Introduction
Tuesday, September 2nd, Vietnamese-American flyweight prospect An Tuan Ho will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Frank Silva. He will be looking for another win, as Ho looks to score a UFC contract. He represents MMA Lab, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Striking: Ho is a flashy, aggressive striker that likes to get to work early in throwing punches and kicks. He’s a fast starter, as most of his finishes come in the first round. He mixes up his strikes well, combining low kicks and devastating high kicks, as well as head shots and body shots with his hands. For a flyweight, he has nasty one-strike knockout power, which is a major asset in the cage. In all, he has knockout wins as a pro via spinning backfist, head kick and front kick, among others.
Needs Improvement
Step Up in Competition/Striking Defense: Thus far as a pro, Ho has not really taken on top-level competition. His most credible opponent in victory was Miguel Sanson, who was 4-1 at the time. Outside of that, it’s guys hovering around the plus/minus .500 mark on their records. On top of that, in his loss to Lone’er Kavanaugh, Ho showed some holes in his striking defense. To his credit, Kavanaugh is a gifted striker and can make guys look bad, but Ho showed openings and holes that can be exposed if not addressed in training.
Outlook
UFC Midcarder: Ho’s first chance at the UFC saw him falter, for which there is no shame. He’s just 24 years old and isn’t even in his prime. As he continues to build cage time and step up in competition, I think he will gain skill, confidence and ability. In his second attempt at a UFC contract, he has 20-year-old Frank Silva in front of him, who has a similar style and young age like Ho. It should be a solid fight, which could set up Ho in the UFC, where he should have a solid career.
MMA Intel 