Brazilian fighter Carlos Prates delivered a commanding performance against Australian Jack Della Maddalena in Saturday night’s main event at UFC Fight Night in Perth, Australia, overwhelming the local favorite in front of his home crowd.
The Brazilian fighter sent Della Maddalena crashing to the mat with a devastating calf kick in the closing moments of round two, then continued his assault in the third round by scoring three additional knockdowns using a powerful knee strike, head kick, and another leg kick before officials halted the contest.
Following his victory, Prates immediately set his sights on championship gold, challenging whoever emerges victorious from the anticipated welterweight title bout between current champion Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry.
“I can punch, I can knee, I can kick … so I’m better and now I feel like I’m the No. 1 contender,” Prates said after his win. “I can’t wait to see Makhachev and Ian, and then I’m going to fight the winner.”
The victory marked Prates’ third consecutive win, bringing his professional record to 24-7 with 19 knockout victories. The 32-year-old’s dominant showing came at the expense of the 29-year-old Della Maddalena, who suffered his second straight defeat and now holds an 18-4 record with 12 knockout wins.
In the evening’s co-main event, Australian fighter Quillan Salkilld celebrated his own victory, improving his record to 12-1 after stopping lightweight veteran Beneil Dariush with a first-round technical knockout. The 26-year-old Salkilld defeated the 36-year-old Dariush in impressive fashion.
The main card featured several other notable results: flyweight Steve Erceg earned a unanimous decision victory over Tim Elliott, featherweight Marwan Rahiki stopped Ollie Schmid by TKO, heavyweight Brando Pericic knocked out Shamil Gaziev in the second round, and heavyweight Louie Sutherland defeated Tai Tuivasa by unanimous decision.
