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The unstable nature of combined martial arts (MMA) means you by no means know when your Final Combating Championship (UFC) second will come. On this version of “New Blood,” the collection the place UFC simply loves dropping new faces on the Tuesday earlier than struggle night time, we take a look at an Legacy Combating Alliance (LFA) champion making a two-week turnaround, a power-puncher stepping up on three days’ discover, and three debutants who haven’t seen motion since 2021.
Fernando Padilla
Weight Class: Featherweight
Age: 26
File: 14-4 (4 KO, 8 SUB)
Notable Victories: Cameron Graves, Nate Richardson, Darrick Minner
Padilla enters the world’s largest struggle promotion within the midst of a 4-1 run, the lone loss coming to UFC veteran Spike Carlyle. His present two-fight successful streak noticed him defeat Nate Richardson in LFA earlier than knocking out Cameron Graves to say the Fury FC Featherweight title and a UFC contract through Lookin’ For a Combat.
Standing a towering 6’1”, Padilla is a stalking mixture puncher adept at each pressuring and unloading catch-and-pitch counter flurries. He makes use of a “marching” fashion on the lead, shifting mid-combination to cowl extra distance and switch what can be jabs into energy crosses. Ought to opponents attempt to shut the space, he’ll meet them with rapid-fire flurries as they throw, usually dipping to his proper to come back again with an uppercut earlier than following up with hooks.
His kicks are pretty heavy, as seen when he stopped journeyman Donald Sanchez with low kicks, and he does a very good job of blending up the timing on his left hook when ending mixtures. He’s not helpless on the within, both; his construct lets him get a ton of leverage behind his clinch knees and he flattened Graves with a gnarly elbow from point-blank.
As for weaknesses, he tucks his head higher than a number of tall fighters I’ve seen however doesn’t transfer all of it that effectively. As soon as he slowed down sufficient that his ft couldn’t carry him out of hazard, Nate Richardson ate him alive with jabs and low kicks. He additionally tends to convey his non-punching hand again low, which means he’s there to be hit when you time a counter.
Total, although, fairly darn efficient and avoids a few of the widespread Tall Man pitfalls. That mentioned, he actually must beef up his cardio and do a greater job of checking low kicks.
I wasn’t capable of finding any current footage of Padilla’s grappling. He apparently bought outwrestled by Carlyle, who admittedly does are likely to outwrestle individuals earlier than his fuel tank empties, in order that’s price maintaining a tally of. He does have a tenth Planet brown belt and says he’s bought one of the best rubber guard in MMA, nevertheless; he’s racked up plenty of triangle/armbar finishes alongside a useless orchard, in order that is probably not bluster.
Nonetheless, it didn’t work on Carlyle, so I’m unsure it’ll work towards UFC-caliber wrestlers.
It’s price noting that the Carlyle struggle was in 2019 and Padilla hasn’t seen motion in virtually two years, as visa points scrapped a 2021 UFC debut towards Sean Soriano. I wouldn’t be vastly shocked if he fastened a few of these lingering points, because the expertise and expertise to be a fringe contender have been already there at age 24.
He’s in for what appears like a 50/50 UFC debut towards fellow tall man Julian Erosa. Padilla has the sting in sturdiness and one-shot energy, whereas Erosa has extra expertise and extra confirmed cardio. All I can say for positive is that it’ll be entertaining.
His LFA and Fury FC bouts are on Combat Move.
Trey “The Reality” Waters
Weight Class: Welterweight
Age: 28
File: 7-1 (3 KO, 3 SUB)
Notable Victories: Jalin Fuller, Benjamin Bennett
Waters punched his ticket to the Contender Collection with a vicious upset knockout of Benjamin Bennett, solely to succumb to Gabriel Bonfim’s Von Flue choke 4 minutes into the primary spherical. He then returned to LFA to problem Jalin Fuller for the vacant Welterweight title, in the end claiming it with a one-punch end halfway via the second spherical.
He replaces Ange Loosa on per week’s discover for his second struggle in 15 days.
“The Reality” is a large Welterweight at 6’4” with a 77” attain, although the truth that he got here in at 168.8 towards Fuller means that the burden minimize isn’t a problem. He makes use of his spectacular dimensions to execute, because the DWCS commentators precisely described it, a relaxed, flowing offense constructed round a gradual jab. He kicks comparatively sometimes for a person of his stature, as a substitute relying largely on one-two mixtures and three-two mixtures when main the dance. When opponents attempt to crowd him, he’ll meet them with rapid-fire counters as a substitute of retreating.
