UFC Fight Night: Ian Garry vs. Carlos Prates preview & best fights

Mathew Riddle | Apr 21, 2025

UFC

UFC is back after a short hiatus with a deceptively stacked Fight Night.

Returning to Kansas City, welterweights steal the limelight, with top-contenders Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates making a short-notice appearance for all the marbles.

With a headliner like that, it's easy to overlook the undercard, which is packed to the brim with fights that don't conceivably see the final bell.

Here's what you need to know...

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

UFC Kansas City

Main event: Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates

Prates hails from Brazil's Fighting Nerds team; Their four core members are 19-0 in the UFC, and 'The Nightmare' looks to make it 20 in a row against Garry.

2024 was Prates' breakthrough year with four knockouts and as many performance bonuses inside the Octagon. He's been fast-tracked to the title, and the winner of this fight has a convincing claim to be the next contender.

Garry lost his '0' to Shavkat Rakhmonov in 2024, but remains one of the most elite fighters on the roster. This fight is about whether Garry's technical approach can outmaneuver the Fighting Nerds' unbeaten game planning and Prates' lethal Muay Thai.

Co-main event: Anthony Smith vs. Mingyang Zhang

Mingyang Zhang is another prolific finisher being fast-tracked to the top of the UFC. Unseasoned in the Octagon at 2-0, Zhang impressed with back-to-back first-round knockouts --- in fact, all 12 of his KO/TKO victories have happened in the opening frame, with no decision wins.

Meeting him Saturday night is 24-UFC fight veteran Anthony Smith, another finisher on the very tail end of his career. This fight has been tailor-made for Zhang to produce a highlight finish and challenge the light heavyweight elite, but Smith has a habit of upsetting the odds.

Dont' miss these fights on the UFC Kansas city undercard

Giga Chikadze returns

On the main card, Giga Chikadze, one of the best kickers in the UFC, takes on David Onama. Onama is taking a huge step up in competition after enjoying a three-fight winning streak. It's a stylistic clash as Chikadze aims to strike at range while Onama hunts the finish.

Battle of the middleweight finishers

Before this, acrobatic Michel Pereira tries to halt the momentum of Abus Magomedov. While both men are incredibly entertaining, they've each endured losses due to their cardio. If they've improved, fans can enjoy a three-round war; if not, it won't leave the first round.

Underrated bantamweight talent

North Carolina's Da'Mon Blackshear is back to extend his winning streak to three. 'Da Monster' suffered a 20-second knockout loss in 2024, but don't let that deter you from watching him fight.

Dangerous on the feet and the ground, Blackshear owns one of the three twister finishes in UFC history. He fights 'The Mongolian Knight' Alatengeili on the night's prelims.

UFC Kansas City full card

UFC Kansas City has 14 fights (subject to change):

• Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates
• Anthony Smith vs. Mingyang Zhang
• Giga Chikadze vs. David Onama
• Michel Pereira vs. Abus Magomedov
• Randy Brown vs. Nicolas Dalby
• Ikram Aliskerov vs. Andre Muniz
• Matt Schnell vs. Jimmy Flick
• Evan Elder vs. Gauge Young
• Chris Gutierrez vs. John Castaneda
• Da'Mon Blackshear vs. Alatengheili
• Cameron Saaiman vs. Malcolm Wellmaker
• Jaqueline Amorim vs. Polyana Viana
• Timmy Cuamba vs. Roberto Romero
• Chelsea Chandler vs. Joselyne Edwards

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