Carlos Prates Net Worth: Rising UFC Star’s Earnings and Financial Outlook
By Ali Hammad November 24, 2025 03:23
The humid air of Vale Tudo's Fighting Nerds gym clings like a bad decision, but Carlos "The Nightmare" Prates thrives in it. At 32, the Brazilian welterweight with a scorpion tattoo snaking up his right arm shadowboxes under flickering fluorescents, his Muay Thai kicks snapping like thunderclaps. It's the same rhythm that turned heads on Dana White's Contender Series in 2023 a first-round KO of Mitch Ramirez that earned him an Octagon contract and propelled him to #5 in the UFC welterweight rankings after a second-round demolition of former champion Leon Edwards at UFC 322 last month. Prates' pro record stands at 23-7, with 18 knockouts (78% finish rate), but his real haymakers land off the canvas too. As of November 2025, his net worth hovers between $700,000 and $1 million a modest fortune for a rising star, but one poised for exponential growth as title contention looms. "Money? It's fuel," Prates said through a translator after his Edwards upset, sweat beading on his brow in the MSG bowels. "I fought for scraps in Thailand. Now? I fight to build."
Prates' ledger is a snapshot of MMA's meritocracy: humble origins yielding explosive rewards. Born August 17, 1993, in São Paulo to a family scraping by on odd jobs, he started in regional circuits at 19, compiling a 12-5 record across promotions like SFT and LFA. Purses? $5,000 tops, barely covering flights to Thailand, where he honed his striking over six years and 100+ Muay Thai bouts. "You fought because you needed the money to pay for stuff," he recalled in a UFC Embedded clip, eyes distant. "One wrong punch, and you're out a month no pay, no nothing." A 5-4 skid pre-2016 tested him, but a 10-fight win streak nine KOs landed the Contender Series nod.
UFC entry flipped the script. His February 2024 debut against Trevin Giles at UFC Fight Night netted $50,000 ($25K base, $25K win), plus a $50,000 Performance of the Night for a second-round KO totaling $100,000, his biggest check yet. June's liver-shot stoppage of Charles Radtke at UFC on ESPN? Another $100,000 windfall ($50K base, $50K bonus). August's PPV debut at UFC 305 against Li Jingliang a second-round left-hook KO, the first stoppage of the Chinese star's career bagged $150,000 ($100K base, $50K bonus), with undisclosed PPV points pushing it higher amid 750,000 buys. Headlining UFC Vegas 100 in November 2024 versus Neil Magny, Prates stuffed all seven takedowns and slept the veteran at 4:50 of Round 1, earning $400,000 ($350K base, $50K bonus) his career high at the time.
The 2025 arc? Pure ascent, with one hiccup. April's main event against #7 Ian Machado Garry at UFC on ESPN 66 ended in a unanimous decision loss his first UFC defeat but the $250,000 base (no win bonus) still padded the pot, per his new six-fight contract signed in January. Bouncing back, he KO'd Geoff Neal in Round 1 at UFC 319 in August ($300K base, $50K bonus, totaling $350,000), then stunned Edwards on November 15 ($500K estimated purse, including PPV shares from 900,000 buys and another Performance nod). Across seven UFC fights (6-1), Prates has banked over $1.5 million in disclosed purses and bonuses alone, with PPV cuts adding $200,000-$300,000 more. That's a 1,500% leap from his pre-UFC days, fueled by six Performance bonuses the most among active welterweights. Dana White, post-Edwards: "Carlos is a problem. Those KOs? They're paying dividends big ones."
Endorsements, though nascent, amplify the base. Prates' 1.2 million Instagram followers handle @thenightmare_170 hawk Maximum Boxing gear emblazoned with his scorpion logo ($100K+ annually), Vitality Nutrition pre-workouts and Farma Conde supplements. Lombardi apparel and a 2025 charity collab with Fight for the Future (auctioning UFC 305 gloves for São Paulo youth programs) add $50,000-$75,000 yearly, prioritizing "people who believed in me before the cameras," as he told EssentiallySports. No McGregor-level whiskey empires yet, but Venum's UFC uniform deal chips in $42,000 per fight. "I'm grateful... but if UFC hadn't happened, I'd still be happy," Prates said humbly post-Magny. "This is bonus."
Assets keep it grounded. Back in São Paulo after Thailand, Prates owns a $400,000 condo in the upscale Moema district three bedrooms, home gym bought post-Contender Series. A used Toyota Corolla ($25K) hauls him to training; no exotics. Investments? Modest stakes in a local BJJ academy and crypto (Bitcoin since 2023, up 40% in 2025). Single and low-key, he funnels extras to family his parents' first vacation in years was Bali, 2024. "Net worth's not numbers," he posted on Instagram after Edwards. "It's security."
The outlook? Stratospheric. That January contract $250K base per fight, $100K win bonuses projects $2 million over six bouts, assuming contention pay bumps. Ranked #5, whispers of a Belal Muhammad title eliminator in 2026 could net $1 million-plus, with PPV shares exploding if he draws 1 million buys like UFC 322. Sponsorships should double to $200K annually as his "Nightmare" brand globalizes think energy drinks, apparel lines. Analysts peg his net worth at $3-5 million by 2027, rivaling mid-tier stars like Colby Covington. Risks? Injuries (he's dodged major ones) or a skid post-Garry loss. But with a 76% KO rate the division's highest and coach Flavio Alvaro's blueprint ("Adapt or die"), Prates is wired for longevity.
From Thailand scraps to MSG glory, Prates embodies MMA's grind-to-gold arc. As he eyes 2026's strap, one truth rings: The Nightmare isn't just knocking out foes he's knocking on fortune's door. And it's cracking open.
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