UFC fighters analyze Carlos Prates's devastating knee strikes

Multiple UFC fighters provided detailed analysis of Carlos Prates's knee strike technique following his recent victory. Cory Sandhagen praised Prates's left knee as a game-changer, noting it wasn't a simple step-in knee but rather driven with full spring power, and highlighted how Prates mixed the knee threat with high kicks that wrapped around the opponent's head. Sandhagen also emphasized Prates's unique elbows that broke through his opponent's guard, something Sandhagen couldn't accomplish against Petr Yan. Jorge Masvidal described Prates's knees as covering massive distance and compared the overall performance to "Mortal Kombat," noting that the knee threat alone disabled the opponent's boxing and clinch work. Masvidal suggested these knees could stop wrestlers like Islam Makhachev when changing levels, though he acknowledged Makhachev's grappling is a different stratosphere. Dean Thomas noted how well Prates hid his knees while mixing them with hand strikes. Dustin Poirier observed that Prates showed no fear of takedowns, which allowed him to throw knees more confidently while breaking through the opponent's guard with knees and elbows.