The UFC Has a Problem, and His Name Is Carlos Prates
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Carlos Prates is set to headline a UFC Fight Night in Perth, Australia on May 2nd, taking on the division’s top contender in Jack Della Maddalena.
On paper, this feels like another step up for Prates. In reality, this might be the moment he changes the entire welterweight division.
Prates (23-7) is riding a two-fight knockout streak, including statement wins over Geoff Neal and former champion Leon Edwards. In eight UFC appearances, he’s only suffered one loss, a decision to Ian Garry, but has quickly climbed to the #5 spot in the rankings.
But rankings don’t tell the full story.
Carlos Prates Is A Finisher
Carlos Prates isn’t just getting wins, he’s getting finishes. All seven of his UFC victories have come by knockout. Expand that to his last 12 wins overall, and every single one ended the same way. Most didn’t even make it out of the early rounds.
He’s proven to be a dangerous elite striker.
Across MMA, Muay Thai, and kickboxing, Prates has built a reputation as a fighter who doesn’t need time to figure you out. He just needs one opening. One clean shot. And the fight is over.
Jack Della Maddalena Is His Toughest Test Yet
That’s what makes this matchup with Jack Della Maddalena so interesting. Della Maddalena (18-3) is one of the most technical boxers in the division, with wins over names like Gilbert Burns, Kevin Holland, Belal Muhammad, and Randy Brown. He’s proven, durable, and dangerous in his own right.
And fighting in Perth just gives Jack a little bit of an edge.
But this fight likely stays standing and that’s where things get uncomfortable. Because if this turns into a striking battle, Carlos Prates isn’t just another opponent. He’s a problem.
And if Prates wins on Saturday night, especially in the fashion he’s used to, the conversation shifts immediately. Suddenly, you’re not just looking at a rising contender. You’re looking at a legitimate threat to whoever holds gold, including Islam Makhachev.
Contender for the Gold
Makhachev has been dominant for years, but there’s one detail that never fully disappears. He’s been knocked out before. It only happened once, back in 2015. But ,when you’re facing someone like Prates, once is enough to make people do a double take.
Because Prates doesn’t need five rounds. He doesn’t need control time, or a perfect game plan. He just needs one small opening to land that perfect shot to shut the lights out.
If he finds that moment against Della Maddalena, and then finds it again on the biggest stage in a tile fight, the UFC may have a new kind of threat.
Carlos Prates calls himself “The Nightmare.” Saturday night might be when the rest of the division finally understands why.
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