Introduction
Friday, February 19th, American flyweight prospect Victor Altamarino will be in action for LFA, where he will be looking to score gold against fellow prospect Carlos Mota. He will be looking for another win, as Altamarino looks to impress the UFC brass in an attempt to earn a contract. He represents Peak Performance, an unknown camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Grappling: Offensively, Altamarino is a very good submission grappler. He’s not in the vain of your typical wrestler who enters MMA, but he’s a workmanlike guy who fights hard for every takedown. Once on the mat and on top, he’s very good at advancing position and searching for the best method to score the finish. As a pro, Altamarino has scored half of his eight pro wins by way of submission. He has used the armbar, heel hook, D’arce and triangle choke to get it done, showing he is well-versed when it comes to securing the finish in the mat.
Technical Striking: Although Altamarino is not exactly Francis Ngannou when it comes to power on the feet, his technical ability is very good. He lands combinations well, mixing up punches, kicks and knees well when he throws. He also is good at mixing it up with upper body and lower body strikes. He will set up the body at the beginning of a combo with a couple of head strikes (jabs, crosses) and then at the end of the combo switch to the body. He is volume striker as opposed to a home run striker, so he looks to add up damage than just walk off as soon as possible. He has just one win by knockout, but don’t be fooled: Altamarino can strike.
Needs Improvement
Counter-Wrestling: The lone chink in the armor we have seen from Altamarino thus far has been his counter-wrestling, and that evidence came in his lone pro loss to former UFC fighter Jarred Brooks. While there is no shame losing to a top-level flyweight like Brooks, Altamarino can be taken down when he is at the wrestling disadvantage and be controlled. As an amateur, this was seen as well. His grappling is far better when he is on top, as when he’s on bottom against a wrestler, he can be overwhelmed and broken down, before succumbing to the rear-naked choke. In fact, all three of his amateur losses and his lone pro loss have been by the RNC.
Outlook
UFC Prelim Fighter: The best part about being a flyweight at this point in time is that you never have to be more than a win away from possibly making the UFC roster. For Altamarino, that could not be more true. Not only is he in the division, but if he’s able to defeat Carlos Mota and secure LFA gold, he’s almost a sure thing to take a fight with the UFC by year’s end. He’s proven to be exciting and skilled, as well as a finisher. The UFC likes that. A win over Mota also puts him on a three-fight winning streak, which in unison with the belt, has him primed to either take a late-notice bout or to get signed outright. Stay fight ready, kid.
MMA Intel 