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Welcome to the UFC: Cottrell, Gigliotti, & Sandoval
- Updated: July 20, 2016
If you’re looking for the next generation of UFC talent, there are a couple of key promotions to pay attention to. Legacy FC and RFA are notable, not just as strong regional hotbeds for MMA, but for being surefire gateways to the big leagues. The latest couple of fighters to make the jump are J.C. Cottrell and Joe Gigliotti. Cottrell is stepping up to the plate on extremely short notice to fight Michel Prazeres this weekend at UFC on Fox 20. Gigliotti, however appears to have been signed as a blue chipper and will make his debut against longtime vet Trevor Smith at UFC Salt Lake in August. Oh, and did we mention that there’s a new opponent for Wilson Reis at UFC 201? MMAJunkie reports that the promotion has signed Hector Sandoval for a short notice flyweight fight. So…
Who is J.C. Cottrell?
“Superstar” is a 26-year-old fighter out of Oklahoma City’s Academy of Martial Arts, training under head coach Kentrick Coleman. Cottrell appears to be the only notable name out of that camp so far, having put together a 17-3 record on the regional circuit and capturing a King of the Cage title along the way. While Cottrell’s opposition doesn’t contain much in the way of notable names, he’s generally faced a strong level of regional journeyman. Lots of deep records and only a few that skew under .500. It’s a little troubling to note that all his losses have been via finish, and not to fighters who went on to much greater success, but in his 20 fight career, he’s only been to decision four times. Win or lose he seems to be an action fighter. Outside of MMA, Cottrell has a background in wrestling at the high school level.
What you should expect:
Cottrell is a somewhat wooden, but fundamentally sound striker on the feet. He keeps his hands high, throws a lot of low kicks, and works behind 1-2 combos. He doesn’t always have the kind of dynamic movement or fluidity to get easy KO’s and his record sort of reflects that. When he does have a clear standup advantage he has been willing to get more creative with flying knees and spinning kicks, but against better opposition a lot of that seems to fade away.
Behind his striking, Cottrell does well to hit power doubles, driving through his opponents’ hips and even getting the occasional big slam. Once on the ground, however, Cottrell’s control game is a bit lax. Mostly that’s because he’s an aggressive submission hunter with a lot of finishes to his name. But, when he can’t get the quick sub, he often loses dominant positions.
What this means for his debut:
It’s tough to say how well Cottrell will do against Prazeres. Prazeres is a pretty simple nuts and bolts kind of fighter. He throws big looping power strikes, follows it up with a power double, and then a quick sub-hunting game on the ground. In a lot of ways he’s a lot like Cottrell, only perhaps a bit better of an athlete and a more flat-footed striker. If this becomes a straight kickboxing match where neither man can hit takedowns, then it’s hard to say who wins. Prazeres probably hits harder, but has been known to fade badly, and is much more lax on defense. Still, given short notice and a power …
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