Analysis: Della Maddalena's defensive flaws exploited by Prates' versatility

A detailed breakdown of the Prates-Della Maddalena fight reveals tactical insights. Della Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing guard for defense, which proved inadequate against Prates' diverse arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Surprisingly, Della Maddalena fought mostly in southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged in the Makhachev fight, and when switching to orthodox, Prates attacked his left side with mid-kicks. The analysis notes that Della Maddalena's best chance was to pressure Prates aggressively and keep him against the cage, but he lacked the speed and aggression needed. Regarding a potential Makhachev-Prates matchup, the breakdown highlights that Prates has successfully damaged the lead leg of southpaws Edwards and Della Maddalena, even scoring a low-kick knockout. However, Makhachev's high-level striking and ability to mix in takedowns that could soften Prates after ground control presents a serious challenge. The post suggests UFC may need to decide whether to book Prates against Moraes first or save him for Makhachev.