UFC fighters analyze Carlos Prates' devastating knee strikes and elbow techniques

Multiple UFC fighters have offered detailed breakdowns of Carlos Prates' striking performance against Jack Della Maddalena. Cory Sandhagen highlighted Prates' unique knee strikes, noting they were thrown with exceptional power by springing the entire body rather than stepping, and his ability to transition from knee feints to high kicks. Sandhagen also praised Prates' slicing elbows that broke through Della Maddalena's guard, a defense that previously stymied Sandhagen himself against Petr Yan. Jorge Masvidal called Prates' knee work some of the best he'd seen in a long time, noting how the threat of knees completely shut down Della Maddalena's boxing and clinch game. Dean Thomas emphasized how well Prates mixed his knees with hand strikes, making them difficult to see. Dustin Poirier observed that Prates showed no fear of takedowns when throwing knees, which allowed him to attack more freely.