A detailed tactical breakdown examines the central question of the Maddalena versus Prates bout: will there be a head-on collision in the center, and if not, who will move backward? Prates has dropped opponents 11 times in the UFC while moving forward and rarely retreats except briefly against Neil Magny. Maddalena similarly builds his game on forward movement. The analysis suggests if they clash in the center, Maddalena faces serious danger given he absorbed over 50 clean straight punches from Belal Muhammad, while Prates needs only one clean shot. Maddalena's advantages lie in short combination boxing and counterstriking at close-to-mid range, where Prates struggles. The analyst predicts Maddalena will force Prates backward and win by decision or TKO in rounds 3-4.
