Melissa Amaya, Mexico/USA, 8-0
Pros:
-Submission threat
-Active ground and pound
-Excellent backpack control
-Power jab
-Lateral movement
-Deceptive power
Cons:
-No head movement
-Poor TDD/Accepts bottom position
Amaya comes from the Sikjitsu system and is a longtime protege of Julianna Peña. She carved out a path for herself inside the Combate Global cage, where she’s spent her entire career.
Amaya’s roots are in jiu-jitsu, but she’s also a scrapper. Her wrestling doesn’t translate as cleanly, so having at least some form of striking has been important for her development. She’s definitely flawed on the feet, but she does have a few things that work.
Most important to her striking is her power jab. She can throw it while moving laterally or while coming forward to set the pace. She also has a dangerous right hand and a rear head kick, but she rarely sets them up properly. When she lands cleanly, her power shows immediately and usually causes visible damage to opponents’ faces. Amaya doesn’t mind getting into phonebooth exchanges, but she gets hit far too often there. Once she plants her feet or gets pushed against the cage, she’s very hittable.
Her wrestling is just okay, and even that might be generous considering the level of competition she’s faced. She’s also been taken down by opponents who probably shouldn’t be able to take her down, which is partly due to how confident she is in her jiu-jitsu.
Where Amaya really excels is on top. She’s aggressive with her ground-and-pound and stays busy the entire time. She’s especially dangerous when she takes the back. Her control with the body triangle is legit, and she’s excellent at backpacking opponents while working for punches and neck attacks. Her submission game is more dangerous than her record suggests. She’s shown she can attack from multiple positions, including smooth transitions from the back to armbars. She’s also dangerous off her back, making her a threat in scrambles and transitions.
Amaya is moving up from the lower level of Combate to face some of the better strawweight prospects in the TUF house. I don’t expect her to win the show, but I do think she’ll improve a lot from the experience.
*For my thoughts on the cast and predictions, click on the next page.*
