Introduction
Tuesday, October 13th, American featherweight prospect Tyshawn Williams will be in action for Dana White’s Contender Series, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against an opponent to be named. He will be looking for another win, as Williams looks to secure a UFC contract. He represents Xtreme Couture, a top camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Wrestling: Williams is an outstanding wrestler that really showed excellent chops in this Contender Series bout against Antonio Monteiro, as well as other fights before that. He has an excellent shot from the outside and is great in chaining takedowns and transitioning to a dominant position on the mat. He has brutal ground-and-pound, utilizing big punches and nasty elbows which inflict damage quickly. I thought he was going to finish Monteiro in the first round of their Contender Series bout. When he’s on top, he’s not laying and praying…he’s looking for a devastating finish.
Athleticism: Williams is one of the most naturally gifted athletes fighting in the featherweight division, not only outside the UFC, but just in general. He has great quickness and explosiveness, which goes with a fluidity on the feet and on the mat that can’t be taught. It aids him in his wrestling, obviously, but also in his striking where he’s able to use good footwork and quickness to establish angles and blitz in the blink of an eye.
Needs Improvement
Gas Tank: As we saw in his fight with Monteiro, Williams put a lot of energy going for the finish on Monteiro. When it didn’t happen, he had a noticeable slowdown, which is likely why he has to try and earn the UFC contract a second time here. Perhaps it’s a pacing issue, but either way, his gas tank took a noticeable hit and he wasn’t able to fight at the level or energy level that he did earlier in the fight and it was apparent.
Outlook
UFC Top-25: Williams is one of the more talented fighters on this season of the Contender Series which makes it funny that he didn’t get signed straight out and other fighters who will likely win zero fights and get released did put ink to paper. That should matter not shortly, as I see Williams winning this fight emphatically and scoring that contract on the second try. He will be a menace in the UFC featherweight division and has the perfect skill set to make a run.
