Introduction
Tuesday, September 7th, American welterweight prospect Darian Weeks will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking to stay undefeated against Josh Quinlan. He will be looking for another win, as Weeks looks to score a contract with the UFC. He represents Hulett House MMA, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Wrestling: Offensively, Weeks has a very good wrestling which he uses effectively. He’s very explosive and powerful, so when he’s able to get close and get hands on his opponent, he’s able to send them for a ride. Once he gets on top, he’s very heavy. He is able to wear opponents out by staying busy and stealthily cutting through their guard to get to a finishing position. His ground-and-pound is very heavy and he has submission offense that can make opponents tapout.
Power Striking: Weeks is a very powerful guy. We see it from everything in does in the cage, from his wrestling to his striking. On the feet, he wins big time shots from up top. It may not be the most technical way of setting up and throwing punches, but they land with the intent to cause great damage. His low kicks are very underrated as well, as he uses them to both set up and immobilize his opponents. On the mat, as mentioned, his ground-and-pound is nasty. Weeks is never gonna be a finesse striker as much as he is a demolition man.
Needs Improvement
Submission Defense: While offensively impressive on the mat, Weeks has shown some defensive flaws in his game. In a couple of his bouts, he has found himself fighting off submission attempts from his opponents from both the top and on his back. That shows that he can possibly be careless or not as keen to recognizing set ups from his opponents. As he moves up to the higher levels of MMA, this is something that could absolutely get exposed as he fights more experienced and talented wrestlers and jiu-jitsu practitioners. If they get those holds on him, there’s a far better chance they could finish Weeks.
Outlook
UFC Prelim Fighter: Weeks certainly has talent and the room to grow. He’s the true definition of a prospect here, and still, he gets the main event nod in this episode of Dana White’s Contender Series over a number of more experienced fighters on the card. So obviously, the UFC and it’s scouts must be very high on both him and his talented, fellow 5-0 opponent Quinlan. With a win in a high-profile spot on the card, especially with a finish or dominating performance, there’s a good chance Weeks is signed outright to the UFC roster. He will have to have a quick learning curve if that’s the case. He will be in one of the most talent-laden divisions from top to bottom.
MMA Intel 