Jack Della Maddalena has endured the most devastating defeat of his UFC career, as former welterweight champion Carlos Prates pummeled him into submission in a one-sided contest held in Perth.
In his first outing since losing his title to future Hall of Famer Islam Makhachev in New York, Della Maddalena (18-4) struggled from the opening bell against knockout artist Prates (24-7).
Della Maddalena’s right leg absorbed heavy punishment early in the fight, yet a glimmer of hope emerged when the West Australian easily took down his opponent in the closing seconds of the first round.
The path forward for Della Maddalena seemed straightforward: take down his opponent and secure a submission victory. However, that proved easier said than done.
Prates unleashed a barrage of knees to Della Maddalena’s face, leaving the former champion bloodied and dazed. The jabs and elbows were equally vicious, and the 29-year-old crashed to the canvas in agony late in the second round after Prates kicked his lead leg.
This left Della Maddalena with a noticeable limp, and the former champ was taken down in similar fashion twice more in the third round. Each time, Prates motioned for his opponent to stand, knowing a knockout blow was imminent.
With just under two minutes remaining in the round, Della Maddalena hit the canvas again. Showing no desire to rise, he was met with a kick to his grounded body followed by a series of brutal elbows before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
“Jack has really good hands. I was really scared about his hands,” Prates said. “But I believed I’m a better striker. I can punch, I can knee, I can kick. So I’m better, and now I’m the No.1 contender, and I can’t wait to see Makhachev-Machado, and then I’m going to fight the winner. Brazil has never had a champion in the welterweight division. I will be the first.”
In the co-main event, West Australian Quillan Salkilld (12-1) delivered another first-round knockout victory, defeating veteran Beneil Dariush in their lightweight bout. Salkilld was momentarily stunned and hit the canvas after absorbing a brutal jab just 23 seconds into the contest. Dariush then attempted a takedown, and Salkilld spent the next two minutes trying to escape the grapple. Once free, Salkilld unleashed a flurry of jabs and hooks that left Dariush covering his head on the canvas as the local favorite rained down blows.
“I knew he was going to wrestle, I was excited to do some of the wrestling exchanges,” Salkilld said. “We ended up having a scrap, he stunned me a little bit. But us Aussies are f***ing tough, so it’s going to take a lot more than that to put us away.”
Flyweight Steve Erceg made it two wins in a row with a unanimous decision victory over Tim Elliott. After an even first round, Erceg (14-4) dominated rounds two and three with powerful jabs, leaving Elliott (22-14-1) flailing. All three judges scored it 29-28 to Erceg, whose orthodox style proved too superior for Elliott’s unpredictable methods.
“I knew he’d be weird,” Erceg said. “It was like a clash between ugly and pretty. Textbook versus unorthodox.”
