Carlos Prates KOs Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth: Fight Breakdown and What’s Next

There is a specific kind of quiet that falls over an arena when a hometown hero is broken. It is not just an absence of noise, it is a sudden, collective vacuum of hope.

On Saturday night at RAC Arena, 15,000 West Australians belted out the lyrics to AC/DC’s "T.N.T." as Jack Della Maddalena made the walk. He was their guy, the granite-chinned, heavy-handed Perth native expected to reassert his dominance in the UFC welterweight division.

Just over thirteen minutes of cage time later, that roaring chorus was replaced by the thud of Carlos Prates’ elbows and the stark realisation that Della Maddalena had been systematically dismantled.

The official time of the stoppage was 3:17 of the third round, but the reality is that Prates had been writing the ending since the opening bell.

How Carlos Prates Broke Him Down

For those who track the tape and dig into the technical details, the blueprint of Prates’ destruction was a masterclass in range management and target variation.

Della Maddalena is a notoriously brilliant pocket boxer, historically relying on slipping off the centre line to deliver devastating combinations. Prates nullified that completely.

The Brazilian refused to play Jack’s game, opting instead to chew up the lead leg with punishing calf kicks from the outside.

When Della Maddalena did manage to bridge the gap, securing a late takedown in the first round that offered a fleeting glimmer of hope, Prates adjusted instantly.

By the second round, Prates was intercepting Della Maddalena’s entries with brutal Muay Thai knees up the middle.

Late in the second, a sickening calf kick finally dropped the Australian. It was the beginning of the end.

By the time the third round commenced, Della Maddalena’s movement was heavily compromised. Trapped in front of a rangy knockout artist, without his footwork to save him, he became a stationary target for the barrage of straight lefts, high kicks, and the final ground and pound elbows that forced the referee’s hand.

A Statement Win in the UFC Welterweight Division

We need to talk about Carlos Prates.

In the two short years since he made his promotional debut in February 2024, "The Nightmare" has authored one of the most violent and meteoric rises in modern welterweight history.

Consider the context. Before stepping into the cage in Perth, Prates had already flatlined the likes of Trevin Giles, Li Jingliang, Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, and Leon Edwards.

Adding the first knockout win over Jack Della Maddalena to that resume, making it 20 career KO and TKO victories, solidifies Prates not just as a contender, but as a genuine problem in the UFC welterweight division.

What Went Wrong for Jack Della Maddalena

But the story of Prates’ triumph is inextricably linked to the devastation of Della Maddalena’s defeat.

There are losses, and then there are exposures.

To lose a tightly contested decision in hostile territory is one thing. To be systematically broken down, bloodied, and finished in front of your home crowd is a different kind of blow.

Della Maddalena, who carried an incredible resume into this bout, had never been finished by strikes in his professional career.

To have that durability cracked in his own backyard is the kind of moment that forces change.

Can he bounce back? History tells us that fighters of his calibre can. Greats like Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Georges St-Pierre rebuilt themselves after heavy knockout losses.

But doing so requires adjustment.

Della Maddalena is still young at 29, but this fight laid bare a clear vulnerability to long, dynamic kickboxers who refuse to box him in close.

What’s Next After UFC Perth

The physical damage to his lead leg will heal in time.

The real question is whether he can rebuild the defensive layers needed to deal with this level of opponent, or if the ghost of Carlos Prates lingers the next time he makes that walk.

For Prates, this was more than a win.

It was a statement.

On Saturday night at UFC Perth, Carlos Prates did not just beat Jack Della Maddalena.

He took his aura, silenced a city, and announced himself as one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC welterweight division.