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

Several UFC fighters offered technical breakdowns of Carlos Prates's knee strike performance against Jack Della Maddalena. Cory Sandhagen praised Prates's powerful left knee, noting it wasn't a simple stepping knee but involved a full spring motion that generated exceptional power, and highlighted how Prates transitioned the knee setup into high kicks by wrapping over the head when facing a southpaw. Jorge Masvidal emphasized that Prates's knees covered so much distance they neutralized Della Maddalena's clinch boxing and body work, calling it some of the best knee work he'd seen in a long time. Dustin Poirier noted that Prates mixed his knees seamlessly with hand strikes and showed no fear of takedowns, which allowed him to throw them more confidently. The analysts also discussed Prates's elbows that broke through Della Maddalena's guard and speculated about how these weapons would match up against Islam Makhachev's wrestling.