Author – Drew Beaupre
Weightclass: Bantamweight
Age: 22
Height: 5’9”
Born in: Mexico
Training out of: Entram Gym
Combined opponents’ record (at the time they fought): 48-21
Key wins: N/A
One of Mexico’s brightest MMA prospects picked up perhaps the most violent finish of his young career last weekend at Lux Fight League 53.
Still just 22 years old, César Vázquez made short work of a pair of amateur opponents at Mexico’s The King of the Fight in December 2019 before he closed out the night with another submission and officially kicked off his pro career.
Vázquez alternated wins and losses over his next four fights and joined Lux Fight League in 2021, where “Demoledor Jr.” has gone on an impressive 8-0 run and brought his pro record to 11-2 when he knocked out Daniel Lugo with a perfectly-timed head kick in his last outing in the bantamweight division.
Aggression and volume are the backbone of Vázquez’s game on the feet. He’s started to show off his jab a bit more in recent fights, but still largely prefers to throw punches in combination, and his left hook into a right straight stands out as a particularly dangerous weapon.
The 22-year-old is happy to tee off with barrages of hooks if an opponent covers up in front of him, and even when he’s put on the back foot, he’ll retreat and throw that same sort of wild combination if he doesn’t connect with an initial counter shot. Vázquez is guilty of dropping his hands and leaving his chin out during these situations, but so far, his durability and punching power have largely helped to mitigate the risk that comes with that.
Vázquez will utilize his frame by mixing in a variety of kicks and tends to diversify his striking more when he’s feeling particularly confident, which was on full display in last year’s outing against Uriel Uribe. He also loves to look for jumping knees when fighting in open space. If opponents get in too close to him, he’ll immediately try to grab a Thai clinch to batter their heads with knees.
As violent as Vázquez can be on the feet, he’s arguably even more dangerous when a fight hits the mat. Five of his pro wins have come via submission and two via ground and pound, and if he ends up in top position, the Mexican prospect loves to frame off an opponent’s head or neck with his forearm and start landing brutal elbows.
Opponents who roll to their knees will be in danger of eating an onslaught of punches or having their backs taken. “Demoledor Jr.” has decent takedown defense and does well to scramble up when he is brought down, but even when he does get stuck on the bottom, his frame and aggression make him a constant threat to throw up a triangle choke.
It’s always exciting to see a prospect as young as Vázquez on the rise, and his all-action fighting style certainly makes him the kind of fighter that fans can easily get behind. The 22-year-old’s finishing instincts and a gas tank that seems to match his preferred striking output are standout traits, and hopefully, we’ll get to see him tested against a higher level of competition at some point in the near future.