Bantamweight, Aaron Tau (8-0):
Tau is a prodigy of UFC fighter Dan Hooker. Despite the size, he’s got talent. If he can close that gap he’s a dangerous guy on the inside. He’ll just march guys down looking to land the hard shots. Not as technical but he kicks like a mule. Tau is strong and is capable of taking the fight down or smashing his opponent up. The biggest issue to me is the weight class he’s fighting in. His height and reach aren’t recorded but it’s evident he should be at 125 instead. His lack of footwork and speed doesn’t help the fact at all.
Strawweight, Jacinta Austin (6-2):
Austin has had a tough go as a pro, fighting other good prospects. She has wins over good fighters in Lisa Kyriacou, Sofiia Bagishvili, and Karolina Wójcik. Of her two losses, one is to UFC’s Josefine Knutsson. She also lost to Katharina Dalisda who she was beating until she got caught in a submission. Austin had a kickboxing and muay thai background before she switched over to pro MMA. Austin when pressing forward is going to fire that right hand and on the inside is a menace in the clinch. Her knees, elbows, control, and head positioning are so well done. For a primary striker, Austin is a good grappler and her wrestling is competent
Lightweight, Harry Webb (4-0):
Webb’s nickname is “The Human Highlight Reel” and it’s fitting. Webb can wrestle and grapple and mixes it in nicely just to show he can do it all. Webb has fantastic striking skills. His attention to the body while mixing it into combinations is superb. Webb uses a lot of feints and subtle moves to find striking lanes. For someone that’s just 4-0 as a pro he’s already a seasoned striker. It’s not just his hands at all either. Webb uses every weapon in his arsenal throwing kicks, knees, and elbows. Webb is the future of the lightweight division.
Lightweight, Quillan Salkilld (6-1):
Salkilld started off by losing his pro debut and is now 6-1 winning his last six fights. Salkilld had a breakout year last year when he knocked out Blake Donnelly. He won the Eternal lightweight title in that fight and built off that with two title defenses. His striking has come along really nicely. Salkilld is a long rangy guy and uses his reach well. He’s a dangerous counter striking as Donnelly saw when he got knocked out with one punch. I love the way he puts his hands together throwing combinations. His body-head work is slick as he’s constantly mixing up his striking patterns.
