Analysis: Della Maddalena's defensive flaws exposed by Prates

A detailed post-fight analysis reveals that Jack Della Maddalena performed nearly 90% of his defensive actions using a boxing block, which proved ineffective against Carlos Prates' diverse arsenal of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. The block was described as porous, allowing many straight punches through. Unlike Petr Yan who can counter-punch explosively from a block, Della Maddalena remained passive and failed to break distance. Surprisingly, Della Maddalena fought extensively in southpaw stance despite having his left leg damaged by Islam Makhachev previously. When switching to orthodox, Prates targeted his left side with middle kicks, leaving it visibly reddened by round two. The analysis concludes that Della Maddalena lacked the speed and aggression needed, while Prates' confidence, versatility, and power across all striking weapons made him nearly impossible to overcome in an open standup battle.