Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at English welterweight Tom Breese as he takes on former TUF Brazil Season 2 competitor Luiz Dutra at Fight Night 67 in Goiania, Brazil Tom “Fearless” Breese Hometown: Birmingham, England Age: 23 Height: 6’3” Reach: N/A Weight Class: Welterweight Camp: Tristar Gym Career Record: 7-0 Key Wins: None Key Losses: None Background A purple belt in BJJ, the English prospect is a product of the UK MMA scene having fought his entire career in BAMMA and Cage Warriors. Strengths
- Great size for the weight class
- Strong grappling ability
- Does his best work on the feet in the clinch
- Decent kicks
- Strong in top control
- Aggressive in finding submissions
- Long limbs make him very effective in finding submissions
Weaknesses
- Striking needs improvement
- Doesn’t strike in enough volume
- Very little power for the weightclass
- Will struggle if unable to get fight to the ground
Matchup with Luiz Dutra The opening fight on the card is incredibly close on paper. Breese is one of the longest fighters in the division as he makes his UFC debut. Breese will be incredibly tough if he has top position at any point during this fight. However, Breese could struggle to take the fight to the ground. Dutra has a solid all-around game. He’s the much better striker with significantly more power. If Dutra can keep the fight at a comfortable range, he’ll win this fight. Breese has been training at Tristar for the past couple years and should come into this fight with a strong game plan. However, this is also his first fight outside of Europe. This is a tough fight to call and certainly one to pass on a bet. UFC Ceiling Tom Breese is an interesting prospect. He’s shown great submission ability and size that could really frustrate opponents in the welterweight division. His grappling game is really dangerous as he can finish submissions from both top control as well as off his back. What he really needs to work on his striking. Breese’s lack of knockout power is real troubling as opponents can solely focus on keeping the fight standing against him. He really needs to develop some striking tools to keep his opponents honest. Training at Tristar should help him significantly especially with developing a jab which he can utilize to work at distance. If Breese makes the necessary adjustments, he projects as a top 20 fighter in the division. Fight Film Check out Tom Breese in some of his recent fights: Tom Breese vs. Thibaud Larchet Tom Breese vs. Jack Magee