Introduction
Saturday, July 5th, Belgian light heavyweight prospect Boris Mbarga Atangana will be in action for PFL, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Bruno Santos. He will be looking for another win, as Atangana looks to inch closer to a potential PFL tournament invite next year. He represents Team Sendo, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Kickboxing: A reason by Atangana is one of my favorite underrated prospects is his kickboxing ability. He’s got really strong kicks that he mixes well with his punching combinations, all of which land with nasty power. He had six knockouts in eight wins as an amateur, and he has not slowed down as a pro with four knockouts in five wins. That includes his most recent bout, where he blasted through UFC veteran Raphael Pessoa in just 2:05. He is technical and powerful, a dangerous combo.
Athleticism: A naturally gifted athlete, Atangana has all the intangibles fighters desire. In addition to being powerful and strong, he’s very agile and quick. He has good lateral movement and explosiveness. All of this helps him be the savage, quick finisher that is when he steps into the cage.
Needs Improvement
Defensive Grappling: While his strength, athleticism and quickness are often good tools for Atangana to avoid getting taken down, he’s yet to really be tested by a high-level wrestler/grappler that can really test him. The only time he was challenged was as an amateur. For that reason, this remains a chink in his armor that is his biggest need for improvement, as it will keep him upright to throw his knockout blows.
Outlook
PFL Tournament Contender: There are not a ton of light heavyweights not already on the PFL roster that are available to take part in next year’s tournament. Atangana looks to be a guy the PFL brass is grooming to fill a possible slot next year, especially as a lot of the Bellator guys phase out of the company. PFL Europe has provided some solid talent for the PFL to use in the world tournaments, so if Atangana can continue to win this year, I think he snags a spot and becomes an intriguing dark horse in a future tournament.
MMA Intel 