George Mangos (8-1 pro, 14-1 combined)
22 Years Old
Featherweight
Lions Den Academy (Sydney)
It feels very full circle speaking about Mangos, and it is fitting to start the series off with this story. I first saw Mangos back when I was working with HEX/Path to HEX, helping with matchmaking. He was a 2-0 amateur fighting early on the card against an 0-0 Greg Amanatidis, where he got the KO in ten seconds. We didn’t realise then, but we were looking at the next big thing to come out of Australia.
We actually had our eyes on that division, more so on Bjorn Leitch, who, despite a slip-up against Val Sharipov, ticked a lot of the boxes we were looking for in a fighter. Leitch, a Melbourne-based fighter with a strong striking background, had been rounding out his game by training with the highly respected grappling team at Checkmat. Despite a setback against Sharipov, where he was largely controlled on the ground, Leitch had already proven himself against high-level amateur competition and looked like as he belonged among the elite from his very first amateur bout. Simply put, when we booked Mangos v Leitch – Leitch was the A Side; yet it looked as far from that as possible when the cage door locked and George dominated him pillar to post before snatching up an early sub in as impressive a fashion as I’d ever seen live.
It was precisely at that moment I realised I was watching the next big thing unfold before my very eyes.
Things somehow only continued to exponentially get better from there for Mangos. By the same time next year, he was a 3-0 pro with all three wins coming by finish over highly rated competition in Caleb Miller, Aaron McConnell, and Brogan Stewart. He was also just months away from defeating Justin Van Heerden for the HEX featherweight title, a major accomplishment, especially on short notice and in only his fourth professional fight. Admittedly, this was by far his toughest fight, where he lost the first and fought a close second round (that he won) before catching Justin in a really slick flying triangle and forcing him to tap. Mangos would then go on to beat another super tough test in Van Heerden’s teammate Jarrett Wilbraham, coming off a strong win over Sem Kakembo; Japan’s Shoichi Tomita, a well-regarded featherweight; and Ethan Thomas, an elite grappler and ADCC Asia/Oceania Trials champion.
A frustrating Contenders Series bout against the admittedly highly talented Radley da Silva saw his offence largely neutralised by an ultra-conservative game plan that prioritised disengagement and stalling over meaningful exchanges, ultimately resulting in neither fighter securing a contract. Rather than allowing it to stall his progress, Mangos was back in the cage three months later, emphatically defeating Justin Van Heerden in a rematch 17 months after their first meeting. That performance not only ended in spectacular fashion with a quick first-round knockout, but it clearly showcased the technical, tactical, and physical improvements Mangos had made since their initial encounter.
From a skills perspective, George has already exhibited a highly well-rounded skillset with finishing upside both on the feet and the mat at an incredibly young age. He has a natural intelligence for the sport that far belies his age, and the confidence to execute his game plan no matter who’s across from him.
Mangos’ grappling is where his bread has been buttered for a majority of his fights, and the key skill that he uses to dominate. He has a crafty BJJ game where he can chain and sync up submissions at speed, and he times his movements/entries well to give him the best chance of not only engaging in the grappling, but coming out of scrambles in advantageous positions. Mangos is slick at taking the back when presented even half an opportunity, and effectively becomes a human backpack when he gets the body triangle locked in. Against the cage, Mangos likes to get to the single leg if presented, but has also shown an ability to chain other finishes together too, and does a great job of using strength and positioning to maintain control. He also has nasty ground and pound when given the opportunity to show it off, landing punishing strikes and elbows that opponents can’t sit and take without getting stopped.
On the feet, Mangos has shown a strong ability to counter strike, effectively manipulating range to pop in and out to catch his opponent on their off-beat. He utilises his kicking game to great effect, diversifying and digging his shin into his attacks to the legs, body, and head. He does a great job of getting his punches off at different angles, which ultimately keeps him defensively sound and in a position to defend any counters, as well as setting up those strikes through his own volume and combinations. Importantly, George has also shown that he carries power – his game on the feet proves to be particularly tricky to deal with, especially given that he can also use his striking to close the distance and initiate the grappling if he ever desires.
One area where I’d like to see Mangos sharpen his game is his initial takedown defense. In the fight against Justin Van Heerden, he was occasionally late to react, likely due to his comfort level on the ground. While that confidence is understandable given his grappling ability, the rest of his game is so strong that he doesn’t need to allow opponents to work from top position, where they’re more capable of slowing him down than in any other area.
Overall, though George Mangos, I feel, is going to be an absolute superstar, and someone who not only Aussie fans fall in love with, but really anyone who enjoys fighting. He has a confidence and bravado about him that will win fans over, and his skills back him up, where the results should follow too. I think he’s arguably the strongest prospect in the world right now, and the hype is there for very good reason. At such a young age, the world is his oyster, and there’s no ceiling to the type of achievements this guy could have in the sport.
**Repost of an earlier article