His fingers, particularly his proper, are startlingly quick for a tall man; he stored tempo with the cruel mixture punching of Bonfim and the cross counter that folded Fuller was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it bullet of a punch.
That mentioned, he could be too relaxed for his personal good. He retains his fingers low always and actually leans in when chucking one-two mixtures, leaving his head approach in entrance of his hips as he brings his fingers again with out defending his chin. It will possibly work to entice opponents into stepping in, at which level he’ll merely lean again on the waist and meet them with a hook or uppercut, however his ft are so gradual that he’s usually nonetheless within the firing line when he lets his fingers go.
These gradual ft and his inclination to plant them on the counter as a substitute of retreating got here again to chew him in current efforts. Bennett bought beneath his punches and in on his hips nearly each time he tried, whereas Fuller had free rein to batter Waters’ lead leg with indirect kicks, knee stomps, and conventional low kicks. Fuller additionally caught him greater than as soon as by stepping in deep with two-piece combos, as Waters couldn’t again away quick sufficient and has a predictable tendency to convey his left shoulder up and dip to his proper beneath fireplace like he’s making an attempt a shoulder roll.
To Waters’ credit score, he strikes his head higher than a number of tall guys and has a remarkably robust chin that shrugged off a vicious head kick. Plus, as straightforward as it’s to get in place for a takedown towards him, it’s surprisingly troublesome to truly drag him down or maintain him there. The exception got here towards Bonfim, as Waters bought out on a palm-to-palm guillotine that allowed Bonfim to complete the takedown and in the end put him away with the Von Flue.
Nonetheless, with the ability to survive unhealthy positions is rather a lot much less helpful than avoiding these conditions within the first place. Waters has the talents to sprawl-and-brawl his well beyond middle-of-the-road fighters, however odds are that he’ll wrestle with stronger takedown artists and energy strikers on a stylistic degree. Debut foe Josh Quinlan, who focuses on crushing low kicks and energy hooks, figures to be a nightmare matchup for “The Reality.”
Marcus “The Maniac” McGhee
Weight Class: Bantamweight
Age: 32
File: 6-1 (6 KO)
Notable Victories: None
MMA Lab’s McGhee went 3-2 as an novice earlier than smashing his option to a 4-0 professional begin. A submission loss to Rafael Do Nascimento bounced him from the ranks of the unbeaten, although he rapidly bounced again with knockouts of Abe Sellers and Luciano Ramos.
He steps in for Brian Kelleher on three days’ discover.
“Search and destroy” can be my pithy abstract of McGhee. He loves nothing greater than getting inside on his opponents and unloading to the pinnacle and physique with remarkably heavy punches, aided by crushing low kicks and heavy knees that he does an important job of sneaking into flurries. He can function from both stance, however appears to desire southpaw.
I actually do need to emphasize his physique punching. He gained’t simply result in the midsection, he’ll throw whole mixtures at it if his opponent is just too involved with defending his head.
He hasn’t actually confronted anybody who can deal with his standup but, so he’s but to point out any explicit shortcomings outdoors of an underutilized jab and willingness to throw unsafe leads. He did appear to again straight up when Ramos pressured him, although, so it’s unclear how effectively he can struggle off the again foot.
As for his grappling, he’s purely defensive, even preferring to again off quite than take high place if it’s accessible. His takedown protection appears stable normally. Nascimento managed to wrangle him down with a blast double, however McGhee initially did a superb job of attending to his ft and maintaining within the scramble earlier than Nascimento lastly bought his hooks in. Ramos, for the document, utterly didn’t take him down regardless of plenty of makes an attempt.
A lot as I’d like to see him fill John Lineker’s footwear, I’m unsure there’s fairly sufficient depth to his recreation to make a run within the stacked UFC Bantamweight division, particularly since he fell quick towards his solely opponent with an honest document. Nonetheless, he’s going to offer us some nice motion whereas he lasts.
