Carlos Prates showed that he is both not as good as we thought and better than we though in his last fight. Not as good because he was getting touched up by Ian and didn't have a backup plan but better than we thought because he had a late rally and almost finished Ian in the 5th on short notice. Carlos should win here. He is the better striker and can hopefully avoid the takedowns. i do expect Geoff to go all in on the wrestling, but I also expect Prates to be ready. Prates is the pick and I hope he has a showcase performance so we can start hyping him back up again.

Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal is a good striker with real power, solid volume and solid takedown defense. He isn't the most technical but with his power and aggression, he doesn't need to be. Geoff likes to dictate the pace, range and exchanges. If he can stay at kicking range and use those kicks to set up his punches he will have a ton of success. But if you get in his face and tie him up, he gets frustrated and exhausted. He is coming off the injury win over RDA.

Carlos Prates

Carlos Prates is a dangerous striker with big power and range control. He is pretty light on his feet and manages to throw kicks to any body part whenever he wants. He will launch head kicks on the drop of a dime, he will throw spinning kicks and he will defend most takedowns that come his way. His power and accuracy are absolutely insane. He also has surprisingly good cardio for a smoker and the confidence of a world champion. He is coming off the loss to Ian Garry where he was a bit behind in the striking and was taken down 4 times but had a late rally.