Carlos Prates may have turned in a Knockout of the Year candidate Saturday in Chicago.
On the UFC 319 main card, Prates (22-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) audibly cracked Geoff Neal (16-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) with a spinning back elbow for a knockout stoppage at 4:59 of Round 1. The welterweight bout took place at United Center.
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Prior to the finish, both men brought the heat but in a contained manner. They were measured, not wild. Both landed hard shots. But it was Prates’ spinning maneuver that sealed the deal.
After his win, Prates asked Dana White for three things: a slot on the UFC Fight Night event in Rio in October, a $50,000 bonus, and for his friend Marcos Degli to be signed.
White immediately obliged two of the three, telling Prates he could fight in Rio and also awarding him a $50,000 bonus. Degli’s signing remains to be seen.
The win bounces Prates back from his first UFC loss, which came in a short-notice main event vs. Ian Machado Garry in April.
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Neal, 34, is finished with strikes for the first time in his UFC tenure and falls to 1-3 in his most recent four.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 319 results include:
Carlos Prates def. Geoff Neal via knockout (elbow) – Round 1, 4:59
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 319 fight ends in Knockout of the Year? Carlos Prates KOs Geoff Neal