Prospect in the Spotlight (Jan 9-10): Virgil Augen

Introduction

Friday, January 9th, French middleweight prospect Virgil Augen will be in action for Ares FC, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Henrique Shiguemoto. He will be looking for another win, as Augen looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Boxing Squad, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Grappling: Augen is a strong grappler and the ground game is definitely Augen’s bread and butter. He likes to force the clinch on the feet, where he can land some strikes before dragging the fight down. His outside takedowns aren’t bad either, though his striking could better set up those takedowns. On the mat, he has good positionally awareness and the ability to find submission wins. He owns four wins by submission, with his most used technique being the rear-naked choke.

Durability: Augen is two-dollar-steak tough and has the ability to absorb damage while he tries to close the distance and implement his game. He doesn’t mind taking that damage either, meaning that he has the psyche needed when getting into a war in the cage to stay mentally strong.

Needs Improvement

Striking Variation: Sometimes, Augen’s striking can be basic and repetitive. A lot of times, he uses his strikes to set up the clinch and takedowns. He’s very hand heavy, so mixing in more kicks and feints could be more beneficial for him in the cage. While his on-the-feet striking is a continued job for him, his ground-and-pound is solid on the mat and used to cause damage and set up submission attempts.

Outlook

UFC Midcarder: Augen is one of the more touted prospects coming out of France in recent years, which is saying something as there was an explosion of talent coming from that country. There’s nothing flashy about the guy, but he just gets the job done. The fact that he has wins over Contender Series vets like the aforementioned Shiguemoto and Mantas Kondratavicius shows that he’s ready for the next level. I think Augen gets another win over Shiguemoto here, defending his Ares FC Championship, and finds a way into the UFC as soon as possible. He belongs there.