Carlos Prates silences Perth crowd. Perth watched its hometown star fall as Carlos Prates delivered a statement victory on enemy soil.
Fight fans were treated to a thrilling night of action as the UFC returned to Australia with a highly anticipated welterweight showdown between Jack Della Maddalena and Carlos Prates. The event took place on May 2, 2026, at the RAC Arena, where a packed crowd turned up to witness one of the most exciting matchups in the division.
Della Maddalena came into this fight as a proven contender with one recent blemish on an otherwise impressive run.
Before facing Prates, Jack had suffered a major setback when he lost his UFC welterweight title to Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 in late 2025. That defeat snapped his momentum and ended his reign as champion.
Before that loss, however, Della Maddalena was on a tear, he had built an eight-fight winning streak in the UFC. He also captured UFC gold by defeating top competition in 2025. He established himself as one of the cleanest boxers in the welterweight division. Jack came in with something to prove after tasting defeat at the highest level.
Prates entered Perth as one of the hottest names in the division.
The Brazilian had built serious hype thanks to his finishing ability. In 2025, he knocked out former champion Leon Edwards and had a stoppage victory over Geoff Neal. Prates entered this fight with a record of 23-7, and his UFC run had quickly made him one of the most dangerous names in the welterweight rankings.
The fight opened with both men looking sharp and composed. Della Maddalena tried to establish his boxing early, pressing forward behind clean combinations and looking to control the center. The Australian had the crowd behind every punch, and his pressure was obvious from the opening minute.
Prates, on the other hand stayed calm. The Brazilian answered with heavy leg kicks and sharp counters, immediately making Della Maddalena pay for every aggressive entry. His timing looked dangerous from the start, mixing kicks and punches. While Della Maddalena had moments with his boxing combinations, Prates’ kicks and shot selection began creating visible damage.
Prates kept returning to that same sharp knee, repeatedly finding Della Maddalena’s chin and piling on the pressure. Sensing the finish was there, the Brazilian let his hands go with a series of hard shots, hunting for the stoppage, but Della Maddalena fired back with a clean counter that briefly caught Prates’ attention. Once the action settled, Prates stepped back in with a slicing elbow before chopping Della Maddalena down with a brutal leg kick that sent the Australian to the canvas. Della Maddalena eventually made it back to his corner, noticeably limping as the one-minute recovery break began.
Sensing the fight slipping away, Della Maddalena tried to stay aggressive, but Prates was now fully in rhythm. The Brazilian continued attacking with relentless pressure, landing clean shots from multiple angles and refusing to let Della Maddalena settle. More kicks, punches, and elbows piled up as Della Maddalena absorbed increasing damage. Then came the finish, Prates decided he had enough as he leapt to the ground and just hammered away until he got the stoppage for his third knockout victory in a row.
When Della Maddalena got back to his feet, he was bloodied and bruised from the sheer amount of damage he absorbed from Prates’ offensive onslaught.
With the win, Prates undoubtedly puts himself in a great position at welterweight.
“I’m the No. 1 contender,” Prates said. “I can’t wait to see Makhachev and Ian and then I’m going to fight the winner. Brazil never had a champion in the welterweight division. I will be the first.”
This wasn’t just a win for Prates, it was a statement.
He weathered the early pressure, systematically broke Della Maddalena down, attacked every level, and finished the job in enemy territory. For Della Maddalena, it was a painful night in front of his home fans. For Prates, it may have been the performance that launched him straight into title contention.
Sometimes a fighter wins, sometimes a fighter announces himself but Prates did both in Perth.
