Madalena vs Prates hinges on who controls center and moves forward

An in-depth breakdown argues the key question in Madalena versus Prates is whether there will be a center-cage clash and if not, who will move backward. Prates has dropped opponents 11 times in UFC while moving forward and rarely retreats except briefly against Neil. Madalena also builds his game on forward movement and has rarely been seen backing up. If both stand in the center trading, the author believes Madalena is at a disadvantage because he absorbed over 50 clean head shots from Belal Muhammad, while Prates needs only one clean punch to finish, as Trevin Giles learned. Madalena's advantage lies in his short-range combination boxing and counterstriking, areas where Prates struggles when opponents pressure him at close range. However, Madalena must risk hanging on Prates aggressively without giving him space to reset, or he faces danger from the left straight. The post speculates Ian Garry succeeded because of his exceptional feel for reading southpaws and their left straights, plus his size, speed, volume, and versatile kicking game. Madalena must rely more heavily on pure boxing, though he hits harder than Garry and could damage Prates, as Giles cut Prates badly in round one. The author leans toward Madalena, predicting he will force Prates backward, accumulate damage with volume striking, and secure a decision or late TKO in rounds 3-4.