Prospect in the Spotlight (Nov 8-9): Kasey Tanner

Introduction

Friday, November 8th, American bantamweight prospect Kasey Tanner will be in action for LFA, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Micaias Urena. He will be looking for another win, as Tanner looks to inch closer to a contract with the UFC. He represents Fight Ready MMA, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Submission Wrestling: Tanner is a solid grappler that has strong takedowns, which makes sense as Fight Ready MMA is known for the plethora of wrestlers they have. He has three submissions and two TKOs, which were done with ground strikes. Of his submissions, Tanner pulled off a rare Suloev Stretch under the Combate Global banner. He’s also good at getting to the back and looking for the finish there. His most recent win was a rear-naked choke over veteran Thiago Belo under the LFA banner.

Toughness: If there’s one thing you can’t teach, it’s toughness. Tanner has shown physical toughness that makes him hard to put away. Even in his loss to Jean Matsumoto, Tanner did not go away that whole fight despite Matsumoto having the upper hand most of the fight. Tanner continued to be dangerous throughout the fight. That determination is important in the cage.

Needs Improvement

Extended Striking Exchanges: Also noted in his fight with Matsumoto was that Tanner could use some work when in extended striking exchanges on the feet. Tanner’s striking is not bad, but it’s no secret he prefers that mat. If he cannot get down guys as he moves up in competition level, he could be outpointed on the feet like he was against Matsumoto.

Outlook

Regional MMA Champion/Late Notice UFC Fighter: Tanner is clearly a talented, though guy, so he certainly is a guy to watch for at this point. With what I have seen, I think Tanner can certainly be a regional champion in MMA. He could definitely make the UFC at some point, especially give his Contender Series background and that late notice opportunities present themselves frequently. That’s where I see Tanner, especially with him being 32 years old.