Introduction
Saturday, December 13th, Welsh featherweight prospect Josh O’Connor will be in action for Ares FC, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Ghassan Jbalia. He will be looking for another win, as O’Connor looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Two4 Martial Arts, a smaller camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Striking: O’Connor has some good, solid fundamental striking between both his crisp hands and mixing those up with his strong low kicks. O’Connor has good movement on the feet and likes to take the center of the cage when throwing his combos. He has good in-and-out movement as well, which he can also use to set up takedowns and clinch against the cage.
Submissions: O’Connor also has some solid offensive grappling, which has led to submission wins as both a pro and amateur. He has good transitions and is good at hunting for the neck, with his most frequent submission coming by way of rear-naked choke. His takedowns are solid as well, but his wrestling will need continued improvement to keep the ground advantages in O’Connor’s court.
Needs Improvement
Counter-Grappling: As mentioned, O’Connor’s takedowns/wrestling improving would make him the most complete fighter. That comes defensively as well. His counter-grappling has yet to really be tested, but he’s yet to really go against a forceful wrestler/grappler. That could be exposed as he moves up in competition level, though he’s certainly improving fight by fight.
Outlook
UFC Prelim Fighter: O’Connor has shown to be a solid prospect coming out of the European circuit, especially having the Ares FC Championship. His most recent win over Ylies Djiroun really catapulted him up the European prospect discussion, as it was his biggest career win and a very impressive performance. He has to be a couple fights away from a UFC opportunity, which means in the meantime he can keep getting cage experience and improving. He’s a very solid hand to have.
MMA Intel 