Plenty of MMA prospects are in action this weekend with quite a few taking part in Bellator 218.
Future FC 3 | Friday | Brazil
Bantamweight, Glyan Alves (13-3)
The Shooto Brasil current champ, Alves is a super fun and promising fighter to keep in eye on. Alves is well-rounded, being both good on the mat and on the feet, but more so the feet where he is very dangerous. He’s really explosive and dynamic with his offensive output including spinning attacks, flying knees, and many other flashy strikes. He isn’t just a flashy-type fighter as he can be very technical and he holds a lot of power in his hands. Alves does have good wrestling to fall back on, but he’s not too effective once on the mat. He fights Herbeth Sousa (12-1) who poses a threat to Alves.
Bellator 218 | Friday | Oklahoma
Light Heavyweight, Valentin Moldavsky (7-1)
Valentin Moldavsky is mainly a wrestler, he knows how to effectively position himself for the takedown, if that is in the clinch, where he is at his strongest, being able to control the position. Or if he just grabs a single leg for the takedown. On top, Moldavsky is as heavy as you can be as he is strong on top due to his background in Sambo. On the feet, he doesn’t go right for the knockout as he is more of a counter striker with a lot of power coupled with solid defense. Just a few adjustments would make him a complete fighter. He fights Linton Vassell (19-7), who is on a two-fight skid but a tough challenge.
Middleweight, Anatoly Tokov (27-3)
Anatoly Tokov is an excellent prospect out of Russia with an impressive record with plenty of experience. Tokov is 20-1 in his last 21 fights as his only loss is to UFC fighter Ramazan Emeev. He does have wins over solid competition including former champion Alexander Shlemenko. With a background in combat sambo, he is a great wrestler and the ground-and-pound he possesses on top is his best aspect. Tokov has heavy hands and is very aggressive with great cardio. Tokov is a major prospect and a possible future Bellator champion. He fights former UFC fighter Gerald Harris (25-7-1) who Tokov should run through.
Middleweight, Norbert Novenyi (2-0)
Novenyi is only 2-0 as a pro but had some experience as an amateur at 3-0. He is a Hungary native, but he trains out of a top camp in the UK, London Shootfighters. Novenyi is a primary wrestler that has slick jiu-jitsu with three career submissions. He hasn’t stayed on the feet too much but has some nice footwork and a good kicking attack along with nicely cut angles showing his training with the London Shootfighters. He fights William Lavine (1-1).
Middleweight, Johnny Eblen (4-0)
Johnny Eblen has a background as a Division I wrestler for the University of Missouri. Eblen trains with American Top Team and is 4-0 as a pro. The wrestler hasn’t shown much on the feet but he does swing hard. Eblen is 100% on his takedown attempts with explosive shots and excellent finishing ability. The work he does on top has been utter dominance. His top control is heavy and he will rain down heavy ground-and-pound. He’s looked great thus far in his career. He fights Chauncey Foxworth (9-7), who Eblen should be too much for.
LFA 62 | Friday | Texas
Flyweight, Casey Kenney (10-1-1)
He is extremely solid all around with his stand-up, he uses a little bit of everything such as knees, leg kicks, head kicks, and striking. On the mat, Casey is very good but his wrestling and judo are spectacular. Not only is he dangerous with a double-leg takedown but also using his judo for the trip takedowns and hip tosses. While on the mat, he is very heavy on top and can transition well. He fights Vincent Cachero (6-0).
Bantamweight, Vincent Cachero (6-0)
Vincent Cachero is undefeated as a pro and also went 4-1 as an amateur. Cachero is a well-conditioned striker that likes to stand and let his hands go. Cachero has power, but it’s his aggressive pace along with his constant output that makes him stand out. He is always throwing more than one punch and always throwing from different angles. He does have some holes in his takedown defense and cardio though, so that could be an issue moving forward. He fights Casey Kenney (10-1-1).
Island Fights 54 | Friday | Florida
Featherweight, Mike Davis (6-1)
Davis has a background in boxing along with Muay Thai and is undefeated in both of those as sports. His striking is solid, the way he throws combinations and uses his head movement is fantastic as is reminiscent UFC fighter Shane Burgos. The striking is crisp but the wrestling of the Contender Series veteran is good as well as he executes timing and double-legs very well. On top, he is smooth in transitions and getting dominant positions with effective ground-and-pound. He fights Carlos Guerra (3-1).
UK Fighting Championships 9 | Saturday | United Kingdom
Featherweight, Shoaib Yousaf (4-1)
Only 4-1 as a pro, Yousaf went 10-0 as an amateur and was the 2016 IMMAF Featherweight World Champion. Yousaf is dynamic on the feet with both his kickboxing and his counter-striking along with the great timing he has. His ground game I believe is his best aspect. His jiu-jitsu is fantastic as he has a very active guard as well. He fights Martin Fouda (5-12-1).
Berkut Young Eagles 8 | Saturday | Russia
Heavyweight, Murat Gugov (5-1)
After losing his pro debut, Murat Gugov went on to win his next five with a perfect finish rate. Gugov wants to take the fight down quickly as he’s hardly had any time on his feet. He’s a big strong guy so once he gets his hands together he gets the takedown. Gugov has mauling ground-and-pound with stoppages coming that way. He also is a submission threat locking in two rare ones in a north-south choke and a Von Flue choke. He still has a lot to show but he’s worth watching for. He fights Adlan Ibragimov (3-0), who I think Murat should beat.
Featherweight, Bibert Tumenov (6-0)
Bibert is the younger brother of Albert Tumenov, who was a former UFC fighter and the former ACB welterweight champion. Tumenov has a background in boxing and won at the 2014 Youth Boxing World Championships. He also won gold in the Russia Cup and was a member of Russia’s National Boxing Team. He’s an extremely dangerous striker and a very smart one. He doesn’t favor a singular strike as he is always mixing up his combos and switches levels. He has a bright future. He fights Timur Khizriev (6-0) who I think Bibert is just too good for.