He’s in for what appears like a tough debut towards Journey Newson. We’ve seen Newson blown away by extra highly effective strikers like Randy Costa, however he’s ok on the mat to spoil McGhee’s day like Nascimento did. McGhee’s takedown protection would be the deciding issue.
His LFA bouts are on Combat Move.
Irina “Russian Ronda” Alekseeva
Weight Class: Bantamweight
Age: 32
File: 4-1 (1 KO, 1 SUB)
Notable Victories: None
Alekseeva, a embellished judoka, gained her first three skilled bouts earlier than punching herself out towards journeywoman Liliya Kazak. A subsequent transfer to Bellator proved extra profitable, as she grappled her well beyond Stephanie Web page in October 2021.
These anticipating the extent of dynamic takedowns and groundwork Alekseeva’s nickname implies might discover themselves disillusioned. That mentioned, she will greater than maintain her personal within the clinch, particularly when she will lock up a whizzer or overhooks normally, and is keen to shoot a double-leg from lengthy vary. As soon as on high, she’s usually content material to land ground-and-pound to the pinnacle and physique quite than move or chase submissions; her one nod to being “Russian Ronda” is that her sole professional submission victory got here through armbar.
On the ft, she normally elects to spam physique kicks from each legs, sometimes sprinkling in a spinning again kick or again fist. Her fingers are heavy, as seen when she floored Kazak within the early going, however she will nonetheless be liable to slinging wild hooks regardless of visibly getting extra snug on the ft between her final two fights. On high of that, she’s extraordinarily inclined to leg kicks and gassed out badly after a frantic first spherical towards Kazak.
The constructing blocks are there for an honest fighter they usually might have come collectively throughout her time away from the cage, however her general lack of dynamism makes it exhausting to get excited for Alekseeva. I don’t see her evolving previous “first rate,” even in a profoundly underwhelming division; her grappling isn’t dominant sufficient to save lots of her from more proficient strikers or stronger takedown artists like debut foe Stephanie Egger.
Her Bellator bout is on the promotion’s web site.
Jamey-Lyn Horth
Weight Class: Bantamweight
Age: 33
File: 5-0 (3 KO, 2 SUB)
Notable Victories: Mayra Cantuaria
After a 3-0 novice profession that noticed her twice defeat future coaching companion Lupita Godinez, Horth racked up 4 professional wins on the Canadian circuit earlier than taking her skills to LFA. There, she choked out Mayra Cantuaria to say the Flyweight title, although a deliberate title protection towards Sabina Mazo fell via a 12 months later.
Horth prefers to function at a distance, utilizing her appreciable leg attain to plug away with entrance kicks, roundhouses alongside jabs and straights. There’s not a ton of selection to her boxing offense and she will overextend when stalking, however her fingers are fairly fast and heavy and he or she makes use of the enjoyable trick of following a kick with a punch from the identical facet. She’s not misplaced on the within, both, boasting some highly effective clinch knees.
If getting overeager is her weak point on the entrance foot, not staying cellular is her weak point when countering. She has, or not less than had, an inclination to throw change kicks when circling. Whereas kicking on the retreat is ok, she’d plant her ft to take action, which let pursuing opponents get inside and land punches. The shorter Corinne Laframboise dropped her early with a cross counter and managed to repeatedly tag her via sheer aggression earlier than Horth managed to gradual issues again to her most popular tempo.
That was in 2019, although, so odds are she’s smoothed that out.
Her grappling seems to be enhancing properly, which is to be anticipated from somebody coaching with Godinez. Past her stable takedown protection and clinch work, she’s a surprisingly fearsome ground-and-pounder and may snatch up the RNC straight away. She does appear to have a little bit of hassle passing guard, nevertheless, relying extra on standing over her opponents and making an attempt to circle round their legs.
Horth is a bit lengthy within the tooth for a prospect, however she’s a constant finisher, a stable striker, and an more and more succesful floor artist. Whether or not she stays within the talent-starved 135-pound division or returns to 125, I see her doing effectively for herself. Admittedly, she’s in for a tricky debut towards a bodily beast in Hailey Cowan, however I favor Horth’s far smoother standup and good takedown protection to hold the day.
Her LFA and TKO bouts are on Combat Move.
Do not forget that MMAmania.com will ship LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow protection of the whole UFC Vegas 72 struggle card proper here, beginning with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, that are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining principal card steadiness (additionally on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
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