Since UFC 114, there has been a lot of discussion regarding Todd Duffee - but what about the prospect who actually won his fight, and against far stiffer opposition to boot? I'm talking about Brighton, England's John Hathaway. Most people weren't giving him much of a shout against Sanchez, and I'll confess that I was one of them, but on the night he took Diego to school almost as badly as B.J. This guy is 6'2, big for the division, has good takedown defence, a solid ground game and knows to use his reach when striking. He's 14-0 (4-0 UFC) and 22 years young. The lad has potential. This content is protected Arianny approves.
I dont want to sound like a know it all but i had Hathaway picked all along in this fight , im fairly familiar with Hathaway from the UK fight scene and i thought this was a terrible stylistic clash for Sanchez , Hathaway is a physical monster for the weight , he's very well rounded , has a solid ground game but i thought his stand up may be the weak link against Sanchez's intensity , i think the flush knee landed early really swung the fight in Hathaways favour , his take down defence is very solid for a " non wrestler " , the kid has very very good potential ....................
I like this kid he is very good all around and has good size. A fight id like next for him is a bout with Matt Serra. Diego was a top 10 Welterweight when he left and was coming off a 155 title shot so thats a tough guy he beat so IMO lets keep taking tough fights and a former Champion Serra who is dangerous on the ground and his feet coming off a strong win is a good fight.
Looks very tall and awkward. However his lack of a real strong base skillset will hinder him against the top competition.
Looks like he has some potential physically and being young and undefeated is a good place to be. Some decent stand up and grappling. Doesn't look to excel at anything just yet. I think the UFC will nurture him a bit. The Sanchez win is quality but I think like Jon Jones they don't want to rush it. The top of the division is occupied so Dana can spend a little more time on maturing him.
The most promising UK prospect in my opinion. His takedown defense actually consists of more than complaining that the opponent doesn't want to stand and trade.
I agree. His TD defence didn't look alien to him. He had a clue about what he was doing. Bispings grappling has improved alot. Hardy and Daley need to sort it out but they'll get there in the end.
It will be good to see what's next for the young lad, his win against Sanchez impressed me and I hope he just keeps on getting better.
