Introduction
Friday, March 4th, American featherweight prospect Kyle Driscoll will be in action for Cage Warriors, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Joshua Jones. He will be looking for another win, as Driscoll looks to earn his way into the UFC. He represents American Kickboxing Academy, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Wrestling: An Oklahoma native, it’s no surprise like many of his fellow statesmen that Driscoll has a wrestling background. He wrestled at Tulsa University, a solid college in Division I. That style, unsurprisingly, has transitioned over to MMA. He has great offensive and defensive wrestling. He has a great shot and achieves it well when he sets it up with his hands. He also defends takedowns well, helping him control where the fight is. You don’t want Driscoll on top of you, as he will dominate the fight there.
Improved Striking: Under the guidance of the staff at American Kickboxing Academy, Driscoll has greatly improved his striking. This was seen in his most recent outing where he showed off his improved skill set on the Contender Series, outstriking Dinis Paiva who was thought to have the edge in the striking department. Driscoll used good in-and-out movement with a strong jab, solid kicks and combinations to accumulate damage and score points that ultimately won him the fight. He’s now more than a one-trick pony.
Needs Improvement
Off His Back: Like a typical wrestler, Driscoll is not nearly as effective off his back as he is on top. Because of his wrestling acumen, Driscoll can be tough to take down, so he has the counter-wrestling down pat. However, if he does get put on his back, there are improvements that can be made defensively to improve his game. He could be better at getting back to his feet, especially when close to the cage. Also, he could be more aggressive in looking for submissions, not to finish the fight, but to try and reverse positions or halt his opponent’s movements.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: Driscoll is just 28 years old and he’s made quick, impressive improvements since moving to American Kickboxing Academy. It was a great decision to make his way over to that gym, as it’s full of top coaches and killer training partners. He’s really developed his striking well over there, making him a more rounded fighter that is a threat on the mat AND the feet. He was impressive on the Contender Series when he defeated Dinis Paiva, but he unfortunately wasn’t on a season where Dana White was literally signing everyone. Had he been on the most recent season, he’d have done enough to get inked. Cage Warriors is an organization that the UFC keeps their eye on, so an impressive performance here could catch the eye of the matchmakers.
MMA Intel 