Detailed breakdown: Prates defeats Della Maddalena, presents challenge for Makhachev

A detailed post-fight analysis examines Carlos Prates's victory over Jack Della Maddalena and assesses a potential matchup with Islam Makhachev. The breakdown notes that Della Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing guard defense (approximately 90%), which proved ineffective against Prates's variety of strikes including kicks, elbows, and knees. Della Maddalena fought mostly in southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged by Makhachev previously, and Prates punished his left side with middle kicks. The analysis suggests Della Maddalena needed to be more aggressive and pressure Prates against the cage but lacked the speed and aggression to do so effectively. Regarding a Makhachev matchup, the post notes that Prates has destroyed the lead legs of southpaws like Edwards and Della Maddalena with low kicks, and Makhachev is also a southpaw. However, Makhachev is a high-level striker himself who effectively hides his takedowns, and the question remains whether Prates would maintain his striking effectiveness after being controlled on the ground. The author suggests UFC may consider matching Prates against Shavkat Rakhmonov to determine a clear contender.