Jack Della Maddalena, the No. 1 ranked UFC welterweight from Western Australia, will headline UFC Fight Night in Perth on Saturday, May 2, 2026, against No. 5 ranked Carlos "The Nightmare" Prates. This marks a historic occasion as it will be the first time UFC Fight Night is held on a Saturday night in Australian history. The matchup features two of the UFC's top welterweight prospects in a highly anticipated bout at RAC Arena. Travel packages and ticketing information are available through official UFC channels.
Jack Della Maddalena will put his standing as Australia's most prominent welterweight on the line when he faces Carlos "The Nightmare" Prates in the main event of UFC Fight Night Perth on Saturday, May 2, 2026. The card, set for RAC Arena in Western Australia, marks the first time a UFC Fight Night has been staged on a Saturday night in Australian history.
Della Maddalena enters the bout ranked fourth in the welterweight division and thirteenth in the pound-for-pound standings, carrying an 18-4-0 professional record. The 29-year-old Perth native trains out of Scrappy MMA and fights out of a switch stance at five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach. He is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 5.57 significant strikes per minute at 51 percent accuracy, making him a natural fit for a hometown headliner of this scale.
Prates, who represents Brazil and trains with Vale Top Team, holds a 24-7-0 record and is ranked fifth at welterweight. The 32-year-old stands six-foot-one with a notably long 78-inch reach and also switches stances. He lands 3.77 significant strikes per minute at a sharper 55 percent accuracy rate, suggesting a more measured but efficient approach on the feet.
Why it matters
- Della Maddalena holds a three-spot ranking advantage, making a statement win an opportunity to press his case for a title shot.
- A victory for Prates, the higher-ranked finisher by accuracy, would put a top-four welterweight scalp on his resume and strengthen his own title credentials.
- Both fighters are switch-stance strikers, setting up a technically complex stand-up contest between two of the division's most dangerous hands.
- The historic Saturday-night scheduling elevates the event's profile and gives the Australian welterweight a landmark stage in front of his home crowd.
