Carlos Prates is currently one of the most exciting talents on the UFC roster. Despite his incredible striking abilities, the Brazilian fighter has gone viral for something that has no connection to fighting. Other than training hard and beating his opponents inside the octagon, Prates likes to have his cigarettes.Â
Carlos Prates recently appeared on the Show Me The Money Podcast hosted by Renato Moicano. During the conversation, Prates talked about getting addicted to smoking at the early age of 12. According to the fighter, in his neighborhood in Brazil, he learned a lot of bad habits.
I think I started to smoke when I was 12 or 13…My mom go out for work and I was on the street for all day after comeback from school. Here’s in Brazil if you living on the streets with your friends, you gonna learn a lot of bad things.Â
Carlos Prates via Show Me The Money PodcastÂ
Prates made his way to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series and has won two fights in the promotion. In his last fight against the controversial Charlie Radtke at UFC ON ESPN 57, the Brazilian finished his opponent with a nasty knee strike. This erupted the crowd, who were almost bored due to the lack of finishes in the early fights.
For his incredible finish, Prates won $50k as the Performance of the Night bonus prize from the UFC. When Prates’ teammate broke the news, the 31-year-old was having a smoke, and the video went viral on the internet. While smoking might not be a good habit for his cardio, Prates is well aware of it.Â
Carlos Prates opens up about his smoking and drinking habitsÂ
Fighters are regarded as the best athletes in the world. They have incredible durability and stamina as they frequently fight for several rounds. On top of that, they frequently encounter injuries and recover from it. Many fighters spend years of training to achieve all this, requiring a lot of determination and sacrifice. However, not all fighters want to be athletes.Â
Carlos Prates after winning (via MMA Fighting)
In an interview with FULL SEND MMA, Carlos Prates revealed not wanting to be an athlete. An athlete has to go on a strict diet and stay away from their favorite dishes among other things. According to Prates, he smokes and drinks and knows these things are harmful to him. Nevertheless, the Brazilian fighter has one aim in mind.
I like to say that I’m a fighter, not an athlete because everybody says things. Sometimes I go to parties, smoke cigarettes and drink… Of course, it’s not good but I know how to find a way and things might get done.
Carlos Prates via FULL SEND MMAÂ
Prates has shown a lot of promise in just two appearances in the UFC octagon. The fighter is extremely sharp and creative on the feet. After his recent win over Charlie Radtke, the ‘Nightmare’ revealed that he’s the dark horse of the welterweight division. The division is already filled with absolute killers and making the way to the top would not be an easy task, however, Prates is confident about his abilities.Â
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