Fighters praise Carlos Prates' elite knee techniques and range management against Della Maddalena

Multiple UFC fighters have offered detailed breakdowns of Carlos Prates' striking performance, particularly his devastating knee strikes. Cory Sandhagen highlighted how Prates' left knee changed the fight, noting the unique spring-loaded power generation rather than traditional stepping mechanics, and how he cleverly transitioned the knee setup into high kicks that wrapped around Della Maddalena's head. Jorge Masvidal praised the distance coverage and how the knee threat alone shut down Della Maddalena's close-range game, calling it some of the best knee work he'd seen in a long time, though noting Islam Makhachev's wrestling would present major problems. Dean Thomas emphasized how well Prates hid his knees within his hand combinations, making them difficult to anticipate. Dustin Poirier noted that Prates opened Della Maddalena's guard with knees and elbows, and that his lack of takedown fear allowed him to throw knees more aggressively.