Introduction
Saturday, January 27th, Brazilian bantamweight prospect Nicoly Pedroza will be in action for LFA, where she will be looking to stay undefeated against Andreyna Rocha. She will be looking for another win, as Pedroza looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. She represents Esquadrao Esportes, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Kickboxing: Pedroza is primarily a striker that even has kickboxing experience. She is very fluid on the feet and good at mixing up her combinations between head, body and legs. She has good power as well, as she’s able to generate it with her long limbs. Two of her four wins come by way of first-round knockout, showing she has power and finishing ability. She also has a submission win in the first round, but don’t let that distract you: Pedroza likes to bang.
Needs Improvement
Strength of Schedule: Being a prospect in the Brazilian regional scene, Pedroza has yet to really get tested in the cage. Her opponents combined records were two wins and one loss. Although Pedroza has looked good, she has not been battle tested against a notable opponent that is considered high quality.
Outlook
Top-15 BW: Pedroza is just 20 years old and I think she has a pretty high ceiling, especially in the weight class of bantamweight. The division is pretty thin on talent. Being young and already this talented, though, shows that Pedroza has a bright future in this sport. She takes on her most experienced opponent to date in Andreyna Rocha, who will be a good test that I assume Pedroza will pass with flying colors. At her peak, I think she’ll be a top-15 bantamweight, even if that takes some years when she gets closer to her prime.
MMA Intel 