A detailed breakdown reveals that Jack Della Maddalena relied heavily on boxing blocks for defense, which proved ineffective against Carlos Prates's diverse striking arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Maddalena competed primarily in southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged in a previous fight with Islam Makhachev, and when he switched to orthodox, Prates punished his left side with mid-kicks until it turned red. The analysis notes that Maddalena's best chance was aggressive pressure to pin Prates against the cage, but he lacked the speed and aggression to execute this strategy effectively. Prates showed such belief in himself and versatility that he dominated regardless of Maddalena's approach. For a potential Islam Makhachev vs Prates matchup, the analysis notes that Prates has destroyed the lead legs of southpaw opponents like Leon Edwards and Maddalena with low kicks, and can knock out opponents with any small distance mistake, but questions whether Prates could maintain his effectiveness after being controlled on the ground for a round. The UFC must decide whether to match Prates with Belal Muhammad next or have him face another contender first.
