In his three previous fights, Emmanuel Simpson has shown that he lives up to the Hayastan MMA team’s reputation for moving forward and establishing the takedown. And that strategy should serve him well here. Takedowns are kryptonite to Aaron Castro.
However, Castro, who fights out of KickFit, boasts excellent counter boxing skills, jiu-jitsu ability, and the innate talent to scramble from bad positions and return to his feet. Although he is mechanically the better fighter, he has not been as busy as Simpson. Simpson has been in fight camp since January 2021.
Activity trumps talent in this case. Expect Simpson to finish Castro via rear-naked choke early or win by dominant ground control to get the judge’s decision.
Fight For It XII takes place on Dec. 18 in Gaffney, S.C. Purchase your tickets now at fightforitcompany.com.
Be sure to download the Fight For It app on on The App Store or Google Play to pick your fantasy winners at Fight For It XI. The pool is free to play and will award the top three scorers with their share of a $500 cash prize.
