UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates Preview and Predictions

The UFC heads Down Under this weekend with a high profile welterweight showdown in the main event. The last man to make the walk to the Octagon will be hometown superstar Jack Della Maddalena. The former champion is looking to be bolstered by the hometown crowd as he tries to get back to his winning ways after dropping his belt to Islam Makhachev in his last outing. His opponent, Carlos Prates, is looking to score the biggest victory of his career and put himself in position to fight for the championship in his next outing. Prates has scored back-to-back knockout wins in his last two bouts after having an eleven fight winning streak snapped by a unanimous decision loss to Ian Garry.

The co-main event is a lightweight contest that seems to potentially serve as a changing of the guard. Longtime contender Beneil Dariush has struggled lately, dropping three of his last four fights, all by KO or TKO. Standing in the way of his resurgence is Quillan Salkilld. The Australian prospect has been seemingly unbeatable, winning every single one of his UFC fights. A win over Dariush would move him from prospect to contender and just a couple more wins away from potentially fighting for the title.

The event airs live on Paramount+ starting at 4 a.m. ET. Combat Press writers Matt Petela and Andrew Sumian preview the action this week.

This is Jack Della Maddalena’s first fight since losing the title; how does he fare against rising star Carlos Prates?

Sumian: Fortunately for Della Maddalena, Carlos Prates is the complete opposite of his last opponent, Islam Makhachev in regards to style. This time around, the former champion will likely find himself in a striking affair against a very dangerous and large welterweight in Carlos Prates. For Prates, a win over JDM effectively puts him in waiting mode for a title shot. For JDM, a win over the surging Prates is absolutely necessary if he hopes to ever find himself fighting for the welterweight title again.

This is probably one of the best, if not best fights on paper that the UFC has orchestrated in 2026. Della Maddalen is a smooth and crafty striker and continues to show some of the best movement and footwork in the UFC. Prates is exciting and one of the most prolific knockout artists in the game today. On paper, this should be an incredible display of striking and skill which is easy on the eyes for both hardcore and casual fans. Now, we have seen this gone wrong before but given the tenacity and skills of both combatants, it is hard to imagine a fight that does not deliver.

Carlos Prates is one fight away from a title shot, plain and simple. He may have to wait a while until he actually gets it, but a win over the former champion effectively seals the deal. The Brazilian is significantly larger than JDM and will enjoy a 5 inch reach advantage. He will also have a distinct power advantage when it comes to one shot knockout power. The biggest worry when it comes to Prates is looking back on the Ian Machado Garry fight. Garry is a smooth and calculated striker with superior movement and timing, this gave the Brazilian issues and ultimately led to his first loss since 2019. Now, it is probably fair to say that Prates has improved since then but that fight was less than 13 months ago. Garry is the best fighter Prates has faced thus far in his career and he lost a clear decision. If he has improved enough since April of last year, he might just be the most dangerous welterweight in the UFC.

You have to feel for Della Maddalena. He went into the Makhachev fight expected to lose and the former lightweight champion did exactly what everyone thought he would to the Australia native. He had no answers to Makhachev’s wrestling and it is unlikely he will ever get to that level of defense necessary to negate elite wrestling skill. Still, the former champion is a knockout machine in his own right and has delivered many memorable performances inside the octagon. If he can take out Prates utilizing his superior footwork and speed, he will quickly find himself back into the top contender category.

Tough one to pick given both fighters are likeable and great talents. However, it just truly seems like it’s the Brazilian’s time. I expect him to be able to find Della Maddalena’s chin before the end of round three and record the biggest win of his career.

Petela: This fight, to me, comes down to whether Jack Della Maddalena can disrupt the rhythm of Carlos Prates’ striking. If Prates can get into a groove and start landing combinations he will be able to overwhelm JDM on the feet. If Della Maddalena can mix in takedown attempts or clinches, he should be able to make this his style of fight and prevent himself from absorbing too much damage. The one time we have seen Prates lose recently was against Ian Garry, who changed levels 19 times. It might not have to be as exaggerated as that, but a takedown attempt or two per round would do wonders for JDM. They don’t even necessarily have to be successful attempts, just enough to force a reset.

