Prospect in the Spotlight (Jan 5-6): Shanna Gomez

Introduction

Saturday, January 6th, American bantamweight prospect Shanna Gomez will be in action for Peak Fighting, where she will be looking continue his winning ways against Mitzi Merry. She will be looking for another win, as Gomez looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. She represents Genesis MMA, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Submissions: Gomez is best known for her submission prowess, as seen in her amateur career. Three of her five amateur wins came by submission, using two rear-naked chokes and one arm-triangle choke to get it done. She has a good top game on the mat and is good at transitioning to finishing positions. She also uses solid ground strikes to help her gain that edge.

Power Punching: Gomez is not going to be confused with Cris Cyborg when it comes to her striking, however, she does have some good power. She showed in her pro debut her one-shot stopping power, as she walked down Yuri Medina aggressively and landed an accurate, devastating shot to the dome. She also won her amateur debut by knockout.

Needs Improvement

Inexperience: Gomez is just 1-0 as a pro. She fought six times as an amateur. She definitely is somebody who needs more cage time, especially against higher-ranked opponents. Her biggest opponent to this point is Skyler Mavierck, the amateur sister of Miranda Maverick. Her lone pro fight was against a fellow 0-0 opponent in the aforementioned Medina. She will gain this as she goes along, but that will require her to take on experienced, notable opponents.

Outlook

Secondary League Fighter: Gomez has solid potential, but I need to see more fights out of her at the pro level. Her win over Skyler Maverick as an amateur shows she’s got something going for her. She could eventually find herself in the UFC, though it’s hard to make that definitive statement with just one pro fight at this point. However, I do think she makes a secondary league at the very least, whether it’s PFL, Bellator or Invicta. If she keeps improving, she could have a solid little career.