Analysis: Carlos Prates' striking versatility overwhelms Jack Della Maddalena

A detailed breakdown reveals that Jack Della Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing block for defense, which proved ineffective against Carlos Prates' diverse striking arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Maddalena fought predominantly in southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged in the Makhachev fight, and when he switched to orthodox, Prates targeted his left side with mid-kicks, leaving it visibly red by the second round. Maddalena lacked the speed and aggression needed to pressure Prates, who demonstrated exceptional versatility and confidence with strikes from multiple angles. The analysis suggests Prates is a combination of Alex Pereira and Anderson Silva in terms of striking ability. For a potential Makhachev vs Prates matchup, the post notes that Prates has successfully damaged the lead legs of southpaw opponents like Edwards and Maddalena with low kicks, though questions whether Prates can maintain his performance after being held down for a round. The author suggests UFC should consider matching Prates with Joaquin Buckley first to determine a clear contender.