UFC fighters analyze Carlos Prates' devastating knee strikes against Della Maddalena

Multiple UFC fighters provided detailed breakdowns of Carlos Prates' striking performance against Jack Della Maddalena, particularly his knee strikes. Cory Sandhagen noted that Prates' left knee changed the fight with unique spring-loaded power rather than typical step-in technique, and he seamlessly transitioned between knees and high kicks. Jorge Masvidal highlighted how the knee threat completely shut down Della Maddalena's ability to work the body or box in the clinch, calling it "Mortal Kombat level" striking. Dustin Poirier observed that Prates mixed his knees effectively with hand strikes and showed no fear of takedowns. Dean Thomas and Masvidal both noted that Prates' length and versatile striking, including elbows that broke through Della Maddalena's guard, made him a nightmare matchup, though Masvidal cautioned that Islam Makhachev's wrestling would present major challenges.