Introduction
Tuesday, September 29th, Brazilian strawweight prospect Aieza Bertolso will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where she will be looking continue her winnings ways against Camila Reynoso. She will be looking for another win, as Bertolso looks to score a UFC contract. She represents MSP, a solid camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Jiu-Jitsu: Bertolso has a really polished ground game and it’s her best method of attack in the cage. She doesn’t have crazy explosive takedowns, but she’s crafty in forcing the fight to the mat. She has five finishes as a pro, including four submissions and a ground-and-pound stoppage. She’s also got a vast array of submission attacks, though her most effective attacks to end fights have been arm and leg locks. That shows that she’s a high-level jiu-jitsu player on the mat.
Experience: While Bertolso is still young and has only seven pro fights, she’s immensely experienced from an extended amateur career. She went 15-1 as an ammy with her only loss coming in her third fight in 2019. Even as an amateur, she had a high finishing rate against some fighters that have ended up being goof pros in their own right, including now-UFC fighter Delphine Benouaich.
Needs Improvement
Extended Striking: When Bertolso’s opponents have been able to defend her takedowns and keep her on the feet, that’s where we’ve seen her show a little more vulnerability. In her fights with Fabrizia Ketlinn and Janaina Silva, while Bertolso still one, she did find herself having to fight away from her grappling strength and show she can strike a bit too. It’s not as refined as her mat game, so that’s why those fights were closer.
Outlook
UFC Top Half of Division: Bertolso is a very talented fighter and just 25 years old, so she’s going to continue to improve an already strong game. She’ll get a solid striker as her test this weekend on the Contender Series in Reynoso, so she will need to implement her takedowns and ground game early to impress the UFC brass. Once she gets into the UFC, I think it’s just a matter of time til she accumulates some wins and heads toward the top half of the division. If she further develops her wrestling and striking, I think there’s a good chance she could get into contention at some point.
