Carlos Prates knocks out Jack Della Maddalena in third round at UFC Perth

Carlos Prates delivered a stunning third-round technical knockout of Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC Perth, finishing the Australian contender at 3:17 of the round to announce himself as a serious welterweight title contender.

Prates, known as "The Nightmare," improved his record to 24-7 with the victory. The 32-year-old Brazilian, who fights out of Vale Top Team, stands six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach — a meaningful physical edge in the welterweight division. He entered the fight ranked fifth at 170 pounds and has demonstrated clean, efficient striking throughout his career, posting a 55 percent striking accuracy while landing 3.77 significant strikes per minute.

Della Maddalena came in as the fourth-ranked welterweight and the 13th-ranked fighter pound-for-pound, carrying considerable momentum and home-crowd support into the Perth main event. The 29-year-old Australian, who competes out of Scrappy MMA, holds a record of 18-4 and is one of the division's more prolific strikers, averaging 5.57 significant strikes per minute at 51 percent accuracy. Despite his switch-stance versatility and high-volume output, he was unable to survive the finishing sequence Prates constructed over three rounds.

Why it matters

• Prates jumps ahead of Della Maddalena in the welterweight rankings picture, positioning himself closer to a title shot
• The loss drops Della Maddalena from his fourth-place standing and disrupts what had been a fast-rising trajectory
• Both fighters are switch-stance strikers, but Prates held a three-inch height and five-inch reach advantage, which may have been decisive in dictating range
• The welterweight top five remains in flux, with this result reshaping the contender landscape heading toward the next title defense