Powerful former Canadian national team wrestler Adrian Wooley hits our 2011 World MMA Bantamweight Scouting Report countdown at #6, bringing a plethora of wrestling experience and a build that compares to UFC veteran Sean Sherk. The 34-year-old may be starting late in the sport, but he’s proven that his powerful wrestling and endless gas tank can smother youthful up-and-comers and notch victories.
Offensive Skills: Wooley’s wrestling background is the foundation for his strategy inside the cage. He’s a massive 135 lb. fighter in terms of build and strength. Some might liken him to a smaller Sean Sherk, and that would be an accurate comparison with the exception of a striking game. Wooley isn’t prone to strike with his opponents like Sherk has shown in the past. He has one gameplan in mind, slamming his opponents to the canvas and crushing them with his power from the top.
His effectiveness from top control could improve however. He works diligently to stop fights, but his submission defense relies solely on strength versus technique. While that’s been a recipe for success so far, it hinders him from gaining advantageous positions and posturing up for the kill.
Defensive Skills: Wooley’s defensive mechanics are rather rudimentary in comparison to some of the other fighters on our countdown. He’s open for damage on the feet, and his footwork could use some fine tuning to avoid shots. But his wrestling is the ultimate equalizer. His strength alone keeps him out of danger on the ground from submission aces looking for openings.
Progression: Twenty years of wrestling experience have given Wooley a solid foundation to work from at this stage in his career. At 34 years of age, he doesn’t have a lot of time to prove he’s one of the best in the world, but there aren’t any signs that he’ll slow down soon. His stand-up game needs the most work, but it’s difficult to see it becoming an effective piece of his game when his reach is so short.
Environment: Wooley trains out of Iron Tiger Muay Thai in Ontario with fellow Scouting Report prospect Denis Puric, Bellator’s William Romero, and UFC veteran Claude Patrick. He’s also within distance of some of the major camps in Canada, giving him a constant flow of sparring partners to improve. There is no doubt that other fighters will seek him out to help improve their wrestling ability. Wooley should be able to benefit from those sessions in the areas he’s weakest.
Potential: Wooley’s wrestling has proven its effectiveness time and time again. It may not be the most exciting thing to watch, but it wins fights definitively. His size and strength at 135 lbs. gives him a significant advantage over other fighters as well. The only concern for Wooley is his age. At 34 years old, time is against him at this point in his career, but we have yet to see a lull in his conditioning or chin. If he can continue his current trend, we may see him in a major promotion by the latter part of 2011.
| Bantamweight | Featherweight | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|
| #10 – Denis Puric #9 – Mike Easton #8 – Tommy Vargas #7 – Rodrigo Lima #6 – Adrian Wooley |
#1 – Antonio Carvalho #2 – Taiki Tsuchiya #3 – Mark Adams #4 – Alan Omer #5 – Koichiro Matsumoto #6 – Tom Niinimaki #7 – Marcos Vinicius #8 – Matt Fiordirosa #9 – Isaac DeJesus #10 – Michel Gagnon |
#1 – Thiago Michel #2 – Ricardo Tirloni #3 – Magno Almeida #4 – Ui Cheol Nam #5 – Henrique Mello #6 – Reza Madadi #7 – Alexander Sarnavskiy #8 – Ole Laursen #9 – Guillaume DeLorenzi #10 – Al Iaquinta |
| Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|
| #1 – Yuri Villefort #2 – Alex Garcia #3 – Erick Silva #4 – Douglas Lima #5 – Luis “Sapo” Santos #6 – Jesse Juarez #7 – Gunnar Nelson #8 – Quinn Mulhern #9 – Alberto Mina #10 – Joe Ray |
#1 – Papy Abedi #2 – Chris Weidman #3 – Vitor Vianna #4 – Vyacheslav Vasilevsky #5 – Bruno Santos #6 – Costantinos Philippou #7 – Jordan Smith #8 – Uriah Hall #9 – Victor O’Donnell #10 – Assan Njie |
#1 – Marcos Pezao #2 – Gian Villante #3 – Jimi Manuwa #4 – Glover Teixeira #5 – Jan Blachowicz #6 – Yoel Romero #7 – Ryan Jimmo #8 – Nik Fekete #9 – Marcus Vanttinen #10 – Ronny Markes |
Links to a couple of Wooley’s bouts after the jump.
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