UFC fighters analyze Prates' devastating knee strikes against Della Maddalena

Multiple UFC fighters broke down the technical excellence of Carlos Prates' knee strikes in his victory over Jack Della Maddalena. Cory Sandhagen highlighted the unique power generation from Prates' spring-loaded knee technique and his ability to convert the knee threat into high kicks that wrapped around Della Maddalena's head due to the southpaw stance matchup. Jorge Masvidal praised how Prates used the knee threat to completely shut down Della Maddalena's close-range boxing and body work, calling it some of the best knee work he's seen in years. Masvidal noted Prates' length advantage and suggested his knees could stop takedown attempts from wrestlers like Islam Makhachev, though he acknowledged Makhachev's wrestling would present a nightmare scenario. Dean Thomas and Dustin Poirier both emphasized how Prates mixed knees and elbows to break through Della Maddalena's defensive guard, with Poirier noting that Prates' confidence in his takedown defense allowed him to throw knees more freely.