Carlos Prates wasn’t always this champion-like fighter. He began his cigarette-smoking legacy in his teenage years and often got into trouble. However, he had his mother’s support, which pushed him out of the dangerous trap and got him into the realm of mixed martial arts. According to UFC.com, Prates revealed, “In my city, at 15 years old, I was having a lot of trouble with bad choices in life, then my mum came to take me to the gym to train and make me calm down and try to learn martial arts philosophy.” 

Needless to say, Prates’ recent success in the fighting realm has put him in the spotlight. And with that, the fight fans have begun to ask around about his parents. So today, let’s learn about the welterweight’s parents and the choices that made him a force to be reckoned with. 

All we know about Carlos Prates’ mother

Carlos Prates was born to a single Brazilian mother, Regina Prates, on 17 August 1993. While nothing is known about the 31-year-old welterweight’s father, it’s pretty clear that his mother played the lead role in building him as the man he is today. Talking to ESPN MMA before UFC Kansas City, Prates’ mother revealed how she helped her son take control of his life. 

She put ‘The Nightmare’ in sports so that he could learn to respect hierarchy and authority. And that definitely helped the welterweight fighter. After all, fighting is something that he absolutely loves, and his mother knew that pretty well. Old Regina is so invested in her son’s career that she also advised him before his bout against Ian Garry!

In the video, Regina Prates told her son, “Don’t give the opponent a chance to play too much. Do you understand? And finish the war quickly. The way mommy likes it, with a perfect finishing touch.” Cute, right? For Prates, his mother is actually his biggest fan. He claimed, “If my mom didn’t find Muay Thai, I probably would be in prison. I would be dead or something like that.”

Now that we know how Prates’ mother helped him escape terrible life choices and rise to the 13th spot in the UFC welterweight rankings, let’s take a look at ‘The Nightmare’s early life. 

Carlos Prates’ background and early life

‘The Nightmare’ is one of the few Brazilian mixed martial artists who have put Muay Thai in their arsenal. And he began his journey as a professional sanctioned fighter in 2012, under the banner of Max Fight. Needless to say, with his mother backing him up, Prates won the bout. He even went on to win the São Paulo Regional in the same year. However, Prates’ early career was laden with ups and downs, with wins and losses decorating his record like Christmas lights. But now, he’s on an 11-fight win streak, and has gotten 2 main event fights with just 4 bouts in the UFC. 

Of course, this change couldn’t have come without his decision to move to Thailand and master the art of eight limbs. He stayed in the land of Muay Thai for about 6 years and fought regularly during his stay. He once revealed that he fought 103 times in those 6 years. He claimed, “There was a year I did 25 fights in Asia, four a month in three different countries. It was cool, visiting new places and new people, new cultures.”

Now, with UFC on ESPN 66 right around the corner, Carlos Prates prepares to face Ian Machado Garry in the main event. No doubt, the bout will be as dramatic as Prates’ mother’s advice for UFC Kansas City. But we’d still have to wait for Saturday night to come with the action-packed matchups. 

Do you think Prates can secure a win against Machado Garry at UFC Kansas City? Can ‘The Nightmare’ extend his 11-fight win streak? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.