A detailed post-fight analysis reveals that Jack Della Maddalen relied almost 90% on a boxing block for defense, which proved ineffective against Carlos Prates's tornado of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Maddalen's block was porous and he absorbed many straight punches through it while failing to counter-attack explosively. Surprisingly, Maddalen fought extensively in southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged by Islam Makhachev previously, and when he switched to orthodox, Prates punished his left side with middle kicks. Maddalen's chance was to be the aggressor and keep Prates against the fence, but he lacked the speed and was intimidated, especially after taking a knee. Prates demonstrated extreme versatility, using different angles with knees, elbows, and punches, and showed complete confidence. The analysis notes that Prates destroyed the lead legs of southpaws Leon Edwards and Maddalen in the first round, and could potentially knockout with 10-15 low kicks. Regarding a potential Islam Makhachev matchup, the post suggests intrigue exists but questions whether Prates would maintain his form after being pressured in half-guard for four minutes, and whether the UFC will have him fight Movsar Moralean first to determine a clear contender.
