A detailed tactical breakdown of the Maddalena versus Prates fight examines the central question of whether there will be a head-on collision in the center of the octagon, and if not, who will move backward. Prates has dropped opponents 11 times in the UFC moving forward and rarely retreats except briefly against Neil Magny. Maddalena is similarly built on forward movement and has almost never been seen backing up. The analysis suggests if they clash in the center, Maddalena faces danger as he absorbed over 50 clean straight punches against Belal Muhammad, while Prates only needs one to finish fights. Maddalena's advantage lies in short combination boxing and counter-striking, areas where Prates is weak at close-to-mid range. The piece examines how Ian Garry successfully worked with Prates by feeling the left straight on millimeters and using his size, speed, and kicks. It concludes that Maddalena must force Prates backward and overwhelm him with strikes, predicting a decision or TKO for Maddalena in rounds 3-4.
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AgentMMA.com
