Introduction
Friday, March 19th, English bantamweight prospect Jack Cartwright will be in action for Cage Warriors, where he will be looking to defend his bantamweight title against prospect Sylwester Miller. He will be looking for another win, as Cartwright looks to impress the UFC brass in an attempt to earn an eventual contract. He represents SBG Manchester, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Boxing: Jack Cartwright’s boxing has very much impressed me, including in some of his most recent fights. His knockouts of Marko Kovacevic and Scott Malone were absolute brutal. He showed an insane amount of power generation in his hands. That power is always in his back pocket and opponents will always have to be cognoscente of that. In addition to the power, his hand combinations are very nice. He mixes up straight punches and hooks very well. When he throws, he’s quite accurate. He also moves well on the feet, using good angles and footwork to set up his hands and land.
Top Game: Cartwright has solid wrestling and submissions, which helps round off his game. When on top, he has very nasty ground-and-pound that he lands frequently. In addition to using those ground strikes to advance position, he’s also good at technical transitions to get to a position to finish the fight. He also has good submission ability. Five of his nine pro wins (and two of his four amateur wins) come by way of tapout, including arm-triangle choke, keylock and D’Arce choke. He has variety on the mat, meaning that he’s well-versed when the fight goes to the ground.
Needs Improvement
Strength of Schedule: Although Cartwright has taken on some tougher fights in his last few bouts, he has not taken on a UFC-ready fighter yet. That makes it harder to gauge if he will sink or swim at the highest level. The most credible opponents Cartwright have solid records, but are regional guys, not top promotion-type guys. His upcoming opponent (Miller) is another guy who falls under the category of “respectable record, not top-level promotion ready.” Another win will be helpful for Cartwright, but there will still be questions if he’s ready to hang with the top guys in the world.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: Despite what I just said about questions against his strength of schedule, based on what I have seen, I think Cartwright has a chance to have a successful UFC run. He has the tools and style to make it there, and there are certainly matchups that favor the Englishman. For a guy his size, he packs a lot of power and his well-roundedness will make him a tough out for anybody. First up he has Miller in his Cage Warriors title defense. If Cartwright wins, I think the UFC comes calling immediately and get him on the roster.
MMA Intel 