Introduction
Friday, April 11th, American light heavyweight prospect Alik Lorenz will be in action for LFA, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Starling Simmons. He will be looking for another win, as Lorenz looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Hard Drive MMA, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Knockout Artist: Lorenz is an aggressive finisher that likes to inflict damage quickly. All but one of his pro bouts has been finished in the first round, as Lorenz gets down to business immediately. Five of those six finishes on his record come by way of knockout, as he’s a competent, violent striker known for strong hands and solid kicks. If he gets an opponent hurt or he ends up on the ground with his opponent, Lorenz has very heavy, vicious ground-and-pound, which he’s used in a couple of his fights to end his opponent’s night.
Top Grappling: Lorenz has solid offensive grappling, especially when it comes to getting a takedown and working from top. As we said, he has some good ground-and-pound from top where he’s earned stoppages. However, he does have some submission ability as well, even if only one of his finishes comes by way of tapout (his most recent bout against Ryan Parker via rear-naked choke).
Needs Improvement
Over-Aggression: The only loss on the record of Lorenz is to a heavyweight in Darion Abbey, where he was knocked out in the first round. Obviously, Lorenz is not a heavyweight so we won’t hold that against him. That said, he can be overly aggressive and leave himself open to counters. Also, being that aggressive can wear on one’s gas tank, though it’s harder to see evidence on that front as Lorenz has only left the first round once. Sometimes patience and picking your shots goes a long way, even if Lorenz like putting the pedal to the metal.
Outlook
LFA Champion/UFC Prelim Fighter: Lorenz has the potential to be a very solid fighter, especially as he enters his athletic prime being 28 years old. I think this fight with Starling Simmons is setting him up for one of two things. The first could be a title shot against Uran Satybaldiev, assuming he doesn’t head to the UFC as champion already. If he does, Lorenz fights for the vacant belt. The other thing this win over Simmons does is get his foot in the door for the Contender Series. I think Lorenz could have a fun little career in the UFC given his style and he could have a solid run, especially given how thin 205 is and how the division is aging.
MMA Intel 