Carlos Prates still smokes half a pack of cigarettes a day before fight against Ian Machado Garry

Carlos Prates is undefeated in the UFC. Photo Reproduction Instagram UFC Espanol

Getting ready to face Ian Machado Garry in the main fight of UFC Kansas City, which takes place on April 26, the welterweight (up to 77kg.) Carlos Prates continues to smoke like a chimney. The fighter has never hidden his addiction to cigarettes that began when he was just 12 years old, which is something you don't see very often in UFC athletes.

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With four wins in four fights for the organization, in addition to four Performance bonuses under his belt, 'The Nightmare' is one of the sensations of The Fighting Nerds team. But despite being about to have a fight that could put him in the top 10 of the category, Prates has no plans to give up smoking.

“Yes [I still smoke]. No problem. I’m still doing five rounds, six rounds. I’m trying to smoke a little less, but not because I’m going to fight – because I want to smoke a little less. I’m just doing what I do all the time. I just come to the gym, I train hard, I train a lot. I’m the first guy to come to the gym and the last guy to leave the gym,” the fighter said in an interview with journalist Ariel Helwani. (see below)

Carlos Prates shares he's still smoking around 10 cigarettes leading into his 5-round main event

“I'm trying to smoke a little bit less, not because I'm going to fight, but because I'm trying to get heavier and stronger.”

“I stayed without drinking maybe 2 months because I… pic.twitter.com/BxvGdiVgNz

- Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 7, 2025

Prates estimated that he smoked up to 15 cigarettes per day. And while he has no intention of quitting completely—the last time he did, he gained weight and became lazy—he has cut drinking from his party schedule.

“I don’t drink for maybe two months, a month and a half, because I don’t go to parties. I don’t go anywhere, I just train. It’s not hard to stay away from drinking, but it’s hard to stay away from parties,” Prates concluded.

Originally, the main fight of the UFC Kansas City would be between Jamahal hill e Khalil rountree, but an injury to the former champion forced the cancellation. At the same time, Carlos Prates had already lost his initial opponent, Geoff neal, who withdrew from UFC 314 for medical reasons. Without an opponent, the Brazilian was targeted by the promotion as a last-minute replacement for the event against another promising welterweight, Ian Machado Garry.