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

Multiple UFC fighters provided detailed breakdowns of Carlos Prates' knee strike performance against Jack Della Maddalena. Cory Sandhagen emphasized that Prates' left knee fundamentally changed the fight, noting the unique spring-loaded power generation rather than stepping into the strike, and how Prates converted the knee threat into high kicks by wrapping over the head. Jorge Masvidal highlighted how the knee threat covered significant distance and prevented Della Maddalena from working the body or boxing in the clinch, comparing it to "Mortal Kombat" level striking, though he cautioned that Islam Makhachev's wrestling would present a nightmare scenario. Dustin Poirier noted how the knees mixed seamlessly with Prates' hand work and prevented Della Maddalena from entering boxing range. Dean Thomas observed that Prates' knees were difficult to see and effectively mixed with his hand strikes. All analysts praised the technique as exceptionally high-level striking.