UFC 322’s Carlos Prates picks Craig Jones coaching style over Khabib Nurmagomedov: ‘Khabib wouldn’t let me smoke’
UFC 322 features a clash of coaches with Australian Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Craig Jones representing Jack Della Maddalena and Dagestani grappler, Khabib Nurmagomedov, repping Islam Makhachev. Whose style will lead their fighter to victory in Madison Square Garden’s main event?
Speculation is for 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 knockout 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.
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“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 mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters looking to compete hard for 15 to 25 minutes. He argues that the dozen to 15 cigarettes he smokes perday 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 Edwards.
So, if it ain’t broke, maybe don’t fix it?
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LIVE! Stream UFC 322 On ESPN+
WELTERWEIGHT SUPER FIGHT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., on Sat., Nov. 15, 2025, with a stacked ESPN+-streamed UFC 322 fight card. In UFC 322’s main event, dominant Russian Lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, aims for historic “double-champ” status by challenging Australian knockout specialist and reigning Welterweight kingpin, Jack Della Maddalena, in an explosive title bout that could redefine the 170-pound division. In UFC 322’s co-headliner, women’s Flyweight queenpin, Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko, defends her throne against Strawweight powerhouse, Zhang Weili, who’s also moving up for a shot at two-division glory in a “Champion vs. Champion” showdown packed with elite striking and grappling. All that and SO MUCH MORE!!!
Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!
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