Prior to each UFC card, Jay Primetown takes a close look at debuting fighters. In the latest installment, we look at Justine Kish as she takes on American Top Team product Nina Ansaroff at UFC 195 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Justine Kish Hometown: Cramerton, North Carolina Age: 27 Height: 5’5” Reach: 65” Weight Class: Strawweight Camp: Black House Career Record: 4-0 Key Wins: Randa Markos Key Losses: None Background Undefeated MMA fighter with a background in high level Muay Thai. Kish spent her first 5 years in Russia prior to being adopted by an American family. Kish was a contestant on TUF 20, but had a knee injury prior to being able to compete on the show. Strengths
- Experienced Muay Thai ability
- Excellent technical striker
- Very good power for the division
- Good knees in the clinch
- Emphasizes leg kicks to the lower lead leg
- Underrated submission game
Weaknesses
- Long layoff
- Coming off knee injury
- Surprisingly hittable on the feet
- Takedown defense questionable
- Conditioning put to the test against volume fighters
Matchup with Nina Ansaroff This fight has the potential to be one of the more entertaining female strawweight bouts we will see in 2016. Both fighters come from striking backgrounds and are strike-first types of fighters. Ansaroff is a former collegiate soccer player and leg kicks tend to be her bread and butter. Kish is a Muay Thai fighter that thrives on variety and creative striking. Expect this to be a stand up affair where both fighters are most comfortable. While Kish is coming off a long layoff, her variety on the feet is the main difference between these fighters. She has the ability to back up her opponent and land not only leg kicks, but elbows and heavy punches. Ansaroff, also coming off a year layoff, won’t be able to answer with regularity in this fight. Look for Kish to pour it on and potentially score a late stoppage. As both fighters are coming into this fight off a long layoff, I’d avoid a bet on this contest. UFC Ceiling Kish comes from a decorated Muay Thai background. Recently former Muay Thai fighters have had significant success in women’s MMA. Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the women’s strawweight champion and Valentina Shevschenko recently defeated bantamweight title contender Sarah Kaufmann. Kish is a talented offensive striker. She throws and kicks with conviction. What makes her stand out is the variety in which she strikes. If something’s not working, she has a lot of tools in her repertoire to choose from. She certainly has talent, but needs to fight more consistently to show she has the durability to do well in the UFC. Conditioning is also an area that needs to improve especially as she faces better fighters in the organization. In terms of talent, she has the potential to have a similar career trajectory as Tecia Torres. Fight Film Check out Justine Kish in one of her most recent fights: Justine Kish vs. Randa Markos