UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates - Odds, Predictions, Picks

The UFC heads Down Under to Perth, Western Australia this weekend, headlined by a huge clash in the Welterweight division between native Jack Della Maddalena and Brazilian Carlos Prates. JDM is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, while “The Nightmare” enters the bout on the back of a knockout victory over former champ Leon Edwards.

• Della Maddalena is aiming to get back to winning ways after losing to Islam Makhachev by unanimous decision last November

• No. 5 ranked contender Prates has secured back-to-back wins and boasts a solid UFC record of 6-1

I’ve summarized each fight ahead of UFC Fight Night 275 in more detail below. You can find the latest odds followed by my predictions ahead of the event.

UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates - Odds

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UFC Fight Night: - Picks & Predictions

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates - Welterweight Division

• Our pick: Jack Della Maddalena by Points (+350) at FanDuel

Beneil Dariush vs. Quillan Salkilld - Lightweight Division

• Our pick: Quillan Salkilld by KO/TKO (-150) at FanDuel

Tim Elliott vs. Steve Erceg - Flyweight Division

• Our pick: Steve Erceg by Points (+110) at FanDuel

Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Peričić - Heavyweight Division

• Our pick: Brando Peričić by TKO/KO (-105) at FanDuel

Tai Tuivasa vs. Louie Sutherland - Heavyweight Division

• Our pick: Tai Tuivasa by KO/TKO (-115) at FanDuel

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates - Welterweight Division

JDM will have the home advantage for his bout against Prates on Saturday, but it’s the Brazilian who is the -122 favorite with FanDuel. Prior to his defeat against Makhachev, Della Maddalena had gone eight fights unbeaten in the UFC, claiming the UFC Welterweight Championship with a decision victory over Belal Muhammad last May.

Perth-born Della Maddalena will be hoping to secure his standing within the division by returning to the win column, but will have to overcome Prates who heads into this one on the back of successive victories. The Brazilian has recently managed to get back on track, following a loss to Ian Machado Garry, with a first-round KO over Geoff Neal before sleeping Edwards back in November.

All of Prates’ UFC wins have come by knockout, but Della has been KO’d only once in his career – in his professional debut. JDM has the ability himself to finish fights early with his strong boxing skills, yet can also go the distance if needed. “The Nightmare” will be looking to utilize his three-inch reach advantage and maintain distance.

It will be interesting to see how Prates handles himself if it goes into the championship rounds, as his only fight that has gone the distance with the promotion was his defeat to Garry. If Della Maddalena can get inside and deliver combinations, it could be a difficult night for the Brazilian. Still, Prates has the KO ability to end this fight early at any moment.

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Beneil Dariush vs. Quillan Salkilld - Lightweight Division

Three defeats over his last four fights signals that veteran Dariush may be past his best, particularly given the fact he is on the cusp of turning 37 and was knocked out in all three of those losses. Opponent Salkilld, who is just 26-years-old, is the rather damning -520 favorite with FanDuel, and has won 11 straight career fights heading into the matchup.

Australian Salkilld is another fighter this weekend holding home advantage, and will be looking to extend his winning streak with the promotion to five. He submitted Jamie Mullarkey at the end of January this year. A win here will push him into the Top 15 of the lightweight rankings.

Dariush does have a recent win over Renato Moicano to lean on, but he was finished after just 16 seconds by Benoît Saint Denis last November, further raising question marks about his chin. He’ll be looking to at least avoid being slept inside the first round here, given that three of Salkilld’s four UFC victories have all come within the opening round.

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Tim Elliott vs. Steve Erceg - Flyweight Division

Looking to surge inside the Top 10 of the flyweight rankings, Elliott is on the hunt for a third straight victory on Saturday. He takes on Erceg who halted a three-fight skid last time out with a decision win over Ode' Osbourne. It’s the No. 12 ranked Perth man Erceg who is the -265 favorite with FanDuel for this bout.

Veteran Elliott returned to the Octagon for the first time in over 20 months last August by defeating former flyweight challenger Kai Asakura via submission. As impressive as that victory was, Erceg will be a tough opponent. The 30-year-old earned himself a title fight against Alexandre Pantoja just under two years ago, and despite losing three successive matchups, he did get a win over Osbourne at bantamweight just under a year ago.

Age could play a pivotal role in this matchup with Elliott being almost ten years older than Erceg. Elliott is a strong grappler and leads with chaos in his fights, but “Astroboy” will have the striking advantage and will look to make the most of his reach advantage.

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Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Peričić - Heavyweight Division

The main card opens up with two heavyweight bouts, with the second one being a battle between Gaziev and Peričić. The former entered the UFC at the end of 2023 after submitting Greg Velasco in Dana White’s Contender Series, and has since gone 3-2 with the promotion. Gaziev suffered a first-round knockout loss to Waldo Cortes-Acosta in his last fight and is the +114 underdog with FanDuel for this matchup.

The oddsmakers are favoring “The Balkan Bear” here, who has gone 2-0 since making his UFC debut last September. He’s secured back-to-back early finishes by knocking out Elisha Ellison and Louie Sutherland, propping up his prospects within the heavyweight division. A victory against a ranked fighter this weekend would see his stock rise even further.

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Tai Tuivasa vs. Louie Sutherland - Heavyweight Division

Tuivasa is the -196 favorite with FanDuel ahead of his bout with Sutherland in the opening fight at UFC Fight Night Perth. He’ll have to snap a six-fight losing streak, though, and the Australian hasn’t won since sleeping Derrick Lewis back in February 2022. “Bam Bam” lost by unanimous decision to Tallison Teixeira in his last outing back in February, and will be hoping to get back in the win column as he takes on an unranked opponent in this one.

Englishman Sutherland has yet to register a win with the UFC thus far, losing in the first round in both of his fights. He was submitted by Valter Walker in his debut before being finished by Peričić as recently as March this year.

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How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates

• Location: RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia 

• When: Saturday, May 2

• Time: 7:00 AM ET

• How: Paramount+