They may be two of the most dangerous strikers in the welterweight division, but Jack Della Maddalena is preparing for a five-round war when he steps into the octagon against Carlos Prates at RAC Arena on Saturday night.
In his first bout since he lost the welterweight championship to Islam Makhachev in November, Della Maddalena (18-3) will take on the ever-entertaining Prates (23-7) in the main event bout of the bumper Perth card.
A parochial crowd will flood RAC Arena to watch hometown hero Della Maddalena as well as fellow West Australian fighters Quillan Salkilld and Steve Erceg as they look to claim a Sandgropers-trifecta inside the cage.
It is a high-stakes night for the state's first-ever UFC champion. A win and he is still in the title picture. A loss and regaining the belt is an uphill battle.
And outside of Makhachev, the man known as "The Nightmare" looms as the toughest task there is in the welterweight division.
What is known heading into the highly anticipated bout is that both men won't be looking to grapple on the mat; instead, they want to showcase to the world their knockout power.
Della Maddalena said he had not only resigned himself to the fact that the fight would last 25 minutes, but also to the punishment that would come from the battle of attrition.
"I feel like it's going to go five rounds and I'm excited for another five-round contest," he told The West Australian.
"I am prepared to fight through some pain. I am planning on taking no damage but going the five rounds.
"But I am mentally prepared to move through pain, move through damage."
Prates is one of the most prominent knockout artists in the UFC. The Brazilian has taken down some of the best the promotion has to offer in a variety of ways.
He knocked out Geoff Neal with a spinning back elbow and took down former champion Leon Edwards with a series of punches in a second-round knockout in New York.
It has Della Maddalena on guard for the 32-year-old's multiple ways in which he can hurt an opponent, which threaten his placement in the rankings.
"He has a lot of weapons. A lot of finishing weapons. He has shown he can finish fighters with a range of different weapons," he said.
"I have to be supremely focused the whole fight."
But Della Maddalena is just as dangerous. He is one of only five men to beat former champion Belal Muhammad, and while he lost to Makhachev, he survived five rounds of the Dagestani's best.
The 29-year-old has an impressive resume already and said he had learned valuable lessons from those fights, including the loss to Makhachev, which he hoped to implement against Prates.
"I took the loss, learned from the loss, and definitely feel I am improving every day. And that's why I am still in the game, still pushing for the big fights," Della Maddalena said.
"I have to push a high pace, use the footwork, and stay completely focused (against Prates).
"I need to stay on the front foot. He's dangerous when he's on the front foot, so it's about getting on the front foot, pushing him back."
Prates declared during the week that he would knock out Della Maddalena in front of his friends and family to get the next shot at the welterweight title.
"He's a really good striker, a dangerous guy and a good boxer," Prates said.
"He's a former champ — all respect to him, but I think it's my time. He already knows how it is to hold the belt — he lost, so now it's going to be my time.
"Of course, this makes me next for the title. Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry are fighting in August, and I'll get the winner.
"After I beat two former champions in a row and no one else did that, I'm going to be next."
Della Maddalena is still young enough and determined enough for another run at the UFC welterweight title.
But standing in front of him is a strong division of contenders, including Ian Machado Garry, Michael Morales, as well as former champions Muhammad and Kamaru Usman.
Della Maddalena said he looked forward to taking on the best and would let the title picture sort itself out.
"It's a long-term goal (regaining the title), but I am not looking too far past this fight," he said.
"I am excited to get back in and get in a good performance. I am not looking too far past there. A win would keep me in that No.1 spot, keep me there for if anything happens, but I am excited for the challenges in the top 10.
"If I was the champion, I would have to fight them anyway, so take the belt out of it, and I am excited to test myself against the best again, all those different styles."
Della Maddalena and Prates will headline the massive card, with Salkilld to take on Beneil Dariush in the co-main event.
Erceg and Tim Elliott will also be on the main card in a three-round flyweight bout.
