Carlos Prates stops Jack Della Maddalena in third round at UFC Perth

Carlos Prates handed Jack Della Maddalena the first knockout loss of his professional career, stopping the Australian welterweight contender in the third round at UFC Perth on May 2, 2026.

Della Maddalena, 29, had built one of the most exciting reputations in the 170-pound division before the finish. Ranked fourth at welterweight and 13th pound-for-pound, the Perth native carried an 18-4 record into the bout and had never previously been stopped by strikes. Fighting out of a switch stance and standing five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach, he averaged an eye-catching 5.57 significant strikes landed per minute at 51 percent accuracy — numbers that made him one of the most active offensive fighters in the division.

Prates, known as "The Nightmare," had other ideas. The 32-year-old Brazilian from Vale Top Team improved to 24-7 with the finish, moving to fifth in the welterweight rankings. At six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach advantage and a striking accuracy of 55 percent, Prates consistently found his shots despite a slightly lower output of 3.77 significant strikes per minute. His longer frame and precision proved decisive across the three rounds.

Why it matters

• Della Maddalena suffers his first career knockout loss, a meaningful blemish on a record that had made him a title contender in waiting
• Prates climbs the welterweight ladder at fifth in the rankings, putting himself firmly in the conversation for a top-three matchup
• The result reshuffles the upper tier of a welterweight division that remains wide open beneath the champion
• Two switch-stance strikers colliding at the top of a card in Australia produced one of the more consequential finishes in the division this year