Detailed breakdown shows Prates destroyed Maddalena with varied striking

A thorough re-watch analysis reveals that Jack Della Maddalena relied heavily on a boxing block defense, which proved ineffective against Carlos Prates' tornado of kicks, elbows, knees, and punches. Maddalena's block was porous and he absorbed many straight punches through it without the ability to counter explosively like Petr Yan does against O'Malley. Surprisingly, Maddalena fought predominantly in southpaw stance despite needing orthodox preparation after Makhachev had targeted his left leg. When switching to orthodox, Prates punished his left side with mid-kicks until it was visibly red by the second round. The analysis suggests Maddalena's best chance was aggressive forward pressure to pin Prates against the cage, but he lacked the speed and aggression needed, while Prates showed complete confidence and used his length effectively. Regarding a potential Makhachev vs Prates matchup, the post notes that Prates destroyed the lead legs of southpaws Edwards and Maddalena with low kicks, posing a threat to the southpaw Makhachev, though questions remain about whether Prates can maintain his striking prowess after being controlled on the ground.