When considering the candidates for this week’s article, I was reminded of some of the criteria I personally like to use. An ideal candidate is young, with plenty of upside and innate talent. Unfortunately, not every fighter can make it to the UFC, and we have seen many promising fighters delegated to the feeder organizations for much of their career. In terms of this week’s prospect, I do not anticipate that being the case. Adam “Primetime” Posener is an unstoppable force thus far in his career, racking up a 6-0 professional record at only 21 years of age. Posener is balanced on the feet, with timely pressure and methodical blows. His grappling has thus far been unstoppable, finding little issue taking fighters down and tallying a plethora of control time once there.
He has finished five of six professional bouts via submission, with three coming in the first round. Posener has all the ingredients needed for success. An entertaining grappler who actually finishes his fights, while not lacking on the feet. He has fought primarily for Battlefield Fight League, Canada’s premier development organization for the UFC, where he won their welterweight championship. Posener is an active athlete who has certainly not rested on his laurels, and this activity, paired with unquestionable ability, makes the perfect recipe for future success. His fighting style is relentless, and I can’t wait to get into what makes him this week’s top prospect.
Everything starts with the stand-up, so it is prudent to begin there. Posener does not necessarily resemble a young Bo Nickal: an amazing grappler with one trick (an overhand right) on the feet. He is tactical and measured, with timely low kicks that he frequently uses to soften up the other fighter and weaken their base. These low kicks can also help negate forward momentum from the other man. He measures distance and circles well, rarely finding himself cornered. He is capable of switching stances appropriately. Posener does not whip wild, sloppy power shots; instead utilizing straight, accurate punches. Posener has a great jab and 1-2 that he will often incorporate to cause his opponent to retreat and set up a takedown. However, a fighter (particularly a young fighter) will not be perfect everywhere, and I would be doing our readers a disservice by not covering everything. Posener does find himself tagged by right hands enough to present a pattern. Perhaps it would benefit him to make particular note of his left side when advancing, or emphasising further head movement when in the “void” or in exchanges. Yet, as I will get into very quickly, it does not deter him from level changing. Posener is an insanely frustrating person to face because the takedown is nigh-inevitable. No matter how much he is hurt, he never stops hunting for it. So, let’s look at takedowns.
“Primetime” is similar to two fighters in particular: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev. Two lofty names, but stay with me here. Firstly, Posener is not afraid to shoot from space at a significant distance. When in the clinch, he will also drop down low enough to grab his opponent’s ankles and cut them down from there. He completes double legs to the point of spamming them, and like Khabib, he will attempt them in the pocket as soon as he is close enough to grab his opponent. So, while he may find himself tagged, he is highly skilled at exploiting the openings occurring when an opponent throws a strike. Posener frequently slips or ducks punches in order to enter the hips, and it is smooth sailing from there.
To be clear, I am not saying Posener is exactly like Khabib or Khamzat. He is not a UFC world champion (yet, at least). When watching him, though, you cannot tell me certain skills are not similar. Posener, like Khabib, finds success with double legs (particularly from a lower level than usually seen) and shooting from space, as I have mentioned. If I could pick a correlation with Khamzat, it would be chain wrestling. Once Posener has any sort of grip, he is like a pitbull refusing to be shaken off. He flows almost effortlessly through positions, following his opponent no matter which way they choose to turn. If you notice, once Posener has ground control, he typically maintains it for most of, if not the entire round. His end goal is to take the back with both hooks in or a body triangle. If his opponent is in the turtle position, he will soften them up with strikes, insert a hook(s), then roll them over. If he is in the guard, he is skilled at knee slicing his way into at least a half guard position. Like Chimaev, he will “Dagestani handcuff” that same side arm if the opponent tries to build up to their feet. I like that Posener does not spam the submission. If it is there, he takes it. Otherwise, he is more than content to rain ground and pound until the opponent turns to give up their back. He can rinse and repeat all of the above until a finish presents itself. Additionally, when he takes his opponent’s back standing, he will essentially drag them down when tripping the leg, twisting them down to the mat. Chimaev often does much the same in his fights, a very simple yet effective maneuver.
I have repeatedly emphasized how essential being a dominant grappler can be to modern MMA success. It is not the fact that Posener notches takedowns. It is how he does so, and how absolutely smothering he is. That level of assertiveness on the ground is rare in a prospect and sets him apart from his peers. Coupled with the fact that he is no slouch on the feet, I find it hard to believe that Posener would not have at least some level of success on, say, the Contender Series. Fighting is difficult, but there have been so many moments where the contest just seems easy for Posener, like he can just press cruise control. Until he finds an opponent he cannot take down, I do not anticipate him losing. He is fresh, young, and possesses a skill set that allows him to comfortably win while remaining entertaining (with numerous finishes). Look for “Primetime” to have his moment on the big screen sooner rather than later.
