The Prelim Breakout Star is a once per event article that helps fans get to know those who will be entertaining them from the undercard. The intention of the article is not to bring attention to the most talented fighter on the preliminary card, but rather one that the common fan may have overlooked or underestimated.
Back-to-back weeks we’ll be looking at the flyweight division. The fact that the division was nearly dissolved recently is regularly mentioned, but it deserves to be when fighters as exciting as last week’s Su Mudaerji exist. This week’s pick may be just as exciting too.
Jimmy flick
Nickname – The Brick
Affiliation – Forza Combat Sports
From – Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Height – 5’6″
Weight – 125 lbs (Flyweight)
Record – 15-5 (0-0 UFC)
What makes him impressive
It’s a broad statement, but all of Flick’s grappling is not only good, but fun to watch. If you have to pick out just one aspect of the game, his ability to jump on an open submission is perhaps the most impressive. Each fight during his three fight winning streak has come via submission and largely after wearing his opponents down with submission attempt after submission attempt. I could easily gush about his scrambling or positional offense here too, but really it’s just important to know that you don’t want to be on the ground with this guy.
Why he has been overlooked
To be fair, there is a decent amount of hype for Flick coming off of the Contender Series. He not only put on a masterful performance, but also cut one hell of a promo afterwards. With that being said, some pundits point to his spotty regional record as a reason to have a lower ceiling on Flick’s potential. It’s worth noting that a lot of those losses came at 135 lbs though. Now in a more appropriate weight class, Flick seems to be able to match the strength of his opponents, which lets his skills shine even better.
What makes this a good match-up
After a very good first round in his debut against Chris Gutierrez, Cody Durden looked to be outmatched in the second and third. A wrestler who has relied on getting opponents out of there early in fights, it’s not shocking that he became a bit tired in the later rounds and that it was harder to work his gameplan once he did. The problem with this against Flick is that he may not even want to use his primary gameplan – the wrestling. Flick’s counters and sweeps are enough to get Durden working so hard that, even if he wins the early rounds, he’s setting himself up to be tired and grappling Flick late, which is a recipe for disaster.
Prelim Breakout Star Record: 210-93-1 (2 NC) (10 DNF)
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