Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates face off ahead of UFC Perth

Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates came face to face this week as part of the promotional buildup to UFC Perth, with video footage of the staredown circulating ahead of what shapes up as one of the more consequential welterweight bouts on the card.

Della Maddalena, 29, enters the fight as the fourth-ranked welterweight in the world and sits 13th in the pound-for-pound standings. The Perth native, who trains out of Scrappy MMA, carries an 18-4 record and is fighting in front of a home crowd. He is one of the division's most active strikers, landing 5.57 significant strikes per minute at 51 percent accuracy, and fights out of a switch stance at five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach.

Carlos Prates, known as The Nightmare, is ranked fifth at welterweight and brings a 24-7 record into the bout. The 32-year-old Brazilian, who represents Vale Top Team, holds a notable physical edge, standing six-foot-one with a reach of 78 inches. He also works out of a switch stance and lands significant strikes at 3.77 per minute with a 55 percent accuracy rate. Prates has not recorded a submission attempt per 15 minutes, suggesting his game is built almost entirely around striking.

Why it matters

• Two of the top five welterweights in the world meeting means the winner pushes firmly into title contention
• Both fighters are switch-stance strikers, setting up a technically complex stand-up contest with reach advantage going to Prates
• A home crowd for Della Maddalena at UFC Perth adds significant atmosphere to an already high-stakes divisional matchup
• The outcome will likely reshape the welterweight rankings and influence the path to a future title shot