UFC 322 features a clash of coaches with Australian BJJ ace Craig Jones representing Jack Della Maddalena and Dagestani grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov repping Islam Makhachev. Whose style will lead their
fighter to victory in the Madison Square Garden main event?
Speculation is for the bettors and bookies, but one thing fellow main card fighter Carlos Prates knows is who he’d rather train with. Prates is coming off an impressive first round KO win over Geoff Neal and now faces Leon Edwards in a fight with serious implications for the welterweight division. Even with so much on the line in every fight, Prates has his priorities set.
“Who would you rather have as a coach: Craig Jones or Khabib,” comedian Jon Bernard Kairouz asked Prates.
“I think Craig Jones, because he’s gonna let me go to the party and smoke,” Prates said. “If I train with Khabib, I think he’s gonna break my video game, don’t gonna let me smoke. Don’t gonna let me go to the parties. So I think Craig Jones, although it would be really nice to train with Khabib.”
Prates is infamous for smoking cigarettes, which you may be surprised to learn is a rare habit for MMA fighters looking to compete hard for 15 to 25 minutes. He argues that the dozen to 15 cigarettes he smokes per day helps him keep his weight down, and to be fair the habit didn’t seem to slow him down in his first 25 minute fight back in April 2025. He’d lose that fight to Ian Machado Garry, but not before almost staging a wild comeback in the final two minutes.
Would Prates be even better under Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is known as a relentless coach demanding steely discipline from his students? The Fighting Nerds accept Prates as he is and don’t stop him from staying up all night partying. His lifestyle has gotten him up to No. 9 at welterweight and could jump him right into the top five with a win over Leon Edwards. So if it ain’t broke, maybe don’t fix it?
