Prospect in the Spotlight (May 29-30): Joseph Larcinese

Introduction

Friday, May 29th, Australian flyweight prospect Joseph Larcinese will be in action for Road to UFC, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Ryoga Arimoto. He will be looking for another win, as Larcinese looks to inch closer to a UFC contract. He represents Igor MMA Academy, a lesser known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Submission Grappling: Larincese has a strong jiu-jitsu background, which is the obvious strong point to his game. He has solid takedown ability and striking to set up takedowns, though he’s not as strong as a traditional “wrestler.” When he gets to the mat, he is methodical in getting to a position to finish the fight. He mixes ground strikes and grappling techniques to advance those positions, with the back being his favorite final destination. Of his five pro wins, three have been by rear-naked choke. He also has one by modified guillotine choke, meaning four of his five wins are by tapout.

Physicality: In terms of his style in the cage, while Larcinese is a technical fighter on the mat, he does have good power and strength. He is very physical and aggressive on the feet and the mat, which aids in keeping his opponent on the defensive.

Needs Improvement

Question Marks vs. Wrestlers and Sample Size: In addition to only having five pro fights and having a small sample size (though he had some amateur fights), Larcinese has yet to be tested by a wrestler that can negate his takedown attacks and ground game. That tends to be the case with guys fighting in the Australian regional scene. That being said, scoring a knockout over Contender Series vet Anthony Drilich in his most recent fight has shown that Larcinese can take on elevated talent.

Outlook

Road to UFC Winner/UFC Prelim Fighter: The good news for Larcinese is that the Road to UFC tournaments are often times not the most talent-laden tournaments. There are good fighters, but at this point, many of the Asian countries featured are not as advanced in MMA as places like Australia, which is why the Aussies thrive. I think Larcinese will win this Road to UFC tournament, score his place on the UFC and see mixed results on the roster.