Arena Fight 2 | Friday | France
Heavyweight, Chris Barnett (21-6)
Barnett may be looked down on considering his physique but he is one of the most agile big men seen. He’s had a few bad losses but has a few good wins including a win over current heavyweight contender Walt Harris. Barnett is a showman who will throw a variety of kicks. I would label him as a veteran but he still hasn’t had any big show experience. He’s not a great fighter but is super fun to watch. He fights the well-known but aging Antônio Silva (19-12).
Cage Warriors 119 | Saturday | UK
Featherweight, Morgan Charriere (15-7-1)
Charriere doesn’t have the most appealing record but a lot of those losses are to good fighters. In fact, Charriere is only 25-years-old and reaching his prime. Charriere on the feet fights with a controlled chaos style throwing a lot of wide strikes but his speed and accuracy make up for it. He also has thudding leg kicks and will go up top ending combinations with. What he does so well is move his head. He’s always swaying back and forth with top-notch head movement. Charriere has decent wrestling and four wins by submission. He’s well rounded, exciting, and still young. He fights Perry Andre Goodwin (10-6).
Lightweight, Paul Hughes (6-0)
Hughes has looked stellar in his pro career and although he’s still young he has the skills of an established fighter. Hughes has three TKO’s and three submissions as he’s very well-rounded. On the feet, Hughes has good boxing. The accuracy and shot selection are there and so is some big power. He’s an even better wrestler and has exceptional grappling. Hughes looks like the real deal. He fights Jordan Vucenic (6-1).
Lightweight, Jordan Vucenic (6-1)
Vucenic is mainly a wrestler. He has heavy leg kicks plus good forward pressure but everything he does on the feet is to feet to the takedown. Along with good wrestling, Vucenic has really good top control and really nice fluidity as well. His work rate is impressive with a deep gas tank. Still needs some work on the feet but is scrappy. He fights Paul Hughes (6-0).
Welterweight, Ian Garry (4-0)
Among all the top prospects from the UK/Ireland, Ian Garry stands out as the future. He fights for the Cage Warriors promotