Welterweight: AJ Fletcher vs Leonardo Damiani
Tale of the Tape
24-years-old
5’9″
Lafayette, Louisiana, US
Gliadiators Academy
8-0
30-years-old
5’10″
Rome, Italy
Aurora Mixed Martial Arts
10-2-1
Pros and Cons
AJ Fletcher
Pros
- Heavy hands/hits hard
- Good kicks
- Solid wrestling
- Heavy ground and pound
- Heavy top position
- Good grappling
Cons
- Suspect TDD
- Needs to move his head more
Leonardo Damiani
Pros
- Big overhand right
- Tough as nails
- Explosive
- Hits hard
- Heavy kicks
- Physically strong
- Dangerous in exchanges
- A good RNC
Cons
- Poor striking defense
- Open to be countered
- TDD needs work
- Poor endurance
- Wings punches
- Can be too tentative
Who has the advantage?
Striking: Even
Speed: Fletcher
Output/Volume: Fletcher
Knockout Power: Fletcher
Chin: Damiani (close)
Footwork: Fletcher
Wrestling: Fletcher
Grappling: Fletcher
Submissions: Even
Cardio: Fletcher
Prediction:
Both these athletes are similar fighters. Both are heavy-handed bomb-throwers with a good ground game. Neither have the best striking defense either, so the chance of a knockout is high. I’m leaning more towards Fletcher as the better striker because he sets up his strikes better, is more active, has more weapons, and arguably hits harder. By a wide margin in my eyes, Fletcher is a better wrestler and I think that can be the key to victory for him. This could very well come down to cardio, toughness, and who just presses forward more. I’m picking Fletcher but let’s just say that pick is not not confident.
I’m picking Murzakanov, Candelario, and Lopes to win contracts on DWCS this Tuesday night. All three could make an immediate impact in their division. Murzakanov may have a higher ceiling than anyone on this episode. If it’s the Candelario that fought four years ago, he’s a future top ten flyweight. We’ll have to see how much he’s been able to improve since that one fight back. Lopes is the most improved fighter on this show and has the stiffest challenge against Brito. If he can convincingly beat Brito, however, the sky is the limit for Diego Lopes.
