An analyst rewatched the Prates vs Della Maddalena fight and identified that Della Maddalena performed approximately 90% of his defensive actions using a boxing block, which proved ineffective against Prates' diverse striking arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. The analyst noted Della Maddalena fought primarily in southpaw stance despite previous leg damage from Makhachev, and when he switched to orthodox, Prates damaged his left side with middle kicks. The breakdown suggested Della Maddalena's best chance was aggressive forward pressure keeping Prates against the cage, but he lacked the speed and aggression to execute this strategy, while Prates' confidence and diverse striking angles overwhelmed him. Regarding a potential Makhachev vs Prates matchup, the analyst noted Prates has destroyed the lead legs of southpaws Edwards and Della Maddalena with low kicks and possesses dangerous knockout power at any range, creating genuine intrigue. However, the post questions whether Prates would maintain his effectiveness after being pressured in Makhachev's half guard for four minutes, and suggests UFC may consider matching Prates against Morales first to determine a clear contender.
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