UFC Fighter Carlos Prates Reveals He Began Smoking Habit at Age 12

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Carlos Prates began his habit of smoking cigarettes at a young age.

Prates recently shut down Charlie Radtke with a violent knee to the body in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 57 clash earlier this month. The Brazilian was seen smoking a cigarette when he learned that his victory earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus. Prates also revealed that smoking before and after a fight is a fairly common ritual for him..

Prates recently opened up further on his smoking habits during an appearance on the ”Show Me the Money” podcast. Prates revealed that he had started smoking at the age of 12 or 13 — though the habit has increased over the years. The pandemic affected Prates, and “The Nightmare” started smoking a lot of marijuana. When he noticed adverse effects of cannabis on his mental health, Prates decided to stick to cigarettes.

“I think I started to smoke when I was 12 or 13. Not like today, of course,” he said. “But after pandemic you know, everything stop, the training stop, the fights stop and I was smoking weed a lot and that would bring bad feelings… And then I started only smoking cigarettes.”

Prates also revealed how he got introduced to smoking initially. With his mother being his only immediate family, Prates had the day to himself when she left for work. The streets of Brazil had a lot of vices to offer to a 12-year-old when left on his own.

“I remember like I was on the street for all day,” he said. “My mom go out for work and my family is only me and my mom. And then I was on the street for all day after [I} come back [from] school. And then you know, here in Brazil, if you’re living on the street with your friends, you’re gonna learn a lot of bad things.”

Prates has finished 17 of his 19 career wins and is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak with eight finishes.