Introduction
Saturday, June 14th, French lightweight prospect Axel Sola will be in action for Ares FC, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Ghiles Oudelha. He will be looking for another win, as Sola looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Boxing Squad, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Smashmouth Wrestling: Sola is a takedown artist who uses solid technical striking to set up his shots and get the fight down. Most of his finishes come by way of ground-and-pound, an old school method used by the early wrestlers of MMA. He’s especially effective with ground elbows, which he uses to open up opponents and force the hand of the referee to stop the bout. He has submission skills as well, though we see it far less than his ground striking. Either way, he’s tough to deal with when he’s on top.
Killer Instinct: Sometimes wrestling-heavy fighters are content riding out their opponents and grinding them to the final bell. Fortunately for fans, Sola is not one of those guys. He is a proven finisher that looks to keep the judges out of his fights. He’s only gone to decision three times in his victories, which means he has a solid finish rate. His finishes are violent too, which is a testament to that killer instinct as well.
Needs Improvement
Counter-Wrestling: From the top, Sola is a monster, but as he moves up the MMA ladder, he’s going to take on more seasoned, polished wrestlers that he’s yet to really encounter yet. That’s where he will need to work on his counter-wrestling. He drew against Daguir Imavov, who matched his wrestling despite moving up a weight class to fight Sola. In the UFC, a good numbers of the fighters on the roster can match Imavov’s wrestling, if not outright best it. Sola is a good wrestler, but will have to prove he can defend from get suffocated or grinded upon.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: The explosion of MMA talent from France has been interesting the past few years. In Axel Sola, you have a guy who may be one of the better prospects the country has produced. He certainly will have a ceiling in the UFC, but he’s a guy that can win plenty of fights under the promotion’s banner. He’s well-rounded, tough and durable, a combination which will lend him well. If he gets out of his Ares FC contract, I can see the UFC snagging him and working him up the ladder.
MMA Intel 