"They paid about 5,000 baht each" - Carlos Prates comes clean on fighting for pennies and sleeping on cold mats in early career

Carlos Prates recently got honest about his struggles as an up-and-coming fighter and recalled fighting for pennies while living in rough conditions. Prates claimed he fought six times a month in Thailand before competing in China, where he stayed on the streets.

Prates is among the most exciting fighters in the UFC's welterweight division and has a professional record of 22-7, with 17 of his wins coming by way of knockout. Coming off a first-round KO win over Geoff Neal at UFC 319 in August, he's now booked to face former champion Leon Edwards at UFC 322 next month.

In a recent interview with Full Violence, the Brazilian recalled his struggles early on in his career and said:

"My first month in Thailand, I did six fights in one month. They pay, like, 5,000 baht. In China, they pay much better. One fight, they pay you 30,000 baht. Then I stayed on the street outside Starbucks all day because they didn't want to pay for the hotel again and again. Then I got to train and come to China and fight before returning to the city of the promoter to train in his gym. I slept on the mat where it was really cold, like, -10 degrees."

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Ian Machado Garry previews Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates at UFC 322

Ian Machado Garry recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates fight at UFC 322 next month. The Irishman boldly predicted that Edwards would be finished by Prates and claimed that the former champion should be retired.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Garry backed Prates to beat 'Rocky' dominantly and said:

"I think he's going to absolutely starch Leon. I've been saying this for a long time. [Edwards] should be retired, and we might see that. I'm shocked he took the fight in the first place. He's been shouting and screaming about wanting to fight a striker for so long, and now he's got his opportunity, and I think he's going to absolutely punch round." [H/t: Yahoo Sports]

Edited by Nishant Zende.