Introduction
Friday, June 24th, Brazilian heavyweight prospect Renan Ferreira will be in action for PFL, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Klidson Abreu. He will be looking for another win, as Ferreira looks to wrap up the 2022 season and position himself for a $1 million season payday. He represents Team Nogueira, a respected camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Well-Roundedness: In terms of a mixed martial artist, Ferreira has shown to be a very well-rounded fighter with a lack of holes in his game. He is a good striker in terms of power and technique. Most of his wins come by way of knockout, including his last two over Stuart Austin (one-punch knockout) and Jamelle Jones (a 25-second knee followed by unnecessary ground-and-pound). He also has shown great grappling ability. He has a triangle victory over UFC fighter Jared Vanderaa and grappled impressively against the legendary Fabricio Werdum (in a fight that was nonsensically overturned to a no-contest).
Size: Ferreira’s physical size presents a lot of problems for any heavyweight in this division. He is 6’8″ with long legs and arms, meaning he can keep himself at a range and makes him more difficult to hit. His size is also advantageous on the ground for those very same reasons. Plus, he’s very powerful, which makes him even more of a threat.
Needs Improvement
Question Mark?: Right now, it’s difficult to see holes in Ferreira’s game. He lost a fight in 2016 due to submission, but he’s not a bad grappler and that was six years ago. Ferreira has not recently shown much in terms of a specific weakness.
Outlook
World Championship Contender: I have been high on Ferreira for a couple years and his performances in PFL has proven to me that this guy is a person who will challenge for a major world title at some point in his career. At 32 years old, the time for that should be soon. I understand why he wants a shot at $1 million with the PFL, but he could transition to the UFC ASAP and be successful. I think the time for that move would be imminent. There is more talent there to challenge himself and he could eventually move his way into the title picture/a title shot.
MMA Intel 