'The Nightmare' of Welterweights Frightens UFC Fight Night in Perth
UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates is approaching, and with it comes an anticipated Men’s Welterweight Division matchup. Jack Della Maddalena from Australia has been awaiting this match more than most, perhaps. This is because he was originally hoping to fight Carlos Prates in 2025 among the lineup of champions during UFC 312. However, it couldn’t be scheduled at the time. ‘The Nightmare’ that hails from Brazil will also look forward to rising a rank in the division, should he win against his Australian opponent.
Maddalena is currently sitting as the closest to the champion title for the Men’s Welterweight Division. Also, JDM is 29 years old, which makes him younger than Prates, who is currently 32. His overall record is 18-3-0 and he lands more strikes per minute than his opponent. This is in combination with the fact that he’s also absorbed fewer strikes per minute than his Brazilian challenger. Unsurprisingly, Maddalena has won most of his fights by knockout. Due to these factors, Prates has his work cut out for him.
The 32-year-old fighter could look to go for a takedown since he has won some of his fights through submission. In those moments, Prates was very accurate while executing the takedown itself, which is something his opponent has yet to master. He also has a longer reach that will create some distance during the fight, leading to openings while conducting the fight through a standing position. However, ‘The Nightmare’ will have to make his defense stronger by doing this. If he does not, any opening created on his end will be capitalized on while standing. If the fight goes to the ground, Prates stands a higher chance of victory.
The crowd favorite is the top-ranked fighter of this fight, Prates, which comes as no surprise. Also, he’s predicted to win this fight largely by decision. This makes sense as both fighters’ backgrounds come from a place where they have won most of their fights through knockouts. They both have the stamina, but Maddalena will dodge and weave through strikes made by Prates to dominate all of the rounds. ‘The Nightmare’ will have to be careful while watching for any maneuvers that will take this fight to the ground, which is where his opponent outclasses him due to experience.
It is agreeable that the crowd picks Maddalena to win, and it should happen this way. Both fighters are exactly the same weight and fight with the same stamina and stance. They can last all rounds of the fight while taking repeated strikes from each other, because of the strikes attempted and landed, it will be difficult to execute a takedown that leads to a submission. Instead, they both will stay standing to make sure they get in as many strikes to win this top-dog matchup. So stand with them or sit and stream the fight on Paramount+ to see a fight where top competitors of the Men’s Welterweight Division make Australia shake from sheer force alone!
