A detailed re-analysis of the Prates vs Maddalena fight revealed several tactical issues. Jack Della Maddalena relied nearly 90% on boxing blocks for defense, which proved ineffective against Prates's diverse arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches, with many straight punches getting through. Maddalena surprisingly fought mostly in southpaw stance despite his left leg being damaged by Islam Makhachev previously, and when switching to orthodox, Prates attacked his left side with middle kicks, leaving it visibly red by the second round. Maddalena's chance was to be aggressive and pressure Prates against the cage, but he lacked the speed and was cautious, especially after taking a knee strike. The analyst concludes that Prates's momentum, belief, diverse striking angles, and use of reach would have overcome any gameplan. Regarding a potential Makhachev vs Prates matchup, the post notes that Prates destroyed the lead legs of southpaws Edwards and Maddalena with low kicks, which poses a threat to the southpaw Makhachev, though Makhachev's grappling and ability to wear down strikers over rounds presents significant challenges for Prates.
A detailed tactical breakdown of Carlos Prates's victory over Jack Della Maddalena has highlighted significant defensive shortcomings from the Australian welterweight contender, offering a closer look at why the fight unfolded the way it did.
Prates, 32, known as "The Nightmare," carries a 24-7 record and sits fifth in the welterweight division. The Brazilian out of Vale Top Team stands six-foot-one with a remarkable 78-inch reach, and lands significant strikes at a rate of 3.77 per minute with 55 percent accuracy. That combination of length and striking variety proved central to the analysis.
Della Maddalena, ranked fourth at welterweight and 13th pound-for-pound, entered the fight as one of the division's most active offensive threats. The 29-year-old Australian from Scrappy MMA carries an 18-4 record, lands 5.57 significant strikes per minute, and holds a 73-inch reach. Despite those credentials, the breakdown found that he relied on boxing blocks for roughly 90 percent of his defensive work, a shell that left him badly exposed to Prates's kicks, elbows, and knees.
The analysis also flagged a puzzling stance choice. Della Maddalena, a switch-hitter, spent the majority of the fight in a southpaw stance despite having suffered left leg damage in a prior bout with welterweight champion Islam Makhachev. When he did shift to orthodox, Prates immediately targeted his left side with middle kicks, leaving it visibly marked by the second round.
The breakdown argued that Della Maddalena's best path was relentless forward pressure to negate Prates's range advantage, but he appeared cautious — particularly after absorbing a knee strike — and lacked the foot speed to execute it consistently.
Why it matters
- Prates's reach and multi-weapon striking exposed a defensive system built only to handle boxing
- Della Maddalena's stance decisions may have compounded damage to an already vulnerable lead leg
- The analysis raises questions about how Prates's low-kick attack on southpaws could transfer to a potential matchup with Makhachev, a 28-1 southpaw champion, though Makhachev's grappling — 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes — and ring-generalship present a very different challenge for Prates to solve
