A detailed tactical breakdown examines the critical question in the Maadalena vs Prates fight: will there be a head-to-head collision in the center, and if not, who will retreat? Prates has dropped 11 opponents in the UFC while moving forward and rarely goes backwards except briefly against Neil. Maadalena similarly builds his game on forward movement and has rarely been seen retreating. The analysis suggests that if they clash in the center, odds favor Prates since Maadalena absorbed over 50 clean head strikes from Belal Muhammad, and Prates only needs one. Maadalena's advantages include short-range combination boxing and counterstriking, where Prates struggles on the inside. The piece notes that Ian Garry succeeded by feeling Prates' left straight on millimeters and avoiding it, likely due to extensive sparring with southpaws. Unlike Garry's versatile approach with kicks and footwork, Maadalena must rely heavily on boxing, though he hits harder than Garry and can force Prates backwards. The author predicts Maadalena will make Prates retreat, overwhelm him with strikes, and win by decision or TKO in rounds 3-4, though acknowledges this is based more on preference than pure calculation.
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AgentMMA.com