However, I don’t think that plan will work. Prates is better than the version of himself that fought Garry and he will have learned from that bout. I think he is going to do a combination of pressure style front foot fighting and circling away when JDM looks to get inside of boxing range. Showcase performance and the biggest win of his career for Carlos Prates this weekend.

Beneil Dariush has lost three of his last four contests; can he get back on track against talented up and comer Quillan Salkilld?

Petela: He most certainly does not. This is a terrible fight for the longtime contender at this point in his career. Beneil Dariush is on the decline, there’s no doubt, and Quillan Salkilld is a rising star. I don’t know the path to victory for Dariush. At this stage in his career he won’t have the speed advantage on the feet, nor the power advantage. He is a very talented grappler but again at this point in his career he won’t be the better man on the canvas either. We have seen Salkilld put Nasrat Haqparast to sleep with a head kick and submit Jamie Mullarkey in his last two fights. He has all the talent in the world and is very well rounded. The Australian fighter will be able to dictate where the fight takes place and wherever it goes he will have an advantage. I predict that he will decide to stay standing, defend any takedown attempts from Dariush and piece him up on the feet for a couple rounds before a third round TKO.

Sumian: Dairush’s last six opponents are Tony Fergusion, Mateusz Gamrot, Charles Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, Renato Moicano, and Beniot Saint Denis. Quillan Salkilld is light years behind Dariush in regards to experience and talent. The only way he gets this victory is if he can find Dariush’s chin early and put him out. Unfortunately for Dariush, his chin has really taken a beating as of late and he is extremely susceptible to the knockout. However, I think he has enough left in the tank to grind out an ugly, yet convincing 29-28 decision to slow down the rising Salkilld.

What one fighter’s UFC career is on the ropes at this event?

Sumian: I am sad this day has come, but it has. Gerald Meerschaert. The Wisconsin native has been a staple of UFC middleweight division since December of 2016 and has fought many of the best middleweight over the last decade. ‘GM3’ is currently on a four fight losing streak and will be 39 in December. If he suffers a fifth straight loss at the hands of Jacob Malkoun, it would be hard to imagine him still being on the UFC roster next month.

Petela: Tai Tuivasa. He has to be done if he loses to Louie Sutherland. He has already lost six in a row and has shown no signs of improving his deficiencies in the wrestling and grappling. Seven losses in a row is too much even for the always entertaining Tuivasa to keep his spot on the roster. I happen to think he finally gets the job done, but if I’m wrong he could be on the outside of the cage looking in the next time the UFC heads Down Under.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

Petela: Jonathan Micallef vs. Themba Gorimbo. These two are on opposite trajectories. Micallef has won four straight, including his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance and both of his fights under the UFC banner. Gorimbo has dropped back-to-back bouts and didn’t look good at all in those contests. Micallef will be looking to bolster his position in the organization and climb towards the rankings while Gorimbo needs a win to stay even a little bit relevant. That is the makings of a fun, all action fight.

Sumian: Besides the main event, the second best fight on this card is the flyweight showdown between Tim Elliott and Steve Erceg. These are two of the most wild flyweights currently on the UFC roster and it is never a boring outing when either steps foot inside the octagon. Calling my shot that this bout delivers the fight of the night.

Who takes home the “Performance of the Night” honors?

Sumian: I have to manifest this into existence. Tai Tuivasa. He is finally getting an opponent that is on his level at this point in his career in front of a hometown crowd. If he can’t find a way to KO Sutherland, there simply is no way he deserves to be on the UFC roster next week.

Petela: Cam Rowston. He is a finisher, plain and simple. Thirteen of his fourteen wins have come before the final bell and this weekend won’t be any different. His opponent, Robert Bryczek, is also a finisher and has twelve knockouts on his record. This fight will be a fun one as long as it lasts and Rowston gets his hand raised and some extra money in his pocket for a first round knockout.

Pair this card with…

Petela: REM sleep. This card is super early for us here in the states. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t some great bouts all up and down the card so make sure you are hitting that deep sleep as early as possible so that you can wake up early enough not to miss much of the action.

Sumian: The coffee machine. The main card starts at 4:00AM PDT and I wil be needing that first cup of brew immediately to compliment this start time.