ONE Championship is back in Singapore, Bellator is putting MMA on the map in France. There’s plenty of MMA action this week, and plenty of prospects around the globe. Including in the Bellator 248 main event, where the undefeated Ross Houston (8-0, 1NC) goes up against Michael “Venom” Page.
ONE Championship | Friday | Singapore
Flyweight, Aleksi Toivonen (7-0)
His only loss in Aleksi Toivonen’s career is in the amateur scene against the well-established Jose Torres. Since going pro he has shown superior grappling and submission skills tapping six of his opponents. He doesn’t tend to stay on the feet too long but he has shown his ability to land a head kick in one of his fights.
Toivonen doesn’t waste any time before shooting in for the takedown or throwing his opponents to the mat showing solid wrestling. His ground game is top-level with excellent transitions, he has the ability to pass guard with ease, and the way he sets up his submissions is just amazing. And don’t forget his relentless ground and pound. He fights Reece McLaren (13-7) who is a tough test.
FAC 4 | Friday | US
Featherweight, David Onama (5-0)
Onama is a product out of Glory MMA and Fitness. He’s 5-0 as a pro and went 10-0 as an amateur. He throws good long straight punches and has some pop in his left hand. He’s an even better wrestler with solid ground and pound and jiu-jitsu. Onama is still green but has some good experience and is very well-rounded. He fights Justin Overton who is his toughest fight to date.
Bellator 248 | Saturday | France
Welterweight, Ross Houston (8-0, 1NC)
Houston is an excellent up-and-comer out of Scotland who is currently undefeated as a pro, and as an amateur, he was undefeated at 3-0. Houston is primarily a wrestler who does an excellent job at closing the distance to get his hands around his opponent and pull them to the mat. He doesn’t spend too much time on the feet but he does hit hard and he has good technique, though his head movement does need to improve. In some fights, when pushed, he does have problems with his cardio. He fights Bellator staple Michael Page (17-1) in an exciting clash of styles.
Featherweight, Ilias Bulaid (2-0)
Bulaid is only 2-0 in MMA but is also a Dutch-Moroccan featherweight kickboxer. Competing in kickboxing for quite some time he has a 25-6 record with many accolades to his name. Bulaid has looked good so far in his MMA career putting on two complete clinics. We have been able to see the arsenal of Bulaid. He’s lit up his opponents with strikes and kicks mixing it up perfectly. He rips awesome combinations from different angles mixing in kicks and punches. Bulaid has looked stellar on the feet with his fluidity of output. He fights Ivan Naccari (0-1).
KSW 55 | Saturday | Poland
Middleweight, Andreas Gustafsson Berg (5-0)
Gustafsson is an absolute beast who rather resembles UFC fighter Mark O. Madsen. “Bane” is a powerhouse wrestler who enjoys the big body lock takedowns. His wrestling is spectacular and that includes his entrances, setups, raw power, and his excellent chain wrestling. The man is a huge problem on the mat as his ground and pound is constantly pouring down no matter what position he’s in. Gustafsson is all over his foes from start to finish always moving on the mat and always landing something. He needs to conserve his cardio better and needs to improve his striking moving forward. He fights a very dangerous Damian Janikowski (4-3).
Eternal MMA 53 | Saturday | Australia
Welterweight, Jack Della Maddalena (8-2)
After starting off his career losing his first two fights, Jack Della Maddalena is now on a seven-fight win streak. He 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 Aldin Bates (6-2) who he lost to in the past, and is now looking to get revenge on.
