Carlos Prates emerged as a serious welterweight contender after stopping Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Fight Night Perth. ESPN’s report says Prates overwhelmed Della Maddalena with sustained striking and finished him in the third round, which could push him toward a title conversation in a deep division. The result also adds pressure on Della Maddalena after a second straight defeat. The next step for Prates is likely a higher-profile opponent as the UFC assesses where he fits among the top welterweights.
Carlos Prates delivered a statement performance at UFC Fight Night Perth on June 11, stopping Jack Della Maddalena in the third round to thrust himself into the welterweight title conversation.
Prates, known as "The Nightmare," came in ranked fifth at 170 pounds and made that billing look conservative. The 32-year-old Brazilian out of Vale Top Team carries a 24-7 record and owns a 78-inch reach — nearly six-and-a-half feet of leverage — that he used to control distance throughout the fight. Standing six-foot-one, Prates connects on 55 percent of his significant strikes, a mark that reflects both volume discipline and precision. He overwhelmed Della Maddalena with sustained output before finishing the contest in round three.
Della Maddalena entered the bout ranked fourth in the welterweight division and thirteenth in the pound-for-pound standings, making the defeat a significant blow to his status. The 29-year-old Australian, who fights out of Scrappy MMA, had built his reputation on aggressive, high-output striking — landing 5.57 significant strikes per minute at 51 percent accuracy — but could not match Prates on the night. The loss is his second consecutive, a troubling skid for a fighter who had been considered among the division's elite.
Why it matters
- Prates climbs from fifth to a likely top-three conversation, putting him squarely in the welterweight title picture
- Della Maddalena's back-to-back losses complicate what had been a fast-rising trajectory for the Australian contender
- The size and reach advantage Prates holds — 198 cm of reach against Della Maddalena's 185 cm — proved a defining stylistic factor
- The UFC's welterweight division now faces a reshuffle as it determines Prates's next high-profile assignment
