Introduction
Friday, December 7th, Brazilian lightweight prospect Killys Mota will be in action in Minnesota, headlining LFA 56. He will be competing against fellow prospect Austin Hubbard in the main event, as Mota looks to inch closer to a UFC contract and score LFA lightweight gold. Mota represents the little known King Shark MMA out of his home country. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Well-Roundedness: If there’s one quality any mixed martial artist wishes to possess, it’s being well-rounded. Fortunately for Mota, he possesses a well-rounded skill set. He is a powerful striker that can knock anybody out and does so with strong technical ability. No only that, but he’s shown to have good takedowns and a consistent ability to get opponents to the mat. He possesses heavy top pressure, not letting his opponent breathe or improve their position. He mixes up ground-and-pound and submissions attempts well, which is why he’s been able to finish fight son the mat. He also is positionally sound on the ground, which is why he methodically breaks down opponents.
Aggressiveness: Not only is Mota skilled, but he has the right amount of aggression in the cage. He is absolutely relentless, always moving forward and getting into his opponent’s grill. He is constantly busy, whether it’s striking, clinching or on the ground. That type of style will earn him points with the judges when he does fight to a decision. He’s a finisher, though, so don’t expect the judges to get involved in many of his fights (2 decisions in 11 victories).
Needs Improvement
Avoid Constant Brawling: Because Mota is so aggressive, he can tend to get in throwdown brawls. If somebody is willing to go full-on rock-’em sock’em robots, Mota has no problem indulging. Although he comes out on top, the more skilled the fighters he takes on, the more damage and potential for getting hurt in that brawl there will be. He is a tough guy, but adding on mileage to his body at a fast pace tends to take a fighter from their peak downhill faster than normal.
Outlook
Solid UFC Midcarder: The lightweight division in the UFC has always been stacked with talent, so becoming a champion or title contender is always tougher there. The talent pool is just too deep. However, Mota has a good chance to be a longtime tenured fighter for the company that is a tough out for anybody. I’m not sure he’d be a top-15 lightweight in the UFC, but he’d be a guy close to that ranking. He’d score some impressive wins with the UFC, but likely not take out the top guys. Either way, he’s a solid hand to have on the roster.
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