Jack Della Maddalena Knows It Won’t Be Easy Against “Extremely Dangerous” Carlos Prates At UFC Perth
Jack Della Maddalena isn’t underestimating the threat Carlos Prates brings.
Della Maddalena is slated to square off against Prates in a pivotal welterweight bout in the main event of UFC Perth this Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
Della Maddalena returns to the Octagon for the first time since suffering a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 in November, where he dropped his 170-pound title.
“JDM” was largely stifled by Makhachev’s wrestling and grappling, spending close to 20 minutes of the five-round fight under control. This time around against Prates, the dynamic shifts completely. Rather than dealing with heavy grappling pressure, he’s expected to be in a striking-heavy battle, and he knows it’s far from an easy test, as all six of “The Nightmare’s” UFC wins have come by vicious knockouts.
Jack Della Maddalena Gives Real Assessment Of Carlos Prates
During a recent interview with UFC on Paramount’s Shakiel Mahjouri, Jack Della Maddalena shared his thoughts on his upcoming clash with Carlos Prates at UFC Perth. The former welterweight champion highlighted the threat “The Nightmare” poses inside the Octagon, particularly with his powerful striking arsenal.
“He’s dangerous,” Della Maddalena said. “And when he gets into that flow state, he’s extremely dangerous. So I definitely feel like he’s improving. I feel like that loss against Ian [Machado Garry] was super close, but he still sort of turned it on towards the end. And if that fight had an extra minute, he could have got the victory. So I still think he’s one of the best guys in the division for sure.”
The 29-year-old Aussie also admitted he didn’t perform at his true level against Islam Makhachev, but expressed confidence that he’ll answer his critics with his performance this weekend.
“I’m gonna leave it all to next Saturday. The performance will do the talking, and I’m excited to perform for the people.”
Della Maddalena captured the welterweight title with a dominant unanimous decision win over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May 2025. His loss to Makhachev snapped an eight-fight winning streak in the promotion, a run that included notable victories over Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland, and Randy Brown. He now holds an 8-1 record inside the Octagon.
