Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look featherweight Shane Burgos as he makes his UFC debut against Brazilian Tiago Trator at UFC Fight Night 102 in Albany, New York Shane “Hurricane” Burgos Hometown: Bronx, New York Age: 25 Height: 5’11” Reach: 72” Weight Class: Featherweight Camp: Team Tiger Schulmann Career Record: 7-0 Key Wins: None Key Losses: None Background A black belt in Tiger Schulmann’s martial arts and a NAGA Grappling medalist, Shane Burgos has a well-rounded martial arts background. He’s fought professionally seven times winning all contests inside the distance. Strengths
- Good size and length for the weightclass
- Fights in control and full of confidence
- Does a nice job focusing leg kicks to his opponent’s lead leg
- Striking looks effortless, but really potent
- Crafty submission game
Weaknesses
- Needs to improve striking defense
- Sometimes fights at too methodical of a pace when urgency can end a fight
- Can be pushed up against the cage by the division’s stronger fighters
Matchup against Tiago Trator A solid debut test for Shane Burgos as he takes on Tiago Trator in Albany at UFC Fight Night 102. Like Burgos, Trator is a long featherweight with decent range striking. The biggest difference between these two fighters is durability. Burgos has a much better chin and hasn’t been phased in a bout yet by strikes. Their striking skill sets seem fairly similar, but I expect Trator to be effected by strikes. Furthermore, Burgos is much more capable in top control than Trator and is capable of delivering quality ground and pound. Burgos should be able to secure a couple takedowns in this bout and put some distance on the scorecards if it goes all three rounds. Burgos fights with confidence and I expect him to control the cage and win this bout from the opening bell to the end of the fight. The line for this bout hasn’t been released yet, but I will be looking at Shane Burgos when it opens. UFC Ceiling Shane Burgos is a promising fighter in the featherweight. He trains out of a solid fight camp with the likes of bantamweight contender Jimmie Rivera. Burgos fights with a lot of confidence and his movement is rather methodical not using a lot of energy. That aspect of his game reminds me a bit of Conor McGregor. He is a deceptively good striker with a strong left hook. His submission game is already UFC level and his ability to secure chokes comes naturally. If he’s going to be a future top 15 featherweight, he needs to improve his strength and not allow himself to be pushed up against the cage. At this point, I can see the division’s more physical fighters push him against the cage, control him there, and take rounds that way. At this point, that’s his only major weakness. There’s certainly a lot to like in his skill set and for his potential moving forward. Fight Film Check out Shane Burgos in some of her most recent fights: Shane Burgos vs. Myron Baker Shane Burgos vs. Jacob Bohn Shane Burgos vs. Danny Ooton