Introduction
Saturday, July 2nd, Brazilian bantamweight prospect Vinicius de Oliveira will be in action for UAE Warriors, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Ali Taleb. He will be looking for another win, as de Oliveira looks to impress and score attention from the UFC. He represents Sombra Team MMA, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Power Striking: The best part of de Oliveira’s game has been his power striking thus far. He takes the center of the cage from the get-go and throws heat at his opponent. He has strong kicks that do much damage, whether he throws them high or low. Also, his hands have good power as well. The most impressive knockout he’s had is his win over Xavier Alaoui, where he crushed him with a head kick and finished him with punches.
Pace/Aggressiveness: When it comes to his striking (and even his grappling), de Oliveira sets a very high pace and is aggressive with his opponents. Most of his finishes come in the first half of the fight as he gets in his opponent’s face early and stays there. He has a high finishing rate as well, which should be attractive to top MMA organizations.
Needs Improvement
Can Get Reckless: While de Oliveira’s aggressive nature can certainly be a plus, it sometimes gets him caught. Both of his losses saw de Oliveira stopped by TKO, much of which is because he threw caution to the wind and engaged in a dogfight. That dogfight resulted in de Oliviera getting caught and finished by his opponents.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: At 26 years old, de Oliveira is approaching his prime as a mixed martial artist. He is on a six-fight winning streak and has done so against some solid competition with the UAE Warriors promotion. He’s a belt holder for that organization. He takes on the undefeated Ali Taleb in a fight that de Oliveira should win. He’s not far away from the UFC and if/when he does sign with the UFC, he will be a solid competitor for that company.
MMA Intel 