World MMA Featherweight Scouting Report: #3 – Mark Adams

British mixed martial arts continues to ascend up the ladder in terms of talent and relevance in the overall landscape of the sport. More and more fighters from the region are finding the training they need to progress into solid fighters in their respective weight classes. At #3 on our 2011 World MMA Featherweight Scouting Report, British standout Mark Adams (6-0) makes his mark as one of the most hyped prospects on our countdown. Adams’ lengthy frame, wrestling skills, and grappling acumen combined with a top notch training camp filled with UFC veterans should have Mark well on his way to stardom in the world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion.

Offensive Skills: Mark’s offensive weapons are on the side of one-dimensional versus well-rounded. While he does make an attempt to use his length to strike from range with opponents, he makes it apparent quickly that he doesn’t intend to stand in front of his opponents for very long.

Adams has above average wrestling for the scene he’s fighting in, and his grappling is some of the best we’ve seen on our countdown. His length is a major asset, and he uses it effectively to put his opponents into danger on multiple avenues. He can threaten from the back, or transition to mount at the drop of a hat.

Defensive Skills: Adams isn’t immune to being threatened by better grapplers. Readers need to remember that Adams is still relatively green in the sport. There have been a few hairy moments in his earlier bouts in which he was reversed and put into precarious positions. He’s also susceptible to being battered in the stand-up game if he fails at timing his takedowns correctly. Both his stand-up and grappling skills will need to be honed to keep his chin intact as he has taken a lot of damage in fights you wouldn’t expect him to get hurt in.

Progression: With that said, Adams has improved considerably over the last two years. He didn’t look like a world beater by any means against Brad Wheeler at Ultimate Challenge: Unstoppable, but a huge win over our #4 ranked prospect Alan Omer in May at BAMMA 3 has revealed some significant improvements to his game. Both Omer and Adams are at the top of the food chain in the region, and it would be interesting to see if Adams could produce a similar results in a rematch.

Enviroment: One of the major upsides for Adams is that he’s a member of Team Kaobon, one of the better camps in England. The camp houses UFC veterans Terry Etim, Paul Kelly, and Mark Scanlon, and Adams can benefit greatly from the experience those fighters bring to the table. Furthermore, Kelly and Etim can serve as great training partners as they are lightweight fighters.

Potential: To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t as sold on Adams as I was on Omer a few months ago. When Adams defeated Omer in a five-round title fight under the BAMMA banner, it was a bit surprising considering Omer’s vast arsenal of weapons. Fans understand that wrestling can be an equalizer however, and the fact that Adams is 5’10” in a 145 pound frame makes him dangerous to deal with on the ground. Keep an eye on Adams as he’ll likely be on the UFC’s radar when they return to the United Kingdom.

Video:

Mark Adams vs. Brad Wheeler (starts at 20:55)

Kaan Sencer vs Mark Adams (Amateur fight)