UFC analyst Alan Jouban thinks Jack Della Maddalena will have to level up from past performances if he wants to rebound vs. Carlos Prates in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 275 headliner.
Former welterweight champion Della Maddalena (18-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) returns from losing the title to Islam Makhachev in November when he takes on Prates (23-7 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in a five-round bout at RAC Arena in his hometown of Perth, Australia (Paramount+).
Makhachev wrestled the belt away from Della Maddalena with a heavy dose of ground control at UFC 322, but it's unlikely he'll have to show his improvements in that area with Prates standing across the octagon. "The Nightmare" has the most knockout wins of anyone in the UFC since 2024 (his debut year), and it's an entirely different puzzle for Della Maddalena to try to solve.
If it does turn into an all-striking affair, longtime desk analyst and 170-pound veteran Jouban thinks Prates poses many threats to Della Maddalena.
"It's obviously a much more different fight than the Islam fight, but I'll tell you right now: I think this is a tough matchup for Jack Della Maddalena," Jouban said. "He's a guy that relies heavily on getting on the inside because he's a beautiful combination work guy. He'll throw his jab, he'll throw his overhand, and dig the uppercut. You've got to find a guy that will dance like that, and that's not the way that Prates dances. Prates is six feet away and then the next thing you know there's a knee coming six feet high. He's so sneaky and so smooth, and if he doesn't allow Jack Della Maddalena to get into that mid-range, it's going to be possibly a tough night. We might have to see Jack really press the action and put himself in harm's way."
Della Maddalena, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, has admitted he will likely need multiple wins to get back to the title picture. However, No. 6 Prates is confident he is just one win away from his first opportunity at gold.
Both are among the absolute elite of the weight class, but Jouban said Prates is currently the more intruiging figure to him going into fight night.
"He has proven me wrong. He is just a killer in there," Jouban said. "The way that he disposes of people, Prates, for a guy with that type of body, he's not supposed to have that type of power. Power punchers are built like Mike Tyson. They're not built like a basketball player. But he possesses so much power in that tall, lengthy frame.
"And that aggressive nature that he pushed forward and makes fighters uncomfortable, and he forces that invisible pressure, and they make a mistake, and he is so quick to capitalize on it. People forget that he has a very extensive muay-Thai kickboxing background."
To hear more from Jouban, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Perth: Jack Della Maddalena facing 'tough night' vs. Carlos Prates