Best prospect in action this week (Patreon)
Content
Prospects in the GP:
Lightweight, JaCobi Jones (6-2)- LFA 174:
Jones showed on the Contender Series that he struggles when he cant get the takedowns. He is a good wrestler and is a threat on top with pressure and GNP. This fight he's getting a good rebound because Kegan Gennrich is mainly a grappler. Jones could even keep this fight standing and outstrike Gennrich. I view Jones as the better fighter everywhere.
Bantamweight, Quang Le (6-0)- LFA 174:
The only thing keeping Le from being a better prospect is he slows down after two rounds. On the feet he's thoughtout being technical. He can also use wrestling and get the job done from anywhere on the mat. Also, Le is pretty defensively sound. Cody Peterson hasn't fought in over four years and before that it was eight years. If Le can't win this he should change careers.
Bantamweight, Cooper Royal (4-0)- ONE Fight Night 18:
Royal has tons of potential. He comes from a muay thai background and you can tell because his striking has looked good. His TDD has already been tested and it's held up great. He's actually one that could use wrestling and find submissions as showed in his last ht. I don't know much about his opponent Kamron Ortikov but from what I found I don't like his chances.
Flyweight, Melissa Balic (0-0)- Flex Fights:
Balic is making her pro debut after a 3-1 amateur run. She did win a title as an amateur and went 6-0 in kickboxing From the small clips I've seen her striking does look good and seems like she can grapple as well. She has been training at Tiger Schulmann's since a young age so she should be good. If shes any good I see her getting fast tracked to the UFC because of her looks. The girl she's fighting is 1-3 and 39 so it's a setup fight for Balic.
Welterweight, Patrick Habirora (0-0)-AEF 5:
Habirora is coming off an extensive amateur career going 21-6 and had a lot of fights for IMMAF. In what I watched of him his biggest weakness is his takedown defense. On the opposite side he's a feared striker. He has a lot of wins by knockout. To compliment his power his hand speed is notable. His opponent is 2-5 and his chin has already been cracked. Should be an easy win for Habirora.
Middleweight, Alain Van De Merckt (5-0)- MMA Bushido Wavre:
Merckt has fought at both light-heavyweight and middleweight but has looked much better at middleweight. He's a good athlete that on the feet he'll throw from both sides with a lot of power. His skillset shines more on the mat where he has four submissions. Merckt has been dominant with top control, ground and pound, and eventual fight-ending submissions.
Lightweight, Lucas Clay (9-3)- Shamrock FC 351:
Clay is 1-2 in his last three fights losing to Bobby Lee and Aaron McKenzie. Both are good regional guys but those are guys you should beat if you're at a high level. Clay is a good striker that uses his length. He also uses his length at attacking headlock and front chokes. His takedown defense is a big issue and tends to lose fights getting controlled. Although I don't like him he should win this week. Cody Carrillo is 16-22 and 41 years old.