Carlos
Prates knew he would beat Jack
Della Maddalena after taking his first punch.
Prates (24-7) headlined
UFC Perth in enemy territory against Jack
Della Maddalena (18-4) on Saturday. Prates chopped at
Maddalena’s lead leg early on, which left the Australian nearly
unable to move in the later rounds. It was a one-sided beatdown
from Prates en route to a third-round stoppage win. Prates also
earned his seventh UFC bonus in as many victories.
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Prates largely kept his guard low in his signature fashion,
expression zero regard for his opponent’s striking acumen. “The
Nightmare” revealed that he had little respect for Maddalena’s
power after absorbing the Australian’s first punch. Prates also
credits Brazilian lightweight Felipe
Douglas for helping him by perfectly mimicking Maddalena during
fight camp. After receiving the power from Maddalena, Prates knew
that it was everything he had prepared for, and there was no way he
would lose. Prates also revealed that he similarly lost respect for
Geoff
Neal and Leon
Edwards’ power after feeling their punches in his last two
victories. Prates said at the post-fight media scrum:
“That guy Felipe [Douglas] he helped me a lot,” he admitted. “For
me, he is the best lightweight outside the UFC…I felt a punch and I
was like, ‘Exactly what we trained for. No way you’re gonna lose
today.’…In the beginning of the fight I felt the punch. And then
I was like, ‘Man, it’s not gonna knock me out.’ When I fought
Geoff
Neal, when I fought Leon [Edwards], it was the same. I start
the fight with my hands up. And then I got punched, and I was like,
‘Okay, I can do my game.’ Because I like to drop my hands and do
some feints.”
Prates has claimed Islam
Makhachev will put his welterweight title on the line against
Ian
Garry at UFC 330 on Aug. 15, but there has been no additional
confirmation of that pairing at this time. The Brazilian knockout
artist seeks the neck crack at gold, ideally against the winner of
that fight.