās just two guys in there.ā
All Prates cares about right now is making his family proud.
āShe likes fighting, she trains,ā Prates said of his daughter. āIf you donāt slow her down, she already wants to play-fight with everyone. You have to hold her back [laughs].ā
Father and daughter are separated by thousands of miles and the Pacific ocean, but Prates said he tries to be the best parent possible despite the long distance.
Carlos Prates is fighting Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth on May 2.
Carlos Prates traveled to Australia to reunite with his daughter and to have his mother meet her for the first time.
The presence of Carlos Prates' family at UFC Perth highlights his motivation to make them proud and strengthen family bonds.
Carlos Prates' daughter is 6 years old.
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āI grew up without a father,ā Prates said. āMy father died when I was a year and a half old, and then I met my āfather,ā Cris [Nogueira, his coach], when I was 15 years old, so I know how it is. Of course, I wouldnāt want to be far away. Of course Iād like to have her with me [in Brazil], but itās something my coach [Wagner] Motta always teaches me: letās do the best we can with the conditions we have right now. And the condition I have right now is seeing her two or three times a year. If I could, Iād bring her here and sheād stay with me. If I could live there too, cool. But unfortunately thatās not the case, and we have to deal with it this way.ā
Prates said he felt āfineā growing up without a father until Vale Top Team head coach Nogueira became a father figure for him. That doesnāt mean he wants others to have the same experience.
āI grew up without a father and it didnāt make a difference to me because it was normal,ā Prates said, āBut I wouldnāt like my daughter to feel that way too, to think like that.ā
The Sao Paulo native has seen success in the UFC, winning six of seven octagon appearances, all by knockout, and with performance bonuses cashed for every single one of them. Soon to turn 33 and with over 100 muay Thai bouts under his belt, plus 30 MMA contests, Prates doesnāt see himself doing this for much longer.
āTime is something you donāt get back,ā Prates said. āYou canāt buy time. Time is passing and Iām working like crazy, you know? Yesterday I saw my mom, but it had been like three days since Iād last seen her because things have been hectic. My mom is already in her seventies, I need to enjoy time with her and be with her, you know?ā
Prates could earn a shot at the belt with a win Saturday, beating two former champions in a row after his latest knockout over Leon Edwards, and he wants to write his name in the history books. Ironically, the most exhausting part of his fighting career isnāt the fighting.
āWhatās most exhausting is the bureaucracy, having to deal with problems that have nothing to do with fighting,ā Prates said. āThese days Iām managing to delegate more to the people who work with me, but not everything yet. Everything thatās not related to fighting wears me out. I think not just me, it wears everyone out.ā
Claiming bonuses for every win adds many zeros to your bank account, and Prates said everything is done to provide a better future for those around him.
āLucas [Lutkus] is a manager who, besides taking care of the fighting side, also looks after us on the financial side,ā Prates said. āThereās a whole team that works with me. Thereās a financial advisor, my accountant. If it were just me, there are things I wouldnāt even know exist [laughs]. If I had to do everything alone, Iād be screwed.ā