Introduction
Tuesday, October 6th, Russian light heavyweight prospect Ivan Gnizditskiy will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Nell Ariano. He will be looking for another win, as Gnizditskiy looks to secure a UFC contract. He represents Chingi Tura, a little-known camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Wrestling: Possessing a pankration background, Gnizditskiy has a strong wrestling base that he combines with unforgiving ground-and-pound. That is his main weapon on the mat, as he only has one submission win to his name. That’s not to say he doesn’t have submissions, but he prefers to throw hammers on the mat and he does so with ferocity and precision.
Kickboxing: Gnizditskiy has also spent some time in Thailand refining his striking and has shown some pretty good on-the-feet prowess. He has solid Thai clinch, but also can strike from distance. He has big knockout power in his hands and some solid low kicks. He has professional boxing experience as well, which not only gives him even more combat sports experience, but shows he can bang on the feet.
Needs Improvement
Off His Back: He doesn’t have many weaknesses we can spot, but definitely fighting off his back would be one of the spots you can critique. Luckily for him, he’s tough to takedown because of his strong wrestling game, but as he steps up to UFC-level talent, he may be challenged harder.
Outlook
UFC Top-15: The light heavyweight division is pretty shallow and Gnizditskiy is a strong fighter, so I think he’s a guy that can crack the top-15 in the UFC. He has looked very impressive in his bouts, particularly his couple of ONE Championship fights where he steamrolled the competition. Nell Ariano will not be a pushover and it will be a tough fight, but if he wins, he will make the UFC and make a solid run.
