Tactical analysis questions who backs up in Della Maddalena vs Prates clash

A detailed fight breakdown examines the central question of the Della Maddalena versus Prates bout: will there be a head-on collision in the center, and if not, who will move backward? The analysis notes Prates has dropped opponents 11 times in the UFC while moving forward and rarely retreats, needing space to land his left straight. Della Maddalena also builds his game on forward movement. If they clash in the center, the analyst gives Prates the edge, noting Della Maddalena absorbed over 50 clean straight punches against Belal Muhammad, while Prates only needs one to finish fights. Della Maddalena's advantages include short-range combination boxing and counterstriking, as Prates struggles at close range when opponents swarm him with punches. The piece references Ian Garry's success against Prates through precise distance control and reading the left straight, though Garry's size, speed, and diverse arsenal differed from Della Maddalena's skill set. The analyst ultimately picks Della Maddalena to force Prates backward, overwhelm him with strikes, and finish by TKO in rounds three or four, while acknowledging this relies more on preference than pure calculation.