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

Multiple UFC fighters and analysts praised Carlos Prates' exceptional knee strike technique following his victory over Jack Della Maddalena. Cory Sandhagen highlighted Prates' unique knee mechanics, noting he generates power by springing his entire body rather than stepping, and seamlessly transitions the same motion into high kicks that wrap over opponents' heads. Sandhagen also emphasized Prates' use of chopping elbows to break through Della Maddalena's defensive shell, a tactic Sandhagen himself struggled with against Petr Yan. Jorge Masvidal compared the performance to Mortal Kombat, praising how Prates' knee threat neutralized Della Maddalena's body work and clinch boxing, though he cautioned that Islam Makhachev's wrestling would pose serious problems. Dean Thomas noted Prates effectively mixed knees with hand strikes, making them difficult to see, while Dustin Poirier observed that Prates' confidence in his takedown defense allows him to throw knees aggressively. The consensus among analysts is that Prates displayed one of the best knee strike performances in recent UFC history.