The upcoming UFC Kansas City event on April 26 will now be headlined by a welterweight bout between Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates.
UFC officials announced this new matchup on Tuesday, without explaining the reason for the cancellation of the originally scheduled main event featuring Jamahal Hill versus Khalil Rountree.
Despite the unexpected change with the Hill-Rountree fight, the UFC quickly arranged a compelling new main event.
Garry steps into this headliner following a recent, closely contested fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov in December. That fight was considered a welterweight contender eliminator. Although Garry lost on points, he presented Rakhmonov with his toughest challenge to date. Now, Garry seeks to rebound against Prates, a rapidly emerging talent in the division.
Prates boasts a perfect professional record of 4 wins and no losses in the UFC, with all his victories coming by knockout in either the first or second round. He was initially set to fight Geoff Neal at UFC 314, but Neal withdrew due to injury.
Instead of finding Prates a replacement opponent for UFC 314, the UFC decided to move him to the main event slot in Kansas City, where he will now face Garry.
The Garry vs. Prates fight will be the main attraction on April 26. The event also includes Anthony Smith`s anticipated fight against Zhang Mingyang, and a featherweight match between Giga Chikadze and David Onama.
