The Vale Top Team and Fighting Nerds-trained Brazilian ventures out in search of his biggest win to date when he takes on former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of UFC Fight Night 275 on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Prates enters the cage as a slight betting favorite. As such, he appears to have several avenues to victory ahead of his third starting assignment with the company. A look at three reasons why Prates beats Della Maddalena in the UFC’s first trip to Australia in almost three months:
Speed
Prates possesses the kind of fast-twitch athleticism that can’t be taught and gives him an advantage against a wide range of welterweights. It has allowed him to make the leap in many of his appearances, especially those who, like Della Maddalena, do their business in stand-up exchanges. Ian Garry managed to close that gap as the only man to defeat “The Nightmare” inside the Octagon. The Irishman attacked Prates in the clinch and stifled his offense with a total of 19 takedown attempts in the five-round encounter. Garry completed four of them and racked up over three minutes of control time, but more importantly he prevented the ONE Championship and Legacy Fighting Alliance alum from establishing any kind of offensive rhythm. Della Maddalena doesn’t have the tools to replicate those efforts, having only scored one takedown in his UFC career. That probably lets him test the waters in open spaces against the explosive Prates.
Force
Prates has proven time and time again that he wields the kind of circuit breaker that can end a fight in an instant. The 32-year-old Brazilian has 21 finishes among his 23 professional victories, 18 of them by knockout or technical knockout. Prates has stopped 10 opponents in one round. His six UFC victories (Leon Edwards, Geoff Neal, Neil Magny, Jingliang Li, Charles Radtke and Trevin Giles were the victims) ended with outbreaks of violence. Prates showed off his weapons in his most recent appearance at UFC 322, where he became the first man to dispatch the aforementioned Edwards with punches. A straight left worked against the former welterweight champion. Also remember that you have two-inch height and five-inch reach advantages against Della Maddalena.
Traction
Prates has recorded 13 wins in his last 14 outings, a streak of sustained success dating back to 2019. He punched his ticket to the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series about three years ago, quickly rose through the ranks and exploded onto the battlefield thanks to back-to-back victories. Meanwhile, Della Maddalena must keep doubts at bay after a unanimous decision loss to Islam Makhachev in November ended his reign as undisputed UFC welterweight champion after just 189 days. It was the Australian’s first setback in almost a decade.