I smoke 10 cigarettes a day – but it hasn't stopped me from becoming one of the UFC's best fighters
11/13/2024 10:08 AM
This past Saturday in the UFC Vegas 100 main event, Carlos Prates picked up the biggest win of his career thus far, when he knocked out Neil Magny in the first round.
‘The Nightmare’ marked his first-ever UFC main event with his biggest win inside the Octagon so far, when he knocked Neil Magny unconscious with a staggering left hook.
Carlos Prates and his team, ‘The Fighting Nerds’ have become extremely popular amongst the UFC fanbase, not only for their tremendous fight style but also because of their extremely marketable personalities.
Carlos Prates admits to smoking 10 cigarettes a day whilst training and fighting
Since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last August, the Brazilian has gone on to score four emphatic knockouts and he has now entered the top 15 of the welterweight rankings.
Astonishingly before UFC Vegas 100 this past Saturday, there had only been six KOs from 30 welterweight fights since June, and Prates had accounted for 33% of them.
One of the reasons why Prates has become a favorite amongst fans is because of his candid honesty. During the beginning of his UFC tenure, the Brazilian admitted that he still smokes cigarettes, despite the harsh training regime. This is something the 31-year-old still does, to this day.
“I started when I was 12, 13 years old. I didn’t do nothing at school. I enjoyed going to school but I didn’t like to study,” Prates began to explain on The Ariel Helwani Hour.
“I didn’t imagine I would be a professional fighter when I was at school… I smoke maybe 8 per day, up to 10… I tried to stop one time, one week without smoking, and I gained 5 KG in a few days.
“Wasn’t training… I smoked before I went to the UFC Apex (this past Saturday) because I can’t smoke there. Can’t smoke anything there, drink anything there, just water and what they give you,” Prates continued.
Prates already eyeing up his next fight and calls for Jack Della Maddalena
The promotion is scheduled to return to Sydney, Australia February 2025 for UFC 312, and the newly ranked 170lber already has his eyes on who he would like to fight on the UFC’s return down under.
The 31-year-old called for a fight against the current number four ranked welterweight, Jack Della Maddalena, who is looking to return after an injury to his hand.
Prates likes to fight in Australia whenever he gets the chance as he has a daughter who is living over there, so it gives him the opportunity to see his daughter.
“To be honest, I think the perfect fight would be in Australia – as you guys know, I have a daughter over there and I really would love to visit her and fight in Australia against Jack Della Maddalena,” Prates said in his Octagon interview.
