Fans focus on the best in the world, the top of the pyramid. Rightfully so, we want to see the best. What we don’t focus on nearly as much are the next generation of athletes who will eventually take their place. Every UFC champion was once a newcomer in another organization. That doesn’t mean we cannot recognize lightning in a bottle when it presents itself. Let me introduce you to Jeremiah Delgado, possibly the highest-touted prospect fighting out of Philadelphia. The 21-year-old featherweight has just two professional MMA bouts, and is already one of the hottest prospects in the sport. That should tell you something. Winning all four of his amateur bouts by way of finish, Delgado proved that the big leagues were not beyond him, finding his hand raised in both of his CFFC matchups. While primarily known for his stand-up, Delgado has also emerged the victor in both of his professional grappling matches. If one could build the ideal modern fighter in a lab, it would remarkably resemble Delgado. An offensively and defensively sound fighter who is a true threat on the ground as well. He is not perfect, nobody is, but at his age, he is more talented and disciplined than many of his seniors.
If I hadn’t seen the CFFC logo when watching him, I would have assumed that Delgado was a UFC fighter simply from his striking. No technique is too sophisticated for him, and in his debut against Tyler Berger, it was revealed how vast his toolbox really was. Effortless stance switches, flying knees, the list goes on. As noted by the commentary team during his last contest, Delgado’s footwork is a beauty to behold. He manages distance nearly perfectly, diverts from orthodox to southpaw and vice versa to confuse his opponent, and actually learns as the fight goes on. That last bit is essential. How often have we seen fighters fail to make the obvious adjustments? I believe the only real weakness Delgado may have is his lack of experience, which nobody can fault him for. That comes with time, and it hasn’t prevented him from defeating every person he has come across.
His fight with Berger is the perfect example of everything I am going to talk about. Tyler Berger is a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler who just won his own fight this weekend. Many phenomenal strikers have found themselves thwarted by credentialed wrestlers. For most, simply defending the takedown is reason enough to celebrate, as that is hard enough to do. For Delgado, not only did he defend the takedown, but he punished it. He had an active defense, and this was a key contributor to his success. Delgado did not dominate this fight every round; it was a difficult test for his very first professional appearance. Berger was not imposing his will, but he made things challenging for the young Delgado. Not to be bullied, Delgado did an excellent job of digging for underhooks and grip fighting. What stood out to me was that Delgado punished potential takedowns with choke attempts. As Berger pressed into him, Delgado, on at least one occasion, tried to manipulate his opponent’s head into a submission. This is a tie-in to another fighter that is often seen doing this: Jean Silva. Against Drew Dober and Bryce Mitchell, Silva used his opponent’s forward pressure against them when he found himself defending a takedown against the cage, setting up ninja chokes. Delgado is, of course, a different fighter, but the principle remains similar. By making himself dangerous even on the back foot, an opponent may be less likely to be aggressive, lest they find themself in a trap.
Even when Delgado was taken down, he never stopped hunting for the finish. Rather than resign himself to the closed guard, he went for an armbar, a triangle, and even tried for a level change of his own. Off the break of the clinch, Delgado attacked Berger with knees, doing damage as they disengaged. This fight had a bit of everything. Flying knees and such are great, but they can make the user vulnerable. In the second round, Delgado found himself taken down off a spinning backfist attempt. Fighting through adversity, he survived the round and a rear-naked choke that was inches away from being finished. In the third round, Delgado made clear and obvious adjustments in a masterpiece. He stayed measured, backing up the wrestler by forcing him to cover up from straight punches. Delgado picked apart the fading Berger from a distance with low kicks, stabbing front kicks, and punches to the body. Delgado followed the game plan for defeating a wrestler to the letter and was rewarded for it. Moreover, he did not significantly tire. It is heard on commentary during nearly every fight card. Defending takedowns is exhausting. Yet based on Delgado’s execution, it was Berger who found himself faltering first. To remain rather fresh in a full fifteen-minute contest against an elite grappler is insanely impressive, especially in a debut.
The Berger fight alone should be enough license to believe in the hype surrounding Jeremiah Delgado. He showed grit and perseverance to tough it out on the ground, defending submission attempts in a nearly disastrous second round. He showed an exhaustive striking toolbox while remaining fundamentally adept. Perhaps most importantly, he showed maturity in adapting his gameplan to the opponent at hand.
His very next fight against Derrick Patterson proved far easier. Delgado imposed his will against a dangerous striker with a kickboxing background. He once again bewildered his opponent by feinting a level chance and switching stances as he danced around his opponent. Once he got hold of a single leg, it was smooth sailing. Delgado bypassed the butterfly guard into full mount, grabbing a hold of a D’Arce, then again stepping into mount to finish the choke. What a gorgeously versatile martial artist.
For the longest time in MMA’s elite, one was mainly a striker or a grappler, with not as much gray area as might have been desired. This new wave of prospects possesses both (at least the good ones). Jeremiah Delgado is every bit as dangerous on the ground as he is standing up. A plethora of weapons on the feet to damage and bamboozle almost any opponent, and grappling experience that he actually utilizes in the fight. Moreover, he listens to coaching and makes the clear adjustments that need to occur. Oftentimes, when I am watching fights, I find myself almost screaming at the television for a fighter to change tactics when they sorely need to. That has never happened when viewing Delgado’s fights. For what my word is worth (probably not much), Delgado makes the right move at the right time. He is the perfect prospect, and I will put my name firmly behind it. For whatever weight division he chooses, this kid will be a problem.
