Detailed breakdown reveals Della Maddalena's defensive flaws in Prates loss

A post-fight analysis of Jack Della Maddalena's loss to Carlos Prates has identified several critical tactical errors. Approximately 90% of Della Maddalena's defensive work relied on a boxing block, which proved inadequate against Prates's diverse arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. The block was described as porous, allowing many straight punches through, and Della Maddalena lacked the explosive countering ability from the guard that fighters like Petr Yan possess. Surprisingly, Della Maddalena spent much of the fight in southpaw stance despite having his left leg targeted heavily by Makhachev in their previous bout. When switching to orthodox, Prates damaged his entire left side with middle kicks, visible as redness at the start of round two. The analyst notes Della Maddalena's best chance was aggressive first-number work to push Prates back against the cage, but he lacked the speed and aggression needed. Regarding Makhachev versus Prates, the analysis notes that Prates destroyed the lead legs of southpaws Edwards and Della Maddalena with low kicks, presenting a danger on the distance closing. However, questions remain about whether Prates can maintain his performance after being controlled on the ground by a high-level wrestler like Makhachev.