Introduction
Saturday, March 1st, Australian featherweight prospect George Mangos will be in action for Hex Fight Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Ethan Thomas. He will be looking for another win, as Mangos looks to inch closer toward a UFC contract. He represents Lions Den Academy, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Jiu-Jitsu: Mangos’ is noted for his high-level jiu-jitsu game and is considered one of the best grapplers in MMA coming out of Australia. Five of his six wins as a pro come by way of tapout, with most coming by way of rear-naked choke. He does also have wins by guillotine choke and a flying triangle choke. So not only is he very technically sound, but he’s creative. He’s all-around dangerous on the mat.
Age/Rate of Improvement: Mangos is only 21 years old and has six pro fights (and six amateur fights). He’s already a stud and improving quickly. Being only 21, his ceiling is already super high and he has a ton of time to keep improving on his already solid game.
Needs Improvement
Developing Striking: Mangos is rapidly improving as a young mixed martial artist, but his striking is still catching up to his ground game. His most recent fight did see him score a knockout win via head kick, so obviously his striking is trending upward in a big way. If he continues improving on the feet, there’s no doubt in my mind he will be an absolutely complete mixed martial artist.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder/Upper Midcarder: Mangos is a stud, as he’s just 21 years old and already a top prospect coming out of Australia. While the competition there is limited, he’s found some solid opponents such as Shoichi Tomita, Jarrett Wilbraham and Justin van Heerden. While they aren’t UFC-level, they are tough fights for a guy with his pro experience level. In several years, Mangos is going to be a real tough out for anybody. He’s 21 years old with high-level jiu-jitsu and the previously noted rate of improvement, so it’ll be exciting to see a 26-year-old Mangos.
MMA Intel 