Prospect in the Spotlight (June 16-17): John Sweeney

Introduction

Friday, June 16th, American bantamweight prospect John Sweeney will be in action for LFA, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Allan Begosso. He will be looking for another win, as Sweeney looks to continue to his winning ways and eventually score a contract with the UFC. He represents Upstate Karate, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Striking: Sweeney is a protege of Ray Thompson, the father of karate stylist and former UFC title challenger Stephen Thompson. So, it’s no surprise that Sweeney tends to strike. He moves well on the feet, getting in and out effectively. While he isn’t known for his one-punch knockout power per se, he does land accurately and in volume. He mixes up his kicks and punches nicely as well. When he’s elusive and on the move on his feet, he’s really tough to deal with.

Athleticism: Sweeeney is a good natural athlete that combines speed, agility and elusiveness well. Those are traits that are great x-factors in the cage. They contribute to his striking on the feet and his ability on the mat to be effective as well, whether he’s going for submissions or trying to get out of bad positions.

Needs Improvement

Counter-Wrestling: While Sweeney is a good striker and a good athlete that can submit you from top position, his counter-wrestling is an area that can be exploited. Cody Durden, who is now in the UFC, did that. Other opponents who fought Sweeney to close decisions also tried to exploit his counter-wrestling, making their fights close in the process. Sweeney is not completely helpless here, but like we said, it can be exploited.

Outlook

UFC Midcarder: Sweeney has a pretty good resume to get into the UFC, especially if he beats Contender Series veteran Allan Begosso in this upcoming fight. He has wins over UFC veterans Cole Smith and Leonardo Morales, as well as prospect Ary Farias in his most recent outing. His style is one that Dana White would enjoy, which often times helps get guys into the UFC. If Sweeney lands in the UFC, he’s a guy that would win some and lose some. There are definitely a number of winnable matchups, but with the amount of high-level wrestlers in the UFC bantamweight division, he could also find some struggles.