Multiple UFC fighters provided detailed technical breakdowns of Carlos Prates' striking performance, particularly his knee and elbow work. Cory Sandhagen highlighted Prates' unique spring-loaded knee technique that generated exceptional power without traditional stepping, plus his ability to transition the knee setup into high kicks that wrapped around opponents' heads. Sandhagen also praised Prates' chopping elbows that broke through defensive blocks in ways he couldn't achieve against Petr Yan. Jorge Masvidal emphasized how Prates' knee threat completely shut down opponents' offensive options and close-range work, calling it some of the best knee work he's seen in years. Masvidal noted Prates' length advantage and suggested his knees could stop wrestlers, though he believed Islam Makhachev's grappling would pose a nightmare matchup. Dean Thomas and Dustin Poirier added observations about Prates mixing knees seamlessly with hand strikes and showing no fear of takedowns, which allowed him to throw knees more aggressively.
