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Fight fans are growing increasingly concerned over UFC star Carlos Prates’s smoking habit.
UFC welterweight contender Carlos Prates is one of the brightest young stars on the roster in 2025. Prates has dominated the competition in just a handful of fights inside the cage, including a brutal finish in his first-career UFC main event in his most recent outing.
Prates was supposed to face a fellow UFC fan favorite, Geoff Neal, on the UFC 314 main card on April 12th in Miami. But just weeks away from the event, Neal withdrew due to an injury, and Prates isn’t expected to get a short-notice replacement opponent.
But Prates teased some big news regarding his UFC return, although it’s uncertain if it will occur against Neal or another contender. In either case, Prates has a concerning habit that has some fight fans worried about his long-term future in and out of the cage.
Carlos Prates smokes multiple packs a day amidst meteoric UFC rise
Prates isn’t afraid to divulge his love for cigarettes, sometimes smoking just before making the walk to the Octagon on fight day. Ahead of his most recent fight against Neil Magny, Prates attempted to smoke just minutes before making the walk, before UFC personnel intervened.
In a recent Vlog published by Full Violence, Prates was asked how many cigarettes he smokes on a typical day in his life.
“Normal day? Maybe 10, 15 cigarettes,” Prates answered.
After Prates’s admission went viral, fans expressed their concerns for the UFC star’s fighting future.
“Lung Cancer soon,” one fan wrote on X.
“There’s no way this s— doesn’t impact his cardio in the long term,” another said.
“This is going to age really badly when he gasses out against [Belal] or any other wrestler.”
“Gonna die before becoming champ.”
Prates is 21-6 in his professional MMA career with four-straight wins to begin his UFC tenure. He earned a shot in the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, knocking out Mitch Ramirez with one punch.
UFC 314 star’s mindset questioned ahead of vacant featherweight title fight
While Prates’s UFC 314 showcase bout is canceled, the card still has many marquee fights that are sure to entertain fans, including a star-studded main event. But some fans wonder if Alexander Volkanovski still has what it takes to win a UFC title after back-to-back knockout defeats.
Volkanovski raised some eyebrows when he recently said that the only way he loses at UFC 314 is by way of a ‘puncher’s chance’. His comments came after back-to-back brutal knockout defeats to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria.
Volkanovski faces Diego Lopes, one of the UFC’s rising stars alongside Prates, in the UFC 314 main event for the vacant featherweight title. Topuria will vacate the belt for a full-time move to lightweight.
Volkanovski has a lot to prove at UFC 314, but in the meantime, speculation continues to run rampant as to how the UFC 314 headliner will play out.