A detailed breakdown suggests Jack Della Maddalena faces a difficult stylistic matchup against Carlos Prates at UFC Perth. While Maddalena's pressure-fighting style could trouble Prates, who struggles when forced backward, the analysis notes Maddalena lacks the kicking game and footwork that allowed Ian Garry to control distance against Prates. The breakdown emphasizes that every exchange represents danger for Maddalena, as Prates remains a knockout threat even late in fights, evidenced by his near-finish of Garry in round five despite losing the first four rounds. The only path to victory identified for Maddalena is pressuring Prates for all 25 minutes while maintaining perfect defensive discipline. The author ultimately picks Prates to win, expressing doubt that Maddalena can execute such a flawless gameplan given that even Belal Muhammad landed strikes on him.
A recent stylistic breakdown of the upcoming UFC Perth welterweight bout between Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates concludes that the Australian faces a punishing task, requiring 25 minutes of near-flawless pressure fighting to earn a victory.
Della Maddalena, ranked fourth in the welterweight division and 13th pound-for-pound, carries an 18-4 record into the fight. The 29-year-old out of Scrappy MMA is one of the division's more aggressive finishers, landing 5.57 significant strikes per minute at 51 percent accuracy. The analysis acknowledges his pressure style can create real problems for opponents who struggle moving backward, but identifies a critical gap in his arsenal: the kicking game and footwork that Ian Garry used to control range against Prates are largely absent from Della Maddalena's toolkit.
Prates, a 32-year-old Brazilian fighting out of Vale Top Team, sits fifth in the welterweight rankings with a 24-7 record. Known as "The Nightmare," he carries a 78-inch reach — five inches longer than Della Maddalena's 73-inch frame — and posts a 55 percent striking accuracy. The breakdown points to his fight against Garry as a defining reference point: despite losing the first four rounds, Prates nearly stopped Garry in round five, underlining that his knockout threat does not diminish as fights progress.
Why it matters
- A Prates win would vault a bottom-five welterweight into title contention and reshuffle the top of the division
- Della Maddalena's defensive habits under sustained pressure are directly questioned, with Belal Muhammad — ranked sixth and averaging 4.43 significant strikes per minute — cited as evidence of that vulnerability
- Both fighters switch between stances, setting up a technically complex striking exchange with little margin for error
- The five-round format amplifies Prates's late-fight danger, a factor the analysis treats as decisive
The author ultimately picks Prates, expressing doubt that Della Maddalena can maintain the disciplined, relentless gameplan required across a full championship-distance contest.
