As is a common occurrence in the MMA landscape, there are an increasing number of prospects to pay attention to, with so many coming and going. The gentleman who is the subject of this week’s article has been due praise for a long time. At only age 22, King has dismantled every opponent placed in front of him, remaining undefeated with five victories. Making his pro debut a mere year or so ago, to show this much promise so early is worth taking a long look at. King’s last four fights have come under the Fury FC banner, and he has resembled his last name in each bout. Shoutout to Fury, they have given us ample talent to work with. King is a unique conundrum to solve, with a lengthy frame for a featherweight at six feet tall, and with a reach about the same. King is a wizard on the feet, yet his background comes from wrestling. Such a complete package is vital at all stages, but it sets him apart from many others his age, who often take longer to master certain skills. The blueprint to quite literally tackle a lanky striker is to level change, but it is often King who is initiating the takedown in a timely fashion. King stands both physically and metaphorically head and shoulders above his opponents, so much so that it almost looks as though he is playing with his food. This one is long overdue, so let’s give the king his crown.
Fights begin on the feet, and that, in turn, starts with the stance. King’s opponents never seem to be able to get their bearings or extend offense against him, and his positioning and ranged attacks contribute to why. King stands almost like the mythical “karate stance McGregor” with an active, probing left hand and a responsible right guard. King uses his reach and wide stance to hop in and out of range. While this means he is heavy on his lead leg, he checks kicks rather well, so they do not do as much damage as they appear. Something that is huge for me (aside from my love of Charles Oliveira) is when fighters play to their obvious strengths. I cannot express how frustrating it is to see a fighter with obvious physical gifts who does not capitalize on them. Thank God, King is not such a case. He picks at the other fighter with frequent, accurate jabs and peppers them with a constant barrage of teep, oblique, and front kicks. While many of these weapons are not necessarily knockout blows, they serve their purpose in halting an opponent’s offense and keeping them stationary. Against Tony Toro, the usually aggressive Toro had an uncharacteristically low output, which was picked up by the broadcast team. In watching King’s most recent bouts, he rarely, if ever, gets chased down because of how well he uses his range.
We have established that King is excellent at keeping danger at bay, but he cannot stay on the outside forever. King’s long-distance attacks work like a charm, but he can also be seen posting with his lead arm as he tactically retreats. To work around this obstacle takes time, given his typical reach advantage, buying him much-needed seconds. This lead left hand is versatile as hell. Against Dumar Roa, he used it to grip instead of jab, pulling Roa’s right arm down in order to land a right cross that essentially ended the fight. To rehash the Toro fight, King also implemented heavy body kicks any time Toro showed signs of advancing or throwing punches, to the point of knocking him down. In the pocket, King is also comfortable. His speed and size allow him to utilize pull counters to extreme effect. For example, Toro favored an overhand right during their contest. King countered this by pulling his head back just out of range, then either attempting a takedown or throwing a right hand or 1-2 of his own.
King’s wrestling pedigree is very obvious in how quickly he is able to take the back and chain wrestle, swarming the other fighter before he has a chance to react. Across various fights, King takes a different approach to the clinch. Rather than fishing for double underhooks, or an over-under grip, King favors a double overhook grip. While unorthodox, it seems to work for him, tying up his opponent’s arms so they can only strike with their shoulders (as did Toro) or knees. King also seems to like attempting the lateral drop, which he used off of the double overhook setup to take down Christian Lopez in his most recent fight.
When watching film, King seems most impressive when using his grappling to counter his opponents’ strikes. When he is not counterpunching, he is fantastic at timing takedowns once his opponent’s hips get too close. If an opponent misses a punch, their forward momentum brings them close and out of position enough to present an opening. As mentioned, Toro spammed the overhand right, and this huge swing allowed King to notch an easy double-leg takedown. Against Lopez (which was the same card as our friend Terrance Chatman, by the way), King did a neat job of catching a body kick and flipping him right into side control. Against Toro, Roa, and Lopez, King was absolutely smothering on the back, holding them all in position.
Sean King looks every bit the part of a consummate professional in the cage. He possesses skills and confidence far greater than those of so many others at this stage of his career. Large for the weight class, his reach and counterstriking abilities make it far more difficult to trap him or establish a plan of attack, while his grappling is such that getting close to him is of equal danger. Fluid and cat-like, his striking looks as though someone pressed fast forward. I would love to see how he fares in the next stage of his journey, where he will face more sophisticated competition with better records, where I assume he will do just fine. These articles are all about highlighting potential, of which King has shown plenty. He regularly makes professional fighters look foolish, and it is time to start serving him some real challenges. Many athletes we cover also have unblemished records, or close to it. Yet not everyone has the “it” factor. I can’t explain it, but you just know it when you see it. To be not just a fighter but an artist and an entertainer. Sean King is just that, a king. To be this talented at such a young age is a gift, and we haven’t even seen his prime.
