Sherdog Prospect Watch: George Mangos

George Mangos looks to have exhausted all of the opportunities available to him at the regional level.

The 21-year-old Australian prospect and reigning Hex Fight Series featherweight titleholder will try to nail down a spot on the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster when he meets Radley Da Silva during Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Aug. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Mangos has finished all seven of his opponents, five of them inside one round. DWCS was the logical next step.

“It seems like that’s where [UFC CEO] Dana [White] likes to put up-and-coming contenders like myself, especially young undefeated guys,” Mangos said in an interview with Submission Radio. “It gives them a good platform to launch themselves off so when they make their debut, people have a bit of hype around them already. I’m looking forward to entering the UFC that way.”

It sounds as though Mangos has been on the UFC radar for some time.

“They know who I am,” he said. “They’re happy with my work. They’re impressed. That’s all good feedback we’re hearing from them. In my mind, it’s only just a matter of time.”

Mangos last saw action at Hex Fight Series 34, where he disposed of Ethan Thomas with punches and retained his featherweight title in the first round of their brief March 1 encounter. It lasted all of 34 seconds. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who had never previously been finished, Thomas entered the cage on a modest two-fight winning streak and left it with a headache.

“That was the best camp and best preparation I’ve had by far,” Mangos said. “All the boys around me at the gym, my coach, they all were saying to me [that I was] going to put him away early. Some of them were even saying I was going to put him away with the first punch in the first exchange of the fight. They weren’t far off. Maybe like two or three exchanges and the fight was over.

“I was glad I got to stuff a takedown, as well,” he added. “I wanted to prove a point and stuff his takedowns before I put him away, so I was happy with that. We prepared for five rounds, but we all had a feeling I was going to put him out of there early.”

Mangos, who turns 22 in August, operates out of the Lion’s Den Academy in Kingsgrove, Australia, just outside of Sydney. There, he trains under longtime mentor and confidant Luke Pezzutti.

“He’s cornered me for all of my fights,” Mangos said. “He’s trained a lot of high-level people. I’d be the first guy he’s trained from amateur to pro to getting signed to the UFC, so I’m excited to start that journey with him. I’ve got a great group of training partners at the gym. We’re not the biggest name gym in the world, but we’re going to get there soon.”