Maddalena vs Prates hinges on who will fight moving backward

The key question in the Maddalena versus Prates fight is whether there will be a head-to-head collision in the center of the cage, and if not, who will move backward. Prates has dropped opponents 11 times in the UFC while moving forward and rarely retreats except against Neil, needing to advance to land his powerful left straight. Maddalena's entire game is also built on forward movement, and we've almost never seen him retreat. If they clash in the center, the odds favor Prates, as Maddalena absorbed over 50 clean straight punches to the head against Belal, while Prates needs only one clean shot. Maddalena's advantage lies in his short combination boxing and counter-striking, as Prates struggles at mid-to-close range when pressured with volume, as demonstrated by Giles and Garry. Ian Garry succeeded against Prates by feeling his left straight on millimeters and always escaping it, likely due to extensive sparring with southpaws. Maddalena is bigger and hits harder than Garry, which could allow him to damage Prates, though his success depends entirely on boxing skills. The prediction is Maddalena by decision or TKO in rounds 3-4, forcing Prates backward and overwhelming him with strikes.