Multiple UFC fighters provided technical breakdowns of Carlos Prates' knee strike technique following his victory over Jack Della Maddalena. Cory Sandhagen highlighted that Prates' left knee was the game-changing attack, noting it wasn't a simple step-in knee but rather a spring-loaded technique generating enormous power that snapped Della Maddalena's head back. Sandhagen explained how Prates mixed the knee with high kicks, raising his knee as if for a strike but wrapping a high kick around his opponent's head, requiring unique technical adjustments against southpaws. Jorge Masvidal called it "some Mortal Kombat level" performance, praising how Prates covered distance with the knees and used the threat of them to shut down Della Maddalena's close-range boxing and body work. Masvidal noted this neutralized the clinch game entirely. Dean Thomas observed how Prates effectively mixed the knees with hand strikes making them harder to see, while Dustin Poirier credited the knees and elbows for opening up Della Maddalena's guard. Sandhagen also praised Prates' unique elbow technique that broke through Petr Yan-style blocking, a ripping type of elbow distinct from standard tomahawks.
Several prominent UFC fighters took to social media and commentary platforms to dissect the technical brilliance behind Carlos Prates' knee strikes after his stunning finish of Jack Della Maddalena.
Cory Sandhagen offered one of the more detailed breakdowns, identifying Prates' left knee as the decisive weapon in the fight. Sandhagen stressed that the technique was not a conventional step-in knee but a spring-loaded variation that generated exceptional power, visibly snapping Della Maddalena's head backward on impact. He also highlighted how Prates disguised the attack by blending it with high kicks, lifting his knee as though preparing to strike before wrapping a kick around his opponent's head instead. Sandhagen noted that reading this combination demands unique tactical adjustments, particularly against southpaw fighters. He also praised a ripping elbow variation Prates used to break through Petr Yan-style high guards, describing it as distinct from a standard tomahawk elbow.
Jorge Masvidal, the 41-year-old American Top Team veteran carrying a 35-17 record, called the performance "some Mortal Kombat level" work. The six-foot-one striker praised how Prates used the mere threat of the knees to shut down Della Maddalena's close-range boxing and body work, effectively neutralizing any clinch exchanges before they could develop.
Dean Thomas added that Prates made the knees difficult to read by mixing them fluidly with hand combinations. Dustin Poirier, the 37-year-old American lightweight contender with a 30-10 record, credited the knees and elbows specifically for forcing Della Maddalena's guard open as the fight progressed.
Why it matters
- Prates' multi-layered knee attack presents a matchup problem few welterweights have previously encountered at this level
- The ability to shut down clinch work and body boxing with a single threat narrows opponents' tactical options significantly
- Analysts across different fighting backgrounds reached the same conclusion, underlining just how technically advanced the approach was
