UFC Fighter Profile- Brad Imes
(interview)
The 6 foot 7 inch, 260 lb, Brad
Imes was an offensive lineman at the University of Missouri and
played professionally in the Arena League before taking up MMA.
Most fans became aware of Imes when he appeared in TUF 2.
Using his size and raw athletic talent Brad surprised most
"experts" and reached the TUF 2 finals where he lost a decision
to Current UFC LW contender Rashad Evans.
Imes is currently training at
the Miletich camp in Iowa. His size is similar to Tim
Sylvia, so I expect to see a Imes start to develop some of the
same characteristics that Sylvia has. He's a good grappler
that has unusual quickness for a fighter his size. As he's
gained experienced, it easy to see the improvements he's made.
Most notably, his confidence in the ring. Imes has not had
many fights, but he has shown the ability to finish by
submission. His defense has been solid, he's only been
stopped once against some pretty good competition (combined
record of 27-12).
Inexperience is still the
biggest concern for Imes. At times he appears to be
thinking instead of reacting. His striking is still a
question mark. Brad does not use his reach advantage
enough, possibly because he's relying on his grappling.
Time will tell, but he has a lot of athletic ability and still
needs to put it all together with some experience before he can
start moving up the food chain.
He is the kind of fighter that
is capable of pulling off an upset against a highly regarded
opponent. Imes has been training consistently in one of
the best camps, he's already shown improvement in several
aspects of his game, he's a dedicated and experienced athlete at
high levels of competition. He's got a potent mixture of
size and speed.
Strengths: Size, Agility,
Submissions, Training environment
Weakness: Inexperience,
Striking
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