Carlos Prates revealed his pre-fight mental preparation by sharing photos of his bathroom mirror covered in written affirmations about knocking out Jack Della Maddalena. The Brazilian fighter had been writing messages on the mirror for months before their bout, including statements like "I will knock out JDM" and "I will become champion." Prates emphasized that the fight began not on Saturday night but months earlier through this daily visualization practice. The post demonstrates the mental preparation and visualization techniques Prates employed in the lead-up to his victory. Details about the specific duration and frequency of this practice are limited to what Prates showed in the video.
Carlos Prates has offered an unusual glimpse into the mental work that preceded his welterweight victory over Jack Della Maddalena, sharing photos of a bathroom mirror blanketed in handwritten affirmations predicting the outcome of the fight.
The Brazilian, known as "The Nightmare," posted images showing messages he had written and returned to daily in the months before the bout, including declarations such as "I will knock out JDM" and "I will become champion." Prates made clear that as far as he was concerned, the fight did not begin on fight night — it had been underway for months through that daily visualization routine.
Prates, 32, carries a 24-7 record and competes out of Vale Top Team. He stands six-foot-one with a 78-inch reach and entered the contest ranked fifth in the welterweight division. He lands significant strikes at a rate of 3.77 per minute and connects on 55 percent of those attempts, a accuracy figure that speaks to a calculated, precise approach rather than volume-heavy offense.
Della Maddalena, 29, came in ranked fourth in the division and thirteenth pound-for-pound. The Australian, who trains at Scrappy MMA, holds an 18-4 record and had built a reputation as one of the more dangerous strikers in the weight class, averaging 5.57 significant strikes per minute at 51 percent accuracy. He stands five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach.
Why it matters
- Prates climbs above Della Maddalena in a crowded welterweight top five, tightening the race toward a title shot
- The result reshuffles rankings in a division where both fighters had been considered legitimate contenders
- The reach advantage Prates held — five inches over Della Maddalena — may have been a meaningful factor in how the fight unfolded
