Several UFC fighters broke down Carlos Prates' striking performance, particularly his knee strikes, against Dricus Du Plessis. Cory Sandhagen highlighted the unique spring-loaded power of Prates' lead knee and how he mixed it with high kicks. Jorge Masvidal praised the knees as some of the best he's seen in a long time, noting they covered significant distance and neutralized Du Plessis' clinch game. Sandhagen also noted Prates' effective use of elbows to open Du Plessis' guard. Dustin Poirier and Dean Thomas added that Prates' fearlessness of takedowns allowed him to throw knees more freely and mix them seamlessly with punches.
