Carlos Prates, a popular UFC fighter in Brazil, appeared on the Podpah podcast and recounted his journey. His mother, a teacher, sought help when he struggled at school and was diagnosed with ADHD at age eight. Noticing his interest in watching fights, she enrolled him in a muay thai school. Prates began standing out in martial arts and, at age 22 with nine MMA fights, focused on improving striking. He found a Facebook advertisement for a six-month Thailand camp and, with his mother’s financial help, went to train. The stay extended to six years, with intense fight frequency and later experience fighting while injured, including a shoulder ligament tear before a bout.
"“My mother is a teacher, and since I was very difficult and had learning difficulties, she decided to take me to a psychologist when I was 8 years old, where I was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder),” Prates said. “Once she saw me engrossed in watching a DVD of Wanderlei Silva fighting Yuki Kondo in Pride, and noticed my interest in fighting, [she] decided to enroll me in a muay thai school.”"
"“It was supposed to be six months, and I stayed six years. In the first month alone, I had six fights,” said Prates, estimating that today he has around 140 fights, including both muay thai and MMA."
"“It's very difficult for a high-performance athlete to arrive at a fight after a tough camp without any injuries. In the fight with [Jack Della] Maddalena, for example, I had a partial tear of the ligament in my right shoulder and couldn't raise my arm above my head,” Prates said."
Read at Sherdog
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