Being a fan of traditional stick and ball sports has taught me not to give up on young prospects after a couple early stumbles and I’ve carried that mindset over to my MMA fandom. Despite suffering a submission loss in his promotional debut earlier this year, there is still a great deal to like about the promising, but still unproven, Nzechukwu.
Fighting out of Fortis MMA, the Nigerian-born light heavyweight has tremendous measurables for the division, standing six-foot-five with an 83-inch reach. He’s still in the process of developing his weapons and learning how to best utilize his size, but the raw tools are clearly there and working with Sayif Saud and the crew in Dallas means the youngster is getting the best coaching possible as he looks to make strides in his professional career.
After graduating from the Contender Series, Nzechukwu was thrown into the fire in his debut, matched up against Scottish submission ace Paul Craig. Through the first 14 minutes of the fight, Nzechukwu was in control, avoiding troublesome spots while doing enough to carry a two-round lead into the final frame. Unfortunately, his inexperience — and Craig’s savvy — showed in the closing moments, as the veteran grappler was able to grab wrist control, sweep Nzechukwu off balance and connect on a triangle choke that brought the bout to halt.
This time around, Nzechukwu gets someone a little less seasoned, as he squares off with fellow prospect Darko Stosic, who looked outstanding in his debut, but struggled mightily in his sophomore effort against Devin Clark earlier this spring.
A victory isn’t going to propel the Fortis MMA product into the title chase and he’s honestly at least a year away from even being considered for the rankings. But Nzechukwu clearly has potential and Saud has shown an ability to develop talent, so the potential for his young charge showing considerable improvements and this being a major step in the right direction are high.
And those are the kinds of things we need to pay closer attention to with young fighters going forward.
