I like this Mark De La Rosa, he's got a legit hand game, BJJ blackbelt, young, undefeated, athletic.
His hands are the most impressive part of his game, he's very fast for a BW, active jab, throws combinations, high volume, good head movement. From the tape I watched, DLR showed a well rounded game, he likes to strike but he'll also mix in TD's and use his BJJ. Showed some decent scrambling, active submission game.
DLR is not big for a 135er, in fact Elliot may be the bigger guy even though he's coming up from 125. I have no doubt Elliot will get TD's in this fight but he's always had poor top control and I can see this going back and fourth on the ground. Elliot loves to scramble and he has an aggressive sub game but he also takes a lot of risks on the ground and this could be dangerous against a blackbelt like DLR.
What Elliot does on the feet is very awkward, very unconventional and it can be effective. But I think Elliot is going to be at a disadvantage on the feet, DLR's boxing is just on another level and those fast hands are gonna touch Elliot up.
DLR is taking this on 2 weeks short notice. DLR says he's in shape and has been in the gym training for TUF, was putting on mass to go up to 145 but says 135 is still an easy cut, says he could even fight at 125 if he had a full camp. DLR's cardio looks solid and he can keep a high pace. The only time I saw him slow down was in the 5th round of a fight that was fought at a high pace.
DLR's has mainly fought bums but he's beaten a 9-0 guy in Combates and he beat a Brazilian named Arthur Oliveira who was on an 11 fight win streak. The fight with Oliveira was a good test, it was a hard fight but valuable experience for a young guy like DLR.
DLR is 100% dedicated to fighting, he trains in the Fort Worth Texas areas at several different gyms, his wife is also in the UFC, Montana De La Rosa formerly Montana Stewart from TUF.
Elliot has a losing UFC record and he's never going to be a consistent winner, he just finds ways to lose. He's never going to be a guy you can trust as a favourite.
DLR got skills, I think he matches up well with Elliot, this is gonna be a competitive fight.
Hand game (DLR red headgear)