Introduction
Saturday, July 6th, Brazilian welterweight prospect Carlos Leal will be in action for LFA, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Jose Barrios Vargas. He will be looking for another win, as Leal looks to inch closer to a contract with the UFC. He represents Thai Brasil, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Kickboxing: The two martial arts that Brazilians excel in when it comes to MMA is Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. While Leal has solid BJJ, he’s definitely the latter, as he’s known for his on-the-feet prowess. Leal has solid kicks, but it’s the power punching and his hands that are his greatest assets. He throws good combos to set up the kill shots with his punches. 9 of his 20 wins come by way of knockout, including his most recent win where he downed respected veteran Marcio Breno in the first round.
Strength of Schedule/Experience: Leal is a 25-fight pro veteran and has taken on a strong field of opponents to date. The best wins on his record come over UFC veteran David Zawada, PFL vet Dilano Taylor, former PFL season winner Ray Cooper III and Contender Series vet Korey Kuppe. His only two losses in the past ten years both came to Sadibou Sy. He has fought for Bellator, PFL and LFA, showing he’s fought on big stages as well.
Weaknesses
Unproven vs. Wrestlers: Even when he’s fought in major promotions like PFL and Bellator, Leal has not really fought an opponent with top-level wrestling. If he is to make it to the UFC, there are a plethora of fighters that have that wrestling ability, and we really don’t have a gauge on how Leal will deal with a strong, wrestling-first opponent. It remain a question mark until we have more insight.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: Leal has proven he can succeed at a high level. He fought in two seasons of the PFL season format, making the playoffs both times (and losing both times in the playoffs to Sy by decision). It appears that he’s given up on the PFL money chase and is focusing on making the big show, the UFC. UAE Warriors, the promotion he most recently fought for, and the LFA are both shows that are direct feeders to the UFC. Leal already got a W for UAE Warriors. He now has a main event with LFA. One has to believe if he impressively gets by Jose Barrios Vargas, the UFC could be calling soon.
MMA Intel 