Analysis: Maddalena vs Prates centers on who will fight moving backward

A detailed tactical breakdown examines the upcoming UFC Perth main event between Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates, focusing on the central question of which fighter will be forced to fight moving backward. Prates has knocked down opponents 11 times in the UFC while moving forward and relies on his left straight, rarely retreating except briefly against Neil Magny. Maddalena similarly builds his offense on forward pressure and has almost never fought while backing up. The analysis suggests that if they clash in the center, Maddalena is at risk because he absorbed over 50 clean straight punches against Belal Muhammad, while Prates needs only one clean shot as demonstrated when he knocked out Trevin Giles despite being outboxed for 90 seconds. Maddalena's advantage lies in short-range combination boxing where Prates struggles, as shown in fights against Giles, Garry, and Magny. The piece notes Ian Garry's success came from his ability to read and evade Prates's left straight on millimeters while being bigger, faster, and more versatile than Maddalena. The analysis predicts Maddalena will force Prates backward and overwhelm him with volume, potentially securing a stoppage in rounds 3-4.