Smoking is hazardous no matter what one does, but if they are a professional fighter putting their life and limb on the line, anything that messes up the lungs is a big NO. But for Brazilian UFC fighter Carlos Prates, it’s a habit that he simply can’t kick.
Prates, who has captivated everybody’s imagination with his knockouts, has also been smoking since he was 12 years old. There are videos of the fighter standing outside the stadiums immediately after his fights so he can puff one in peace. Prates also smokes a cigarette before coming to the venue, because it’s a habit that is allowed inside the premises.
But has he tried quitting?
Yes, as it is with every smoker in the world, the Brazilian prospect has tried it at least once. But it took such a toll on him that after a week, he had to give up.
“I tried to stop one time and then I was one week without smoke and then I gained 5 kilos in 6 days because I eat a lot and didn’t come to the gym to train”
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‘The Nightmare claims smoking hasn’t caused him any major problems yet but it’s a cancer stick, which is why his coaches strongly advise against it. Perhaps one of these days, he will.
After all, Prates is a man of sheer grit and determination; the same man who dropped out of high school at the age of 15 to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.
Prates never wanted to be a fighter
Growing up the way he did, life wasn’t always easy for the Brazilian. He saw what everybody else around him was doing and made those exact same choices. Even when he took up smoking, it was because other kids around him were into it as well.
Since he was in Brazil and every child wanted to be a footballer, so he did as well. In fact, when he was in school, the beautiful game was the only sport he knew. Then at the age of 15, he got into fighting and he got hooked.
“When I was at school I was playing soccer… not fighting. And then I started fighting at 15 and then I stopped going to school at 16, something like that.”
Regardless of how it happened, he is now one of the hottest new prospects in the UFC, tearing through the division and knocking out his opponents left, right, and center!
