Carlos Prates was warmly received by fans at an open training session in Perth, Australia. Despite fighting on Jack Maddalena's home turf, the Brazilian challenger received enthusiastic support throughout the event, with the crowd cheering continuously. The reception raises questions about whether Perth truly represents hostile territory for Prates. The footage suggests Prates will have significant fan support despite competing in his opponent's home country.
Carlos Prates received a surprisingly enthusiastic reception from Perth fans during an open workout session on April 29, raising early doubts about whether the city will function as true hostile territory for the Brazilian contender when he faces local hero Jack Della Maddalena.
Prates, nicknamed "The Nightmare," enters the welterweight matchup ranked fifth in the division at 32 years old. The Brazilian represents Vale Top Team and carries a 24-7 record into the bout. Standing six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach, he fights out of a switch stance and connects on 55 percent of his significant strikes, a standout accuracy figure for the 170-pound class.
Della Maddalena, the fourth-ranked welterweight and 13th in the pound-for-pound standings, will be fighting in front of his home crowd in Perth. The 29-year-old Australian trains out of Scrappy MMA and holds an 18-4 record. At five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach, he is also a switch-stance fighter and produces an aggressive 5.57 significant strikes landed per minute, one of the higher output rates in the welterweight division.
Why it matters
- Prates drawing genuine crowd support in Della Maddalena's home city could reduce the traditional home-fighter advantage.
- The reach disparity of five inches favors Prates and sets up an interesting distance management battle between two switch-stance strikers.
- Both fighters rank inside the top five at welterweight, meaning the winner moves firmly into title contention.
- The rankings gap between fourth and fifth is narrow, keeping divisional stakes high for whichever man comes out on top.
The open workout footage suggests Prates has cultivated real fan appeal in Australia, complicating the straightforward home-crowd narrative heading into fight week.
