A smart signing by the UFC sees Allstars Training Center’s Benardo Sopaj stepping in on short notice this weekend at UFC Vegas 87. While the card is headlined by heavyweights Jair Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev, banatamweight Sopaj gets Vinicius Oliveira.
Benardo “The Lion King” Sopaj
Standing at five-foot-six
Fighting at 135 lbs (bantamweight)
23-years-old
Fighting out of Albania/Stockholm, Sweden
Training out of Allstars Training Center
A pro record of 11-2
7 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions
How Sopaj will fare in the UFC:
Sopaj has been competing in MMA ever since he was around 15 years old. He also competed in kickboxing. From a young age Sopaj was a champion in MMA, earning gold in only his fourth pro fight. He took some losses on his way up but they were close fights and to good fighters. Sopaj was a Fight Club Rush and the All Stars Fight Night bantamweight champion.
Sopaj is ready so good and way beyond his years being only 23. He’s already so composed in the cage and very confident. It’s also worth mentioning that he trains out of AllStars Gym so he’s getting all the proper training. Sopaj is primarily a striker but can mix in wrestling as well. He does have three submission wins but I’d bring more credit to what he does defensively. Sopaj is tough to bring down and when he does hit the mat he’s fast at working back to his feet. His explosiveness helps but he also understands positioning. He can very well hold his own on the mat but it’s not where he’s strongest.
Sopaj is a talented striker who fights off feints/fakes. He does a great job of staying sharp and picking his shots. It can take him a while to get in the groove but once he does he’s trouble. At times he struggles against taller fighters but he will catch you slipping if you’re coming in blind. Defensively his biggest issue is not checking leg kicks. On the other side, he will chop the legs but go to the body and head as well. Sopaj is a combination striker throwing straight down the pipe and from different angles.
Sopaj is a fantastic signing. We don’t see these level of fighters signing with the UFC on short notice so it’s nice to see. With his youth and the level he’s already at this kid could be a future star. I already like where his striking is and with time he’s going to round out his craft even more.
How he matches up with Oliveira:
This was a great fight between two fun strikers that can wrestle. As a pure striker I favor Sopaj. Oliveira is more dangerous because he’s tough to read. He’s so wild and as that may play in his factor it could also get him slept. Sopaj is capable of doing that so Oliveira has to fight a perfect fight. I like the cleaner striker in Sopaj to get the job done but I’m not confident.
