Madalena vs Prates key question: who will move forward in center exchanges?

An in-depth analysis examines whether Jack Madalena versus Carlos Prates will result in a center-cage clash and, if not, who will retreat. Prates has dropped opponents 11 times in the UFC moving forward and rarely retreats except briefly against Neil Magny. Madalena is also built on forward pressure and has never been seen retreating except in brief moments. If they clash in the center, the odds don't favor Madalena, who absorbed over 50 clean head strikes from Belal Muhammad while Prates only needs one clean shot. Madalena's advantages lie in short-range combination boxing and counterstriking, which Prates struggles with at close range. Ian Garry succeeded because he could feel Prates' left straight and escape it, likely due to extensive sparring with southpaws. Madalena must rely primarily on boxing unlike the more versatile Garry, but hits harder and could damage Prates. The analysis leans toward Madalena forcing Prates backwards and winning by decision or TKO in rounds 3-4.