UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates

Carlos Prates rolled into Jack Della Maddalena’s backyard at RAC Arena in Perth and put it on him, looking to collect a third-round stoppage win to stamp himself as a contender in the UFC welterweight division. 

Main Event – Carlos Prates vs. Jack Della Maddalena

Della Maddalena (18-4) actually tried to take Prates down early and control the fight with wrestling. Prates popped right back up each time, and once the takedown attempts stopped working, that was the end of Della Maddalena’s game plan.

From there, it was all Prates. He stood right in front of Della Maddalena with his hands low, just daring him to throw. He picked him apart with hard calf kicks, body shots, jumping knees, and elbows. Everything he landed looked heavy. By the end of round two, Prates had Della Maddalena visibly hurt with vicious steps to the elbows and a series of knees before dropping the former champion late in the round with a calf kick.

Round three started, and Prates was done being patient. A step in the elbow opened a cut above Della Maddalena’s eye. A high knee put him down for good, and Prates swarmed in with ground and pound until the referee stopped it at 3:17.

After the fight, Prates said, “I’m not here to play. I respect Jack; he’s a great champion but it’s just business. Brazil never had a champion in the welterweight division and I will be the first.”

The emotional moment after the fight was special too. Prates’ 73-year-old mother traveled from Brazil to watch and met his six-year-old daughter, who lives in Australia, for the very first time. Hard not to root for a guy like that.

Co-Main Event – Quillan Salkilld vs. Beneil Dariush 

Quillan Salkilld (12-1) overcame an early knockdown to register a first-round stoppage win over Beneil Dariush and make it five straight wins in the UFC.

Dariush imposed a suffocating grappling attack on Salkilld for much of the first round and the Perth product was put on the canvas in the early exchanges. It looked like it could go wrong fast for the hometown kid. But Salkilld defended extremely well, and when the two broke off the fence, he went on the offensive and slung hands until Dariush hit the canvas and could take no more.

Five straight UFC wins and now a finish over a ranked veteran in front of his home crowd. Salkilld called out Mateusz Gamrot after the fight, saying it would be a good next step before the top five. Hard to argue with that.

Full Card Recap

Main Card

• Carlos Prates def. Jack Della Maddalena — TKO (Leg Kicks and Ground Elbows), Round 3, 3:17
• Quillan Salkilld def. Beneil Dariush — TKO (Punches), Round 1, 3:29
• Steve Erceg def. Tim Elliott — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Marwan Rahiki def. Ollie Schmid — TKO (Punches), Round 1, 2:47
• Brando Peričić def. Shamil Gaziev — KO (Punch), Round 2, 3:44
• Louie Sutherland def. Tai Tuivasa — Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Preliminary Card

• Cam Rowston def. Robert Bryczek — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Junior Tafa def. Kevin Christian — KO (Ground Elbows), Round 1, 2:42
• Jacob Malkoun def. Gerald Meerschaert — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Colby Thicknesse def. Vince Morales — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Wes Schultz def. Ben Johnston — Submission (Guillotine Choke), Round 3, 1:50
• Jonathan Micallef def. Themba Gorimbo — Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
• Kody Steele def. Dom Mar Fan — Submission (Heel Hook), Round 1, 3:56

What’s Next?

Prates finished as his second straight former champion and is now the most dangerous man in the welterweight division, whom nobody has given a title shot to yet. He has been asking for the Makhachev vs. Garry winner, and after that performance, it is hard to say no.

Della Maddalena is now two straight losses after an 18-fight win streak that took him all the way to the top of the division. It has been a rough stretch for the Perth native, and he will need some time to reset and figure out where things went wrong.

Quillan Salkilld is one of the most exciting prospects in the sport right now. Five UFC wins, and he just keeps getting better. A fight with Gamrot makes all the sense in the world as the next step.

Brando Peričić collected the biggest win of his career by stopping Shamil Gaziev in round two, and the Fight of the Night bonus was well deserved. Both guys were throwing bombs from start to finish, and Peričić had enough left in the tank to land the one that ended it.

Steve Erceg picked up a solid win over Tim Elliott in a competitive flyweight bout and keeps himself near the top of that division. Marwan Rahiki stays undefeated at 9-0 with another first-round finish on short notice. 

Be sure to tune into FSM’s Main Event with Kalani Lua (@KLua11) on Franchise Sports Media for all the latest in combat sports.

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