Introduction
Friday, September 20th, American bantamweight prospect Mitchell McKee will be in action for LFA, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Ashton Caniglia. He will be looking for another win, as McKee looks to inch closer to a contract with the UFC. He represents the Kill Cliff FC, a respected camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Wrestling: McKee is a University of Minnesota wrestling alum, so he’s obviously got top notch wrestling skills. That background has translated into the MMA cage, where McKee has become a dominant fighter in mixed martial arts. His fights are wrestling heavy, using his dangerous hands (more on that later) to set up his takedowns and get his opponents to the mat. There, he is relentless. He has very heavy ground-and-pound, which he has used to finish half of his fights. Even in his decisions, he has battered and dominated his opponents with his wrestling and top-side pressure.
Power/Athleticism: Like many top-level wrestlers, McKee has a scary combination of power and athleticism that makes his game even more dangerous. His striking is ever improving, but he has one-punch knockout capability, that was seen in his drubbing of Ira Lukowsky. He’s also a freak athlete, which is why he’s so successful in implementing his wrestling game. Bantamweights will find it tough to match McKee’s natural abilities.
Needs Improvement
Striking Mechanics Tweaks: McKee has not been striking nearly as long as he’s been wrestling, so despite his striking looking solid on the feet for his experience, there are still some mechanical tweak he could make. This comes with technical aspects pertaining to his footwork and defense, as he has solid offensive output and the ability to put opponents away. A lot of his striking is to set up the takedown, so establishing his distance and feinting to get in would make him even more dangerous in the wrestling game.
Outlook
Top-20 UFC BW: McKee is a top-level athlete with a great camp behind hm and the work ethnic that has got him this good this early in his MMA career. The 26-year-old fighter didn’t even venture into an amateur career; he took straight to the pros. That’s how confident his coaches and McKee are in McKee’s abilities. This is a guy who I think, at the minimum, will be a top-20 bantamweight in the UFC. I think he could ascend higher than that. His prime is still ahead of him.
MMA Intel 