Analysis: Prates dominated Maddalena with striking variety and aggression

A detailed breakdown of Carlos Prates' victory over Jack Della Maddalena reveals several key factors. Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing guard for defense, which proved ineffective against Prates' diverse arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Surprisingly, Maddalena fought mostly in southpaw stance despite needing to work from orthodox after Islam Makhachev previously attacked his left leg. When Maddalena did switch to orthodox, Prates damaged his left side extensively with middle kicks. Maddalena's best chance was aggressive forward pressure, but he lacked the speed and commitment, while Prates showed complete confidence and used excellent range management. The analysis notes that both Leon Edwards and Maddalena, who had never been knocked out before facing Prates, suffered leg kick damage in the first round. Looking ahead to a potential Makhachev fight, the post suggests intrigue exists given Prates' ability to damage southpaw stances, but questions whether Prates can maintain his form after being controlled on the ground.