ONE Championship, Titan FC, and more are in action this week. Let’s get right to it, with another installment of our Weekly MMA Prospect Report!
Titan FC 59 | Friday | US
Lightweight: Max Rohskopf (4-0)
Max Rohskopf grew up wrestling and would become quite good at it winning the 2016 ACC Championship at NC State. There isn’t much MMA footage on him, but he has shown some good power in his hands and obviously good wrestling. His top game is slick with dominant transitions especially at taking the back. He fights Paulo Silva (6-5).
Don’t miss our interview with Max ahead of Titan FC 59, which you can find here.
ONE Championship | Saturday | Singapore
Flyweight: Ayaka Miura (10-2)
With only two losses in her career, coming to Viviane Araujo and Emi Fujino, Japan’s Ayaka Miura has looked good — and there’s no shame in losing to those names. She’s mainly a grappler who likes to use the head and arm throw to get the fight to the mat. All six of her finish are all by submission. She favors the scarfhold armlock which she has finished with five times. Miura still has to show a lot to show though. She fights Tiffany Teo (8-1).
Featherweight: Troy Worthen (4-0)
Troy Worthen started wrestling in high school and did in college as well. Worthen became an NCWA All-American and a Southeastern Conference Champion for Central Florida University. Going 3-0 as an amateur, Worthen is 5-0 as a pro showing a bit of everything. Despite being such a good wrestler, he’s shown a lot of good work on the feet with knockout power and good technique. He fights Mark Abelardo (19-6)
Strawweight: Denice Zamboanga (6-0)
On the feet, Denice Zamboanga is consistent with pressure and output. She has a good right hand and is very accurate with her strikes. The jiu-jitsu of Zamboanga is just as good. Her takedown defense needs work but off her back, she’s shown to be very hard to keep still. Zamboanga has potential but needs to show more. She fights Mei Yamaguchi (21-11-1) which could be a step up too soon.
Eternal MMA 51 | Saturday | Australia
Welterweight: Jack Della (7-2)
After starting off his career losing his first two fights, Jack Della is now on a six-fight win streak. Della is also the defending Eternal MMA welterweight champion. On the feet, he hits hard with both his hands and kicks. He’s very technical as well mixing in kicks and punches into combos. Della is solid at attacking the body, going there often and effectively using his elbows. He’s probably a better wrestler who has finished both with ground and pound and submissions. Della does need to work on his takedown defense, but thus far his exceptional jiu-jitsu has done well for him. He fights Glen Pettigrew (7-2). We caught up with Jack ahead of the fight, check that out here.
Flyweight: Casey O’Neill (3-0)
When it comes to young up-and-comers, Casey O’Neill is one of the best. O’Neill on the feet is a good striker from range throwing some powerful straights. She throws a lot of volume and is always trowing more than one strike. Her wrestling still needs work and her takedown defense is her biggest flaw. O’Neill is comfortable on the mat whether that’s on top or bottom. She has some really slick jiu-jitsu, probably being her best weapon. She fights Caitlin McEwen (5-1).
SFT 21 | Saturday | Brazil
Lightweight: Manoel Sousa (4-0)
Mauricio Ruffy was a fighter I was particularly high on, and Manoel Souza beat him last November. Sousa is a heavy-handed fighter who slings powerful right and left hooks. He does a good job going to the body and throwing kicks behind his strikes. He has good head movement and good footwork as well. He looks like a really dangerous fighter that can be a good prospect this year. He fights Vandirson Alves (6-1).
