With UFC Fight Night 275 heading to Perth, Australia, on May 2, Alexander Volkanovski is backing Jack Della Maddalena to get the job done against Carlos Prates in the main event. The featherweight champion weighed in on the matchup as attention builds around a fight that could reshape the welterweight picture in a hurry.
For Australian fans, this is more than just another main event. Perth has become one of the UFC’s strongest markets outside the United States, and a big spot for Della Maddalena on home soil gives the card added energy. In the American MMA media cycle, this fight is also being viewed as a serious test of whether Della Maddalena can immediately reestablish himself after a major setback.
Volkanovski said the matchup is strong enough to headline and believes the betting line is understandably tight after Della Maddalena’s loss to Islam Makhachev. He said that, had Jack not suffered that defeat, he would likely have been considered a much bigger favorite. Even so, Volkanovski expects a compelling fight, whether it ends early or stretches the full five rounds.
His read on the matchup is clear: Della Maddalena’s boxing should be the difference. Volkanovski pointed to Jack’s proven standup and said the fight is likely to play out largely on the feet, where he sees the Australian holding the edge. He also called it a potential fight-of-the-night contender.
The stakes are real on both sides. A win for Della Maddalena would restore momentum and keep him in the conversation for another marquee welterweight opportunity. A win for Prates, meanwhile, would give the division a dangerous new disruptor and likely earn him the biggest fight of his career next. Stylistically, that’s why this matchup has drawn so much interest: both men are viewed as legitimate finishers, and neither is expected to spend much time looking for a slow, tactical fight.
Now the focus shifts to Perth, where Della Maddalena will try to protect home turf and prove he still belongs near the top of the division, while Prates looks to crash the scene in emphatic fashion.