Introduction
Friday, October 7th, English bantamweight prospect Dominique Wooding will be in action for Cage Warriors, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Michele Martignoni. He will be looking for another win, as Wooding looks to impress and inch closer to a contract with the UFC. He represents Ultimate Kombat Fitness, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Striking: Wooding is a real treat to watch when he fights on the feet and there is plenty of footage on YouTube to view. Wooding is very good in terms of movement and being quick on his feet. He is very technical, but also very flashy, which we will talk about in a second. He’s got insane knockout power and he can do it with his hands, knees and shins. In fact, Wooding is a highlight-reel finisher. His first two pro victories came by a one-knee knockout. He also has two flying knee finishes as well. His last three fights have seen him score knockouts via head kick (over Nathan Fletcher and Cameron Hardy) and punches to flying knee over Carlos Abreu.
Athleticism: Wooding is a great combination of strong as an ox, explosive and quick. He’s quite the athlete. That natural ability lends him well in the cage when it comes to movement and getting in an out. In addition to that, he’s hard to manhandle and his athleticism allows him to do flashy things like the aforementioned flying knee.
Needs Improvement
Step Up in Competition?: While Wooding has seen his stock go up in recent times due to striking Cage Warriors gold, he has lost two of his last five fights. Both of those were under the Bellator banner to Frans Mlambo and Fabacarry Diatta, who are regional talent. He’s also lost to journeymen Dean Garnett and Andy Young. He’s yet to really have a signature win, which again proves while regional gold trumps all, as he’s seen as a hot prospect by both the PFL And UFC.
Outlook
UFC Prelim Fighter: While Wooding is nasty, powerful and fun to watch, his track record doesn’t suggest he will be a contender once he makes the big leagues. Guys who will outgrapple him or wrestle him in an attempt to avoid his striking will have a field day. He may score a cople wins in the UFC when he makes it there, but I have a hard time believing he will make it past the first few fights on the cards he participates on.
MMA Intel 