Introduction
Friday, May 6th, Danish lightweight prospect Soren Bak will be in action for Bellator, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Charlie Leary. He will be looking for another win, as Bak looks to continue his impressive record and get into title contention in Bellator. He represents CSA.dk, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Wrestling: Bak is best when he’s able to shoot a takedown and grapple from top position. His finishes come by submission, mostly by choke. That shows he has excellent grip strength and stopping power from choking. He doesn’t have a prestigious wrestling background, but he does have solid ability to get fights to the ground. He also has solid ground-and-pound from the top, which he uses to help advance to a submission finishing position.
Toughness: Bak is physically a tough guy and can take some damage. He has a rough first round in his fight with Paddy Pimblett and was able to stick things out. He came back and won that fight, a testament to his will. He can take damage on the feet and work his way out of tough positions on the ground. That makes him tough to finish.
Needs Improvement
Defense: In terms of striking and wrestling defense, Bak has some holes that need to be filled. Although he scored a win over Paddy Pimblett in Cage Warriors, he had his takedown defense and counter-grappling tested. Pimblett is not exactly known for his wrestling chops, so that’s a bit concerning. Also, his striking defense could use work. He doesn’t get his head off the center line at times and he can eat big shots. His lone pro MMA loss to Aleksi Mantykivi saw him get dropped from shots that weren’t exactly masked or set up.
Outlook
Bellator Midcarder: Bak has talent and has scored some strong wins, but in terms of outlook, I don’t see him getting past the midcard. His defensive holes are a liability, especially as he moves up the ladder and takes on tougher competition. Charlie Leary will be a tough fight here, but certainly a manageable opponent. I don’t think he will challenge for a title, but he will stick around and take some fights with Bellator for a while.
MMA Intel 