Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at the opening bout of UFC Fight Night 100 as Englishman Darren Stewart takes on Brazilian Francimar Barroso. Darren “The Dentist” Stewart Hometown: East London, England Age: 25 Height: 5’10” Reach: 74” Weight Class: Light Heavyweight Camp: MMA Clinic Career Record: 7-0 Key Wins: None Key Losses: None Background A former Cage Warriors fighter, Darren Stewart holds an undefeated record of 7-0. Of his seven wins, five of them have come by knockout. He picked up martial arts as a teenager. Strengths
- Good power in his right hand
- Does his best striking in the clinch; will mix in elbows and knees
- When in trouble on the feet, he’ll opt for a single or double leg takedown
- Aggressive ground and pound
Weaknesses
- Poor takedown defense
- Poor cardio
- Undersized for light heavyweight
Matchup against Francimar Barroso This should be a competitive fight for Darren Stewart’s UFC debut. Stewart is certainly undersized for the light heavyweight division, but in this bout he’s just one inch shorter and giving up just one inch in reach. Stewart has fought exclusively in the United Kingdom. This will be a much different task traveling down to Brazil for his UFC debut. I expect the majority of this bout to be fought against the cage. Barroso has very good takedown defense and should be able to prevent Stewart’s attempts. Stewart is the more diverse striker, but I expect a lot of that will be nullified as Barroso pushes Stewart against the cage and this becomes a strength and control battle. Stewart has a tendency to tire badly in his fights. He really struggles in that regard and I think that’s how Barroso wins. Barroso will be more active especially as this fight progresses. I’m expecting an ugly fight that the Brazilian will win on the score cards. UFC Ceiling Darren Stewart is very much a relative novice in MMA. He’s only been fighting professionally for two years. He has some good offensive weapons, but he’s very much undersized for the light heavyweight division and his conditioning is really poor. It’s difficult to see his power translating in the UFC and given his endurance issues he won’t be able to out work opponents to earn victories. I’d be curious to see him drop down to middleweight, but at light heavyweight he’s going to really struggle in the UFC. Fight Film Check out Darren Stewart in some of his most recent fights. His Cage Warriors bouts are available on UFC Fight Pass. Darren Stewart vs. Chris Kennell Darren Stewart vs. Gregory Pierre