Prates stops Della Maddalena by TKO, earns title-shot momentum in Perth

Carlos Prates turned a high-profile main event in Perth into a direct challenge to the UFC welterweight hierarchy, stopping Jack Della Maddalena by TKO at 3:17 of the third round at RAC Arena on May 2, 2026. The official scorecards confirmed the finish in the UFC Fight Night 275 headliner, and the result instantly shifted the division’s conversation toward Prates as a legitimate title-shot candidate.

The victory mattered because Della Maddalena was not just another name on the schedule. He came in as a former champion, carrying an 18-4 MMA record and an 8-2 mark in the UFC, while Prates arrived at 24-7 overall and 7-1 inside the promotion. Prates had made clear before the bout that beating a former champion would separate him from the crowded 170-pound field, and his performance did exactly that. He fought with sharp, sustained striking and forced the stoppage in the third round, a finish that was described as one of the most impressive of the year.

For the welterweight division, the result is more than a single win-loss entry. Prates did not merely survive a marquee assignment in enemy territory; he finished it and did so in a way that leaves matchmakers with an obvious problem and an obvious opportunity. A fighter who topples a former champion in the main event of a major overseas card now has a stronger argument than most for a title eliminator, and possibly for a faster path to championship contention than expected.

That urgency was part of the story from the start. Prates said before the fight that he respected Della Maddalena’s boxing but expected a long night for him, and the prediction held up as the bout wore on. By the time the stoppage came in Round 3, the Perth crowd had seen the card’s centerpiece turn decisively in Prates’s favor.

The rest of the Perth event reinforced how much was at stake for UFC’s Australian push. The card also produced wins for Quillan Salkilld, Steve Erceg, Louie Sutherland and others, giving the promotion a full night of consequential results in Western Australia. But the main event carried the clearest implication: Prates is no longer just part of the welterweight pack. After Perth, he has positioned himself among the names that can force the next title conversation.