Following his knockout victory over Jack Della Maddalena, Carlos Prates now has ammunition to call out Islam Makhachev by pointing out that he finished Della Maddalena while Makhachev could not. The post suggests this gives Prates legitimate talking points in potential media exchanges with the lightweight champion. This development creates multiple potential media-driven rivalries for Makhachev, with Ian Garry and Michael Morales also in the mix. The post notes that this narrative could help build interest in future matchups in the division.
Carlos Prates now holds a compelling piece of leverage over welterweight champion Islam Makhachev after knocking out Jack Della Maddalena, a finish Makhachev was unable to secure against the same opponent.
Prates, nicknamed "The Nightmare," improved to 24-7 with the victory. The 32-year-old Brazilian out of Vale Top Team holds the fifth-ranked spot in the welterweight division and has built a reputation as a high-volume striker, landing 3.77 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy. At six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach, he possesses the physical tools to create problems for opponents at the top of the division.
Della Maddalena, ranked fourth at welterweight and 13th pound-for-pound, came into the fight as one of the division's most dangerous strikers. The 29-year-old Australian carries a record of 18-4 and produces a remarkable 5.57 significant strikes per minute, making his inability to survive against Prates all the more striking as a talking point.
Makhachev, the reigning welterweight champion from Russia, sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings with a 28-1 record. The 34-year-old is a dominant grappler, averaging 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes, and went the distance or otherwise did not stop Della Maddalena when the two shared the octagon — a contrast Prates and his camp can now point to in any media exchange with the champion.
Why it matters
- Prates has a concrete narrative hook to demand a title shot or at minimum a high-profile callout of Makhachev
- The finish keeps Prates ahead of Della Maddalena in the divisional pecking order despite sitting one spot below him in the rankings
- Ian Garry and Michael Morales are also circling Makhachev, meaning the champion faces a crowded field of challengers with media-ready storylines
- The style contrast between Prates's reach-heavy striking and Makhachev's elite grappling makes any potential matchup a genuinely interesting puzzle for the division
