Analysis: Della Maddalena vs Prates comes down to who moves backward

A detailed tactical breakdown suggests the key question in the Della Maddalena vs Prates fight is whether there will be a head-on collision in the center of the cage, and if not, who will move backward. Carlos Prates has dropped opponents 11 times in the UFC while moving forward and relies on advancing to land his powerful left straight. Jack Della Maddalena similarly builds his game on forward pressure and has rarely been seen retreating except in his loss to Belal Muhammad, where he absorbed over 50 clean straight punches. The analysis notes that if Della Maddalena stands in the center with Prates, he may struggle to survive five rounds given Prates' one-punch knockout power. However, Della Maddalena has advantages in short-range combination boxing and could force Prates backward, where the Brazilian is less comfortable. The post concludes by favoring Della Maddalena to force Prates backward and overwhelm him with volume, predicting a decision or TKO in rounds 3-4.