Carlos Prates has achieved the remarkable feat of delivering the first knockout losses to three experienced welterweight fighters who had never been stopped by strikes before. Leon Edwards had never been knocked out in 28 professional fights until facing Prates. Li Jingliang had similarly avoided knockout defeats throughout his 27-fight career before meeting Prates. Jack Della Maddalena had never been knocked out in standup exchanges, with his only previous TKO loss coming from ground-and-pound while exhausted in the grappling phase. All three fighters carried extensive combat experience and durability reputations before Prates became the first to finish them via strikes. This pattern demonstrates Prates's exceptional finishing power against proven veterans.
Carlos Prates has quietly built one of the most alarming knockout streaks in the welterweight division, becoming the first fighter to stop three opponents — Leon Edwards, Li Jingliang, and Jack Della Maddalena — via strikes, each of whom had never previously been knocked out in their professional careers.
Prates, nicknamed "The Nightmare," carries a 24-7 record and is ranked fifth in the welterweight division at 32 years old. The Brazilian out of Vale Top Team stands six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach and connects at a 55 percent striking accuracy rate — a figure that helps explain why opponents have struggled to survive his finishing sequences.
Leon Edwards had gone 28 professional fights without ever being stopped by strikes before running into Prates. Li Jingliang, known as "The Leech," compiled a 19-9 record over a lengthy UFC career and reached 38 years old without suffering a knockout loss. The orthodox fighter out of China stands six feet tall with a 71-inch reach and averaged 4.46 significant strikes landed per minute — a mark that reflected his own offensive output, not a defensive vulnerability anyone had managed to exploit via strikes until Prates did.
Jack Della Maddalena entered the matchup as the fourth-ranked welterweight and 13th in the pound-for-pound standings, carrying an 18-4 record at just 29 years old. The Australian switch-stance fighter from Scrappy MMA posted an impressive 5.57 significant strikes landed per minute with 51 percent accuracy. His only prior TKO loss had come from ground-and-pound during a grappling exchange, meaning his chin had never been cracked clean enough to end a fight — until Prates.
Why it matters
- Prates has now demonstrated finishing power against three durable, experienced veterans, establishing himself as a legitimate title threat at 170 pounds
- His 78-inch reach gives him a length advantage over much of the division and sets up the kind of range control that can land clean shots before opponents adjust
- All three victims carried elite-level experience, making the pattern difficult to dismiss as coincidence or matchmaking
