Introduction
Friday, Novemeber 21st, Brazilian welterweight prospect Luis Francischinelli will be in action for LFA, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Jonathan Piersma. He will be looking for another win, as Francischinelli looks to score a UFC contract. He represents California MMA, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Introduction
Striking: Francischinelli is a real joy to watch in the cage when he’s getting his striking on. He has great long-range weapons between his kicks and straight punches, which have a tremendous amount of whip on them. He’s also dangerous from in close, as he has a brutal Thai clinch with nasty short strikes, including his knees. He also has one-strike finishing ability, as seen in several of his fights. All of his wins come by way of knockout in the first round, which is an impressive feat. His longest fight was 4:12. This guy does not play around.
Size: At 6’6″, Francischinelli has to be the tallest welterweight in the division right now. He uses that height and length well when on the feet, as he’s a great judge of distance. He also has insanely long arms and legs, which aid him in said striking. This is just another reason he’s such a rough matchup for most in the division.
Needs Improvement
Competition Against Wrestlers: Thus far, a question mark going against Francischinelli’s game is the fact he has not really gone against a wrestling-based opponent, which is something he would see a lot of if in the UFC. His length and size aid him in staying on the outside of shooting range, but until we have a bigger sample size against wrestlers, we will continue to have some questions going forward.
Outlook
UFC Top-25: Francischinelli has all the intangibles, skill and killer instincts to be successful at the highest level. He is a stylistic nightmare for 170 pounders given he’s the same height as Michael Jordan and fighting at a weight class where the average height is at or around 6’0″. He has been unstoppable thus far, and now gets to prove himself further by taking on Road to UFC veteran Jonathan Piersma, who represents his biggest test to date. I think a win here should warrant Francischinelli a shot in the UFC, especially with another finish.
MMA Intel 