Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at English heavyweight Mark Godbeer making his UFC debut against American Justin Ledet. Mark “The Hand Of” Godbeer Hometown: Bridgwater, Somerset, England Age: 32 Height: 6’4” Reach: 75” Weight Class: Heavyweight Camp: Trojan Free Fighters Career Record: 11-2 Key Wins: None Key Losses: Cheick Kongo Background The former BAMMA and Bellator fighter retired in 2015 but has decided to return to MMA for a chance to fight in the world’s biggest fight promotion. Godbeer is a knockout threat, with nine of his 11 victories coming by T/KO. Strengths
- Solid hands
- Big right hand
- Uses kicks deceptively well to setup his right hand
- Nice use of feints to stay outside opponent’s striking range
Weaknesses
- Never seen the third round of a pro MMA fight
- Vulnerable in clinch situations along the fence
- Poor takedown defense
Matchup against Justin Ledet This should be a fun striking contest between the American Ledet and the Englishman Godbeer. Both of these fighters excel in the same area: boxing. Both come from boxing backgrounds, and the vast majority of their success in this sport has been due to movement and success of landing their hands on opponents. The biggest difference in this bout is power. Ledet is a volume striker that doesn’t have one punch knockout power. Godbeer, on the other hand, has big power in his hands and is capable of landing a fight-ending strike at any time. From a technical standpoint, Ledet may have an advantage, but in a bout where the threat of the takedown is not going to come into play, I have to favor the Englishman. Ledet could probably cut down to light heavyweight if he wanted to. At heavyweight, it’s going to be difficult for him to stick around long-term. Ledet does have a solid chin, but this is a much different level of punching power than he saw in his UFC debut against Chase Sherman. Look for Godbeer to exercise his strength advantage in this bout and earn himself a knockout victory over Justin Ledet. UFC Ceiling Godbeer is certainly a limited fighter, but one that does have some skills that will allow him to compete in the UFC. He has decent footwork and movement, allowing him to avoid opponent’s punches. He also has fight-ending power in his right hand which is always a good ingredient especially in the heavyweight division. His grappling and clinch games are real holes that will limit him against the better fighters in the division. If he can earn a few knockout wins against the bottom of the division, he will be able to stick around for a couple years in the UFC. However, unless he’s able to add more than a boxing approach, he won’t get a sniff of the division’s Top 15 rankings. Fight Film Check out Mark Godbeer in some of his most recent fights: Mark Godbeer vs. Stuart Austin Mark Godbeer vs. Cheick Kongo