Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at Mexican bantamweight Augusto Montano as he takes on Chris Heatherly at UFC 180. Augusto “Dodger” Montano Hometown: Mexico City, Mexico Age: 30 Height: 6’2” Weightclass: Welterweight Camp: Jackson’s MMA Career Record: 13-1 Key Wins: None Key Losses: Sam Alvey Background The Mexican welterweight is one of the more experienced MMA fighters to hail from the world’s largest Spanish speaking country. Montano’s gaudy record is mainly against below par competition on the Mexican regional scene. His only fight against someone with a UFC contract (Sam Alvey) is his only loss of his career. With that said, all 13 of Montano’s win have come inside the distance. Strengths
- Good size for the weightclass
- Above average boxing
- Throws strikes well in combination
- Does his best work from inside where he can land with power
- Will work in knees from clinch positions
- A finisher; all victories have occurred inside the distance
- Footwork and movement are good
- When in top position, can do real damage with ground and pound
- Been training at Jackson’s MMA to improve skill set
Weaknesses
- Struggles if forced to strike from outside positions
- Striking stagnates if kept at a distance
- Doesn’t use enough leg kicks to keep his opponents honest
- Can be caught as he pushes inside
- Has a tendency to duck head allowing opponents to land flush with an upper cut
- Wrestling is adequate at best
- Hasn’t fought since August 2013
Matchup with Chris Heatherly This should be a pretty entertaining style clash. Montano will be the much bigger fighter on Saturday with a whopping 6 inch height advantage. On the feet, both fighters are at their best when they can get inside and strike from close range. So, the length advantages Montano has in this bout will be negated. While Montano has improving offensive wrestling, Heatherly has a clear advantage here and should be able to take this fight to the ground with relative ease. Furthermore, Heatherly does a nice job with transitions on the mat to setup submission opportunities. Unless he really struggles with the size difference in this matchup, expect Heatherly to dictate where this fight takes place to get himself his first win in the UFC. UFC Ceiling While Augusto Montano has good size for the welterweight division, there are a couple key flaws that will prevent him from advancing in the UFC’s welterweight hierarchy. His ability to defend strikes is a problem. He doesn’t use his size advantage effectively pressing action thus negating his size advantage. His tendency to duck moving forward will make him an easy target for better strikers. Furthermore, his wrestling game needs significant improvements. In a wrestling heavy division like welterweight, he will need to really work on his grappling to have any level of success. Training at Jackson’s MMA is a good start, but he will need to show significant improvement to prove he can cut it inside the octagon. Fight Film Check out Augusto Montano in some of his recent fights: Augusto Montano vs. Jason Clayton
Augusto Montano vs. Edwin Aguilar