Introduction
Friday, April 16th, Canadian lightweight prospect Lance Gibson Jr. will be in action for Bellator, where he will be looking to continue his winning ways against veteran Marcus Surin. He will be looking for another win, as Gibson looks to impress the Bellator brass in an attempt to eventually get into the title picture. He represents Gibson MMA, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Top-Game on Ground: Gibson is a pankration fighter, which means that his background is in hand-to-hand combat type of wrestling. His wrestling is very good, offensively and defensively. He wrestled at a high level before entering pro MMA, which explains why he loves closing the distance and shooting on his opponent. His explosiveness and technique combine to make takedowns look so easy. Once on top, Gibson is an absolute animal. He throws very heavy ground-and-pound and is positionally sound. He has good submissions as well, including having suffocating chokes. He’s also shown a nasty control from his opponent’s back, where, again, he throws huge strikes and can find the fight-ending submission. Overall, Gibson is not a guy you want taking you down. It won’t be fun.
Physicality: Gibson is a physical specimen. He is strong everywhere, from his upper body down through his core to his legs. He often times can bully opponents with his physicality, especially in the clinch and in transitions on the mat. He’s also a very good athlete with a combination of quickness and explosiveness. He is technical, but sometimes he uses raw strength to send his opponents flying left and right. It also adds to the amount of power his strikes on the feet and ground have.
Needs Improvement
Step Up in Competition: Gibson is just three fights into his career, and has taken on experienced opponents, but he will soon need to take a step up in competition to position himself to get bigger fights. He certainly has time as he’s just 26 years old. His current opponent, Surin, is certainly the best guy he’s faced thus far. That said, if he beats Surin, Gibson needs to be considered to take a higher-level fight. He’s clearly a top prospect with the company who is going to be taken care of in terms of match making, but he appears to have the ability to float in the deep waters. The time to test that is the near-future.
Outlook
Eventual Title Contender: Gibson has plenty of time to hit his prime, and when he does, he’s going to be a very good fighter. Growing up under his father Lance Sr, Lance Jr. has been in the fight game since a child. He’s already a well-rounded combat athlete that certainly has a bright future. As he builds his resume, look for him to consistently get better in every aspect of the game. Once that happens, his name will be tossed around amongst the contenders of the division. It will be a tall ladder to climb, seeing as the Bellator lightweight division is a shark tank, but he has the tools to be very successful with the company.
MMA Intel 