Introduction
Friday, June 20th, Serbian welterweight prospect Nikola Joksovic will be in action for Ares FC, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Jose Barrios Vargas. He will be looking for another win, as Joksovic looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Borilacki Klub CDS, a lesser-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Submission Grappler: The biggest thing that jumps out about Joksovic is his submission game and his jiu-jitsu. While not possessing the great amateur wrestling background of many in the game, Joksovic is an effective takedown artist, and when he gets his man down, he goes to work quickly. Nine of his sixteen wins come by way of tapout using a variety of techniques from triangle chokes to arm-triangle chokes to rear-naked chokes. He also has solid ground-and-pound, which also helps open up his opportunities.
Power Striking: While Joksovic is not going to be confused with Francis Ngannou any time soon, he’s a gifted striker when it comes to stopping power. He has dynamite in his hands, and when he’s the aggressor walking down his opposition, he really can lay it on guys. He’s not a huge kicker or a Thai clinch striker, but his hands are really what gets it done for him on the feet. Adding those techniques would make him more dangerous and difficult to figure out on the feet.
Needs Improvement
Defensive Wrestling: Joksovic has good defensive grappling, as seen in his most recent win, but before tapping out Ramazan Mustafaev with that beautiful triangle choke off his back, he was struggling in the wrestling department in that fight. Mustafaev was able to get him against the cage and control Joksovic during portions of their fight. He also got Joksovic down a few times, scoring and getting the control time on the judge’s scorecards. Luckily, Joksovic outlasted him and was able to choke him out, but as he moves up to the major leagues, it may not be as easy against even more capable wrestlers than Mustafaev.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: Joksovic is clearly talented; you don’t amass a 16-0 record, including a number of fights with a major midcard like Ares FC without being a talented mixed martial artist. He is a well-rounded fighter that doesn’t really struggle in a major way in any area. He’s also got good size and power for the division, which will give him a natural advantage over many. He’s a guy that could mix between main and preliminary card, depending on if it’s a pay-per-view or a fight night. Either way, he matches up well against a lot of guys in the UFC welterweight division. He has to get by TUF Brazil vet Luciano Contini first.
MMA Intel 