Introduction
Sunday, December 3rd, American featherweight prospect Aryion Young will be in action for Fury FC, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Nate Richardson. He will be looking for another win, as Young looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents FactoryX Muay Thai, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Thai Boxing: Coming from the highly respected FactoryX Muay Thai gym, it should come as no shock that Young has a strong Thai boxing ability. He has good punches, elbows, knees and kicks, and one thing that aids him in his striking is his size for a 145er. He is 6’0″, which is huge for the weight class. He uses that to strike from a distance and snipe at his opponent. Obviously, he has big time power, which allows him to accumulate damage and look for kill shots. He only has two pro wins by knockout, but that’s because he likes to pick his opponent apart. His most recent win saw him use that strong striking ability to take out UFC veteran Carlton Minus. It was a strong performance.
Offensive Grappling: In addition to his striking, Young is also a good offensive grappler from top position. If he gets to the mat, he likes to scramble to a strong top position to look to work his ground strikes and transition to a submission angle. He has just two submission wins to date, which came by rear-naked choke and armbar. He’s not going to be confused with Gordon Ryan anytime soon, but when he is in control on the ground, he is dangerous.
Needs Improvement
Defensive Grappling: In the flip side, Young’s defensive grappling could certainly improve his game with time. As an amateur, he was submitted twice. He has not really been tested by a top-level wrestler yet, but when put on his back, he can be a little uncomfortable. It may not be tested as much with his current opponent Richardson, but down the road he is going to have to prove himself defensively on the mat.
Outlook
Regional Champion/UFC Prelim Fighter: Young has gold in his sights right now, as he is looking to capture Fury FC gold against Nate Richardson. That will be no easy feat. Despite the size advantage he will have, Richardson is a pro kickboxing veteran in addition to being an MMA fighter. Richardson has fought in Glory and is very dangerous on the feet. Young will be tested in his own striking here, so offensive grappling may be his key to victory. No matter what happens, I think Young has good potential to be a champion in a bigger regional organization and could end up in the UFC one day. His ceiling may be limited there, though.
MMA Intel 