Detailed breakdown of Prates vs Maddalena fight and Makhachev matchup analysis

A detailed fight analysis examines Carlos Prates' victory over Jack Della Maddalena and assesses a potential matchup with Islam Makhachev. The breakdown notes that Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing guard defense that proved inadequate against Prates' diverse striking arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Maddalena fought primarily in southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged by Makhachev previously, and when switching to orthodox, Prates attacked his left side with mid-kicks. The analysis identifies that Maddalena's best chance would have been aggressive pressure work, but he lacked the speed and aggression needed. The post highlights three key statistics: Leon Edwards had never been knocked out in 28 fights before Prates, Li Jingliang had never been knocked out in 27 fights before Prates, and Della Maddalena had never been knocked out on the feet before this fight. Regarding a potential Makhachev fight, the analysis notes that Prates destroys southpaws' lead legs with low kicks and can finish fights with 10-15 such strikes. However, Makhachev's high-level striking and wrestling pose questions about whether Prates could maintain his confidence after being held down. The post suggests the UFC should consider having Prates fight Renato Moraes first to determine a clear number one contender.