Analysis: Della Maddalena-Prates hinges on who controls center and moves forward

A detailed breakdown examines the central question of the Della Maddalena vs Prates fight: will there be a head-on collision in the center, and if not, who will move backward? Prates has knocked down opponents 11 times in the UFC while moving forward and rarely retreats except briefly against Neil Magny. Della Maddalena similarly builds his game on forward pressure. The analysis notes Della Maddalena absorbed over 50 clean punches from Belal Muhammad, while Prates only needs one. Ian Garry's success against Prates came from his ability to read the left straight on millimeters and his diverse toolkit including kicks. Della Maddalena may have an advantage in close-range combination boxing where Prates struggles, but will need to force Prates backward and maintain pressure.