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Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates attack with very different intensities, but each is undeniably down to fight. Garry and Prates accepted a late opportunity to headline UFC Kansas City on Saturday.

Garry (15-1) feels no shame after his first career loss. The welterweight contender accepted a short-notice title eliminator against undefeated finisher Shavkat Rakhmonov and nearly beat him. Garry’s trash talk doesn’t always translate to action, but that doesn’t stop him from getting under his opponent’s skin. Garry publicly shared a video of Prates tapping to strikes as a regional fighter, and intends to stress test his will.

“When the going gets tough, he quits,” Garry told CBS Sports. “I’ve not seen anyone [recently] put him in the position where the going gets tough. So on Saturday night, when he steps across the Octagon from me, I’ll put him in that position and I want to see what the real Prates is like. Does he bite down on the mouthguard and swing back, or does he step back like a bitch?

“I might not have shown it, but I know this, I promise you that I hit harder than that man. If he wants to stand and bang, let’s find out.”

Prates (21-6) represents the Fighting Nerds team running roughshod through the promotion. Prates, Jean Silva, Caio Borralho and Mauricio Ruffy are a combined 19-0 with 13 finishes in the UFC. A rising tide lifts all boats. That’s certainly the case for their team. Prates, ranked No. 13 in the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, gets a serious step up in competition against Garry (No. 7). He benefits from the Fighting Nerd’s success, UFC’s need to salvage the card, and Prates’ recent KOs over Neil Magny and Li Jingliang. Not one to shy away from a physical or verbal confrontation, Prates didn’t hold back about his opponent.

“Even Ian Garry cannot believe that,” Prates told CBS Sports, laughing at Garry’s claims of hitting harder than him. “Just see how many knockouts he and I have in our careers. How many bonuses?

“He cannot [drag me into deep waters]… He can say whatever he wants. Once the Octagon closes on April 26, I’m going to smash him, knock him out and celebrate.”

Check out the full interview with Ian Machado Garry below.

The undercard features some intriguing matchups as well as a retirement fight. Light heavyweight veteran Anthony Smith will lay down the gloves in the center of the Octagon after his fight with Zhang Mingyang on Saturday night. Smith, who has an incredible 59-pro fights on his resume, has lost five of his last seven appearances and really fallen off late in his career. His biggest accomplishment came back in 2019 when he got to challenge Jon Jones for the 205-pound title. Elsewhere, an interesting showdown between featherweights is set when David Onama takes on Giga Chikadze. Plus, rising middleweight contenders square off when Michel Pereira battles Abus Magomedov.

Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday, with the latest odds, before we make a prediction and pick the main event.

UFC Fight Night card, odds

Odds via DraftKings

Favorite

Underdog

Weight classIan Machado Garry -142Carlos Prates +120Welterweight

Zhang Mingyang -455Anthony Smith +350Light heavyweightDavid Onama -180Giga Chikadze +150FeatherweightMichel Pereira -142Abus Magomedov +120Middleweight Randy Brown -278Nicolas Dalby +225WelterweightIkram Aliskerov -520Andre Muniz +390Middleweight

UFC Fight Night viewing information

Date: April 26 | Start time: 9 p.m. ET (main card)

Location: T-Mobile Center — Kansas City, Missouri

TV channel: ESPN 2/ESPN+

Prediction

Ian Machado Garry vs. Carlos Prates: Garry did not beat Rakhmonov, but he’s the only person to take him to the distance. It’s not like Garry survived either; he nearly won the fight. His performance and willingness to fight on short notice endeared fans who are otherwise turned off by his cockiness and responsible style. Prates paved his way to the main event by knocking out every UFC fighter in front of him. Don’t let Garry fool you. The statistics don’t support his claims of having more KO power. Prates has twice as many stoppages as Garry, including a shared opponent in Magny, whom Garry couldn’t finish. What Garry has is a thoughtful approach that scales to the level of his opponent. That’s why he looks like an elite fighter against Rakhmonov but underwhelming against Michael Page. Garry and Prates have nearly identical strikes landed per minute, but Garry absorbs nearly half the blows. Prates can KO anyone, but Garry’s experience and defensive soundness should produce a win. Garry via Unanimous Decision

Who wins UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks, and find out.