Introduction
Wednesday, May11th, American strawwight prospect Emily Ducote will be in action for Invicta FC, where she will be looking to retain her strawweight championship against Alesha Zappitella. She will be looking for another win, as Ducote looks to continue her dominance in Invicta and get attention from the UFC. She represents American Top Team OKC, a respected camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Striking: Ducote’s striking is the part about her game that I like the most. She has great combinations and a good amount of power for a woman her size. Her most recent fight against Danielle Taylor saw her score a major highlight reel win, when she blasted the UFC veteran with a right hand to stun her, then flatlined Taylor with a massive head kick. That said, Ducote is very well-rounded and has a strong ground game too, it’s just her striking that has tickled my fancy as of late.
Strength of Schedule: Ducote has rarely taken an easy fight in her career and that’s likely why she’s been successful and gets better every time we see her. She has been in there with names such as Ilima Macfarlane, Kanako Murata, Janaisa Morandin and the aforementioned Taylor, among others. She’s battle tested, which is another reason why she has set herself up to succeed at the highest level of MMA.
Needs Improvement
Close-Fight Bugaboo: Ducote has continually gotten better, but when she’s fought to decision in a close, competitive fight, she has taken losses a few times. Arguably, she may have beat Kanako Murata, but she fell by split decision. The same happened against Kristina Williams under the Bellator banner, as well in her unanimous decision loss to Veta Arteaga. Ducote is best when she either finishes her opponent or bullies them to the judge’s scorecards. When the fight is close, she has come up short.
Outlook
Top-15 UFC Fighter: Ducote should be in the UFC already. She’s likely the best 115 pounder outside the UFC right now. She has quality experience, is well-rounded and has proven she can defeat some of the best outside the organization. She has former atomweight champion Alesha Zappitella on her docket right now, and with that win, she should foxtrot over the UFC roster immediately. She could enter the top-15 within one fight, as she would not take an easy fight with the UFC.
MMA Intel 