Introduction
Saturday, March 7th, English welterweight prospect Adam Proctor will be in action for Cage Warriors, where he will be fighting opposite Madars Fleminas. He will be looking to continue his current winning streak, as Proctor looks to get closer to an eventual UFC contract. He represents SBG Ireland, an infamous camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Grappling: Clearly, the biggest weapon in the arsenal of Proctor thus far has been his submission grappling. He has shown that it’s his most dangerous weapon, especially when it comes to finishing opponents. Five of his 11 wins have come via tapout. This comes from his ability to use his technical ability on the mat when transitioning and moving to better positions. His best position is when he’s able to get to his opponents back. There, he can secure his favorite submission: the rear-naked choke. He’s also competent off his back and doesn’t mind working from there to look for a submission or sweep.
Experience: For a guy who is only 24 years old, Proctor has been busy since turning pro in late 2014. He was freshly 19 years old. In that time, he’s had 12 pro fights against some pretty solid regional fighters. Sure, he started off fighting lower level guys while he was a puppy and still developing. However, the last few years has seen him step it up to success. His only loss was in 2016, which seems to have been a great learning experience despite the blemish on his record. Lastly, the promotions Proctor has fought for have been top-notch. In addition to his current home of Cage Warriors, a top UK organization and feeder to the UFC, he’s also fought for BAMMA and Absolute Championship Berkut (now Akhmat).
Needs Improvement
Still Developing Overall: Proctor doesn’t have an extensive background in a single martial art like many people coming into this sport. Because of that, he’s not elite in any facet of the game. He’s more of a “jack of all trades, master of none.” There isn’t anything wrong with that though. He has a rounded off enough game and is getting better. Luckily, he trains with SBG Ireland, who has good striking instructors. His striking continues to improve from fight to fight, as does his aforementioned grappling. Luckily, he’s not near his prime yet, though, so he has plenty of time to continue the improvements.
Too Many Decisions: In 12 pro fights, Proctor has gone to decision seven times. That’s over half of his bouts. That is a lot, especially considering he has been fighting local regional talent for the most part. On a positive side, all seven of those decisions have been unanimous decisions, which show that he was more convincing than if he were to have majority or split decisions on his resume. Unfortunately for Proctor, the UFC wants finishers and exciting ones at that. That doesn’t mean that he will not be looked at by the UFC. He’s a prospect that is likely on their radar. But going forward, he should be cognoscente about scoring the finish.
Outlook
UFC Prelim Fighter: Running with SBG Ireland is always going to get you notice and favor, as it means your connected to Conor McGregor. Both the UFC and Bellator love inking SBG guys, so that’s a good thing that Proctor has in his back pocket. However, it seems that Proctor does not want to sign with Bellator, who features most of the SBG gym, and is holding out for a call from Dana White and co. If and when he gets that call, Proctor figures to stick around for a little bit. Remember, he’s just 24 years old and not nearly at the peak of his game yet. He’s going to develop and get better. I don’t ever think he’ll be a main event guy, but he’ll be a guy that is featured on the prelims and on European cards that wins some and loses some.
MMA Intel 