Carlos Prates has achieved historic knockouts against three fighters who had never been finished by knockout before facing him. Leon Edwards had never lost by knockout in 28 career fights until Prates stopped him. Li Jingliang had also never been knocked out in 27 professional bouts before facing Prates. Jack Della Maddalena's only previous TKO loss came when he was overwhelmed on the ground while exhausted, making Prates the first to knock him out in standup fighting. This unprecedented achievement highlights Prates' exceptional knockout power across multiple high-level opponents.
Carlos Prates has carved out a unique place in welterweight history, becoming the only fighter to knock out three opponents who had each entered their bout with him having never previously been stopped by strikes.
The Brazilian, known as "The Nightmare," holds a 24-7 record and currently sits fifth in the welterweight rankings at 32 years old. Fighting out of Vale Top Team, Prates is a switch-stance striker standing six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach, and his 55 percent striking accuracy stands out as a mark of precision to go alongside his obvious power.
Leon Edwards, the former welterweight champion, had gone 28 professional fights without suffering a knockout loss before Prates ended that streak. The achievement alone would be remarkable, but Prates did not stop there. Li Jingliang, the hard-nosed Chinese veteran nicknamed "The Leech," had similarly never been knocked out across 27 professional bouts before running into Prates. Li, now 38 and an orthodox fighter with a 19-9 record, built his career on durability and a takedown rate of 1.19 per 15 minutes, yet Prates found a way through.
The third name on the list makes the accomplishment even more striking. Jack Della Maddalena, the fourth-ranked welterweight and 13th-ranked pound-for-pound fighter, had suffered only one prior TKO defeat — a stoppage that came via ground-and-pound while he was exhausted, not from a clean standup finish. Prates became the first man to knock him out in a straight striking exchange. The 29-year-old Australian carries the highest significant strike output in this group at 5.57 landed per minute, yet Prates, accurate and composed at 55 percent, was able to solve him.
Why it matters
- Prates has now demonstrated elite knockout power against opponents across different styles, ages, and levels of proven durability
- His move through the rankings to fifth at welterweight is backed by genuine historical precedent, not just a favorable run of opponents
- The combination of reach advantage, switch-stance versatility, and striking accuracy makes him a dangerous threat to any fighter in the division
