Della Maddalena vs Prates Headlines UFC Fight Night Perth

Jack Della Maddalena returns to the UFC octagon this Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, facing Carlos Prates in his first bout since losing the welterweight title to Islam Makhachev last November.

The 29-year-old Australian, who captured the 170-pound belt with a unanimous decision over Belal Muhammad in May 2025, suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Makhachev at UFC 322. Della Maddalena spent much of the five-round fight defending against grappling, snapping an 18-fight winning streak that included eight UFC victories over opponents such as Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland. Of his 18 career wins, 14 ended by finish. Prates, a Brazilian striker known as "The Nightmare," presents a stark stylistic contrast with all six of his UFC wins coming by knockout. He holds a 90 percent finish rate across 21 professional victories, including recent stoppages of Geoff Neal and others, though he dropped a close decision to Ian Machado Garry.

Della Maddalena acknowledged the challenge ahead during a recent interview. "He's dangerous, and when he gets into that flow state, he's extremely dangerous," he said. "I definitely feel like...