Carlos Prates doesn’t fare well without enjoying a few smokes.
One of the fastest growing stars of the sport, Prates became a person of interest at welterweight with a knockout win over Neil Magny last weekend at UFC Vegas 100. Prates is a fan favorite with proven knockout power in his hands and a well-known smoking habit, which is surprising for an athlete of his caliber.
When asked about her average consumption of cigarettes per day, “The Nightmare” recently told Ariel Helwani that he smokes anywhere between seven to 10 on a daily basis.
While Prates’ coaches used to advise him to stop smoking initially, they have given up more recently. Trying to quit also had some adverse effects. Quitting smoking for a week led to Prates gaining weight, as he was overeating and avoiding the gym.
“Before they tell me a lot (to stop). They tell me a lot before,” Prates said. “But now… I tried to stop one time and then I was one week without smoke and then I [gained] five kilos [11 pounds] in six days. Because I eat a lot and didn’t come to the gym to train.”
Prates doesn’t even stop smoking during fight camp — or even the day of the fight for that matter. The 31-year-old smokes his last cigarette right before entering the arena, as there are strict restrictions inside.
“I smoke the last cigarette before come to Apex. Because I cannot smoke there,” he said. “You cannot smoke anything there, you cannot drink anything there, just water, what they give to you. And eat food what they give to you.”
While Prates was 5-4 in his early career, he has since won 16 of his last 18 fights with 15 finishes. Prates has racked up four consecutive bonus-winning stoppages since his UFC debut this past February.
