A detailed fight analysis reveals Carlos Prates dominated Jack Della Maddalena through superior striking variety. Della Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing guard defense, which proved ineffective against Prates' tornado of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Prates devastated Della Maddalena's lead leg, particularly when he fought from orthodox stance, leaving his left side visibly red by the second round. The analyst notes Della Maddalena's best chance was aggressive pressure against the fence, but he lacked the speed and aggression needed. Prates is described as a hybrid of Jiri Prochazka and Anderson Silva. Looking ahead to a potential Islam Makhachev fight, the analysis suggests Prates could damage Makhachev's lead leg with low kicks but questions whether he could survive rounds of ground control. The post also discusses whether UFC should match Prates with Joaquin Buckley next or save him for Makhachev.
A detailed post-fight breakdown circulating this week argues that Carlos Prates dismantled Jack Della Maddalena not through power alone, but through an overwhelming diversity of weapons that exposed the limits of a pure boxing-based defense.
According to the analysis, Della Maddalena's reliance on a high boxing guard left him defenseless against Prates' kicks, knees, and elbows. Prates reportedly targeted the lead leg with particular precision when working from orthodox stance, leaving Della Maddalena's left side visibly red by the second round. The analyst describes Prates as a hybrid of Jiri Prochazka and Anderson Silva — two fighters renowned for unorthodox, creative striking. Prochazka, the Czech light heavyweight ranked second in his division, lands 5.69 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy. Silva, the Brazilian legend known as The Spider, built his legacy on a 61 percent striking accuracy rate and unpredictable movement from a southpaw stance.
The breakdown suggests Della Maddalena's best path to victory was aggressive cage pressure, but notes he lacked the speed and intensity to execute it consistently against Prates' rhythm.
Why it matters
- Prates' striking variety poses a legitimate threat at welterweight, where most elite fighters are not accustomed to heavy kicking volume
- The analysis raises the question of whether Prates should next face Joaquin Buckley or be fast-tracked toward champion Islam Makhachev
- Makhachev, who holds both the welterweight title and the number-one pound-for-pound ranking, averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes — a grappling-heavy blueprint that could neutralize Prates' leg kick offense
- The analyst believes Prates could damage Makhachev's lead leg with low kicks but questions whether his ground defense could withstand extended grappling exchanges against the Russian champion
