Multiple UFC fighters and analysts provided detailed breakdowns of Carlos Prates' striking techniques in his recent victory. Cory Sandhagen highlighted Prates' powerful left knee strikes that changed the fight, noting how Prates generates force by springing up rather than stepping, and how he uniquely transitions the knee threat into high kicks that wrap around the opponent's head. Sandhagen also praised Prates' chopping elbows that broke through his opponent's block, comparing them to a technique his own shoulders can no longer execute. Jorge Masvidal emphasized how the knee threat alone disabled his opponent's ability to work the body or box in the clinch, calling it some of the best knee work he's seen in a long time. Masvidal suggested Prates' length and knees could trouble wrestlers like Islam Makhachev, though he believes Makhachev's grappling would still be overwhelming. Dean Thomas and Dustin Poirier both noted how effectively Prates mixed his knees with hand strikes and opened up his opponent's guard.
