A detailed breakdown of the upcoming bout between Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates suggests the Brazilian holds advantages in several key areas. The analysis notes that Della Maddalena's style works best when he leads the action, and while Prates struggles when pressured, Della Maddalena lacks the kicking game and footwork that Ian Garry used successfully against the Brazilian. The piece argues that Della Maddalena will need to control distance through boxing, which increases the risk of being countered by Prates' power. Even if the Australian can win early rounds, Prates remains dangerous until the final seconds, as demonstrated when he nearly knocked out Garry in the fifth round despite losing the first four. The analysis concludes that for Della Maddalena to win, he must pressure Prates for the full 25 minutes while maintaining perfect defensive discipline, which the author considers unlikely. Based on these factors, the breakdown favors Prates to win.
A detailed striking analysis published ahead of the welterweight clash between Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates has concluded that the Brazilian holds meaningful advantages and is the more likely winner when the two meet.
Della Maddalena enters the bout ranked fourth in the welterweight division and 13th pound-for-pound at 29 years old. The Australian out of Scrappy MMA carries an 18-4 record and is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 5.57 significant strikes per minute at 51 percent accuracy. The breakdown identifies his tendency to lead the action as both a strength and a vulnerability — his output thrives when he dictates the pace, but that aggression also puts him in the path of counters.
Prates, known as "The Nightmare," is ranked fifth at 32 years old and holds a 24-7 record fighting out of Vale Top Team. The Brazilian stands six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach — advantages of two inches in height and five inches in reach over Della Maddalena — and connects on 55 percent of his significant strikes. The analysis points to his bout with Ian Garry as a key reference point: despite losing the first four rounds, Prates nearly finished Garry in the fifth, underlining that he remains a lethal threat deep into championship rounds.
The central argument of the breakdown is that Della Maddalena lacks the kicking game and footwork Garry deployed to neutralize Prates at range. Forced to rely primarily on boxing to manage distance, the Australian would expose himself to Prates' counter power throughout the fight.
Why it matters
- Both men sit inside the welterweight top five, making the result a direct rankings mover
- The winner strengthens their case for a title shot in a division where Belal Muhammad sits sixth at 37 years old
- Style-wise, the matchup pits high-volume aggression against patient, high-accuracy counter-striking with a significant reach edge favoring Prates
- The analysis frames a full 25-minute pressure performance as Della Maddalena's only viable path, a standard it considers difficult to sustain
