Introduction
Saturday, May 17th, English lightweight prospect Shem Rock will be in action for Oktagon, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Abdullo Khodzhaev. He will be looking for another win, as Rock looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Next Generation MMA, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Grappling: Rock is a strong Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist that often times dominates on the mat in his fights. Nine of his eleven come by way of tapout, with the rear-naked choke being the most plentiful of those submissions. He’s positionally sound and good at finding openings on the mat so he can finish. Since drawing vs. Arthur Lima in April of 2023, he has won three straight, all of which come by first-round rear-naked choke. He’s also a quick worker too, as many of these finishes have come in the first round.
Striking Fundamentals: While Rock is not going to be confused with Rodtang any time soon, it should be noted that he’s a very powerful hitter that has solid fundamentals. He doesn’t get too cute, electing to look for big shots or using his striking to set up the takedowns as opposed to trying to put on a world-class kickboxing display. It works for his game, though, which is why he’s been successful.
Weaknesses
Extended Striking Exchanges: While his fundamentals on the feet are solid, it should be pointed out that Rock should avoid getting into overly extended striking exchanges, especially if he’s the outright better grappler or he’s fighting a guy with superior skills. His lone loss was a knockout to Nathan Kelly, a fighter who was 2-2 at the time that exposed some of his striking defenses. We also have yet to see him really be challenged by a top-level amateur wrestler, so that remains to be see as well.
Outlook
Regional Staple/Major League Prelim Fighter: Rock is a proven finisher and has consistently been upping the level of talent he’s fighting, especially now that he’s in the Oktagon organization in Europe. That along with KSW and Cage Warriors are the premiere fight leagues on that continent. My guess is he’s under Oktagon’s control for the foreseeable future, but he should garner some interest from UFC or PFL should he keep winning his way through that contract.
MMA Intel 