Prospect in the Spotlight (Jan 2-3): Alexandra Tekenah

Introduction

Friday, January 9th, French flyweight prospect Alexandra Tekenah will be in action for Hexagone MMA, where she will be looking continue her winning ways against Thalita Soares. She will be looking for another win, as Tekenah looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. She represents US Metro Bizot, an unknown camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Striking: Possessing a sanda background, it’s obvious that Tekenah is best when she’s on the feet striking it out with her opponent. She possesses great power in his hands, but it’s her kicks that do damage quickly. She’s also solid with her knees and elbows in the clinch, making her a rounded striker. Four of her six wins come by way of knockout, including a leg kick TKO over Sabrina Oliveira, a body kick with follow-up punches over Alice Pisciotta and a knee barrage TKO over Levi Steedman.

Athleticism: Tekenah is a good natural athlete that combines good movement, power, speed and agility make her a tough specimen in the cage to keep up with. That, combined with her explosiveness, give her a natural edge in the cage.

Needs Improvement

Defensive Grappling: Tekenah’s glaring weakness is definitely defensive grappling and submission defense on the mat. Offensively on the mat, she’s not bad and has some ability. However, when challenged defensively on the mat, Tekenah has been exposed. She has lost both of her pro bouts by submission to UFC vet Ivana Petrovic and former Glory Kickboxing Champion Jady Menezes, who is no Royce Gracie on the mat.

Outlook

Regional Champion/Major League Curtain Jerker: Tekenah is clearly a talented fighter, but if she doesn’t tighten up her grappling deficiencies, she could be limited with her ceiling. Clearly, she’s a strong striker and an exciting fighter and has a number of matchups in the regional scene where she can show off her skills. However, as she moves up the ladder and takes on major league talent who can strike with her AND grapple, I think that’s where her potential limit is.