Prospect in the Spotlight (June 23-24): Giovanna Canuto

Introduction

Friday, June 23rd, Brazilian strawweight prospect Giovanna Canuto will be in action for LFA, where she will be looking continue her winning ways against Hilarie Rose. She will be looking for another win, as Canuto looks to continue to her winning ways and eventually score a contract with the UFC. She represents 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu, a strong camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Jiu-Jitsu: Canuto, at just the age of 20 years old, is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu wizard and a high-level black belt that has been training in the art for a while. Her ground game is masterful and she will rarely be at a disadvantage while grappling. Of her four pro bouts thus far, she has submitted three of her opponents. Her debut saw her armbar Amanda Lovato at the end of the first round. She followed that up with a heel hook of Kathy Solarzano midway through the first round. She then hit a rear-naked choke on Jasmine Pouncy in the mid-first round, showing she gets to work early. Canuto’s opponents have not been able to keep up with her on the mat.

Needs Improvement

Extended Striking Exchanges: While Canuto is virtually unmatched on the mat, her striking is still developing. She has improved on the feet, as she is clearly putting in the work in the gym, but if she’s unable to get the fight to the mat and has to score on the feet for an extended period of time, she could have some holes exposed. She showed some improvements in her decision win over Jamie Colleen, though Colleen showed Canuto could be touched. Canuto, being as young as she is, has plenty of time to really make this a strength as well.

Outlook

UFC Top-20: Canuto is 20 years old. We have to keep reminding you of that. She’s already this good at such a young age, so she clearly has a bright future in this sport. With her BJJ already at an elite level, she will always have that in her back pocket. As she improves the rest of her game, she will be increasingly more dangerous. She’s already beaten a respected veteran and Contender Series vet in Colleen, which is impressive. Imagine Canuto in five years; she’s going to be a major threat in the UFC once she hits her potential.