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.
