A detailed breakdown reveals Jack Della Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing block for defense against Carlos Prates, which proved ineffective against Prates' diverse striking arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Maddalena absorbed many straight punches through his porous guard and lacked the explosive countering ability to capitalize from the defensive position. Surprisingly, Maddalena fought predominantly in a southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged in the Makhachev fight, and when he switched to orthodox, Prates severely damaged his left side with middle kicks. The analysis suggests Maddalena's best chance was aggressive pressure and keeping Prates against the cage, but he lacked the speed and was too cautious. The post concludes that Prates' combination of power, diverse angles, confidence, and reach would have overwhelmed Maddalena regardless of strategy. Regarding a potential Makhachev vs Prates matchup, the analysis notes Prates destroyed the lead legs of southpaws Edwards and Maddalena with low kicks, potentially creating challenges for the southpaw Makhachev, though Makhachev's wrestling and top control could neutralize Prates' striking momentum.
