Jack Della Maddalena’s Hometown Not Enemy Territory, Claims Carlos Prates Ahead of UFC Perth

Carlos Prates believes that despite flying halfway around the world to fight Jack Della Maddalena, he is not in enemy territory.

Jack Della Maddalena’s Hometown Not Enemy Territory, Claims Carlos Prates Ahead of UFC Perth

Carlos Prates and Jack Della Maddalena [via Fox Sports and UFC.com]

In Short
  • Carlos Prates feels comfortable fighting in Australia, calling it his second home.
  • He aims for a title shot after defeating Jack Della Maddalena, a former champion.
  • Prates is on a two-fight winning streak, including a knockout victory over Leon Edwards.

Brazilian fighter Carlos Prates flew halfway across the world this weekend to face Jack Della Maddalena at UFC Perth. Normally, Maddalena, the Australian, would have the hometown edge. However, the ‘Nightmare’ doesn’t feel like he will be at a significant disadvantage at the RAC Arena this Saturday.

Prates is actually quite connected with the land down under. His daughter, Skylar, lives in Australia with he mother. The ‘Fighting Nerds’ member revealed that he makes sure to visit her at least once every year. Moreover, this week, his daughter and his mother will finally get to watch him fight.

Even two years ago, after winning his UFC Louisville fight, he called for a fight on the UFC 305 card in Australia. So, it’s clear that Carlos Prates feels extremely comfortable fighting here. He said as much at the press conference for his upcoming fight.

To be honest, I don’t feel like [it’s] enemy territory. Australia is my second home. My daughter is Australian, so I’m feeling really good here. I like Australia.

Carlos Prates via the UFC Perth press conference

Prates did acknowledge the fact that, given Perth is Jack Della Maddalena’s hometown, he will have the crowd’s support. However, he wasn’t bothered by the crowd or things of that nature during his fights because the doors close, and the only factors in the fight are him and his opponent.

Even so, UFC fans in Australia have a proven track record of vociferously supporting their hometown heroes. UFC 284, where Alexander Volkanovski challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title, was perhaps the pinnacle of this. The crowd at the RAC Arena that night was electric that night as every bit of success Volkanovski had in the fight was cheered on thunderously by his fans.

However, Australian fans have also shown that they can be unpredictable at times. Many expected Israel Adesanya, who hails from New Zealand, to have more fans in the land down under than his American opponent, Sean Strickland, during UFC 293. Yet the fans in Sydney got behind ‘Tarzan’ after his hilarious press conference antics.

Nonetheless, Prates has an uphill task ahead of him, even if the home advantage for his opponent is not as significant. Jack Della Maddalena is the former champion after all. But that is also the reason why Prates believes he will get a title shot if he can vanquish him.

Carlos Prates says two successive wins over former champions will make him undeniable

Before signing this fight, Carlos Prates was coming off an incredible knockout win over Leon Edwards. The ‘Nightmare’ made it look easy against the former champion in the second round, despite being controlled for the majority of the first. That win extended Prates’ winning streak to 2.

Carlos Prates beats Leon Edwards at UFC 322
Carlos Prates beats Leon Edwards at UFC 322 (via X)

The Brazilian hopes for an emphatic finish in his upcoming fight against Jack Della Maddalena. He said at the pre-fight press conference that a second consecutive finish over a former champion will put him next in line for a shot at the UFC welterweight title.

Yeah. I think after I beat two former champs in a row, I think nobody did it, so I’m gonna be the next [challenger for the welterweight title].

Carlos Prates via the UFC Perth press conference

Earlier this week, Prates already called his shot at the “GOAT” Islam Makhachev. The knockout artist acknowledged that he probably would not be Makhachev’s next fight. However, Prates stressed that he could still challenge for the belt after the conclusion of the rumored welterweight title fight happening in August.

But first, he will need to hand Jack Della Maddalena his second-ever loss in the UFC. Considering it took the pound-for-pound No. 1 to hand Maddalena his first one, the Brazilian star may be in for a war in Perth come Saturday.

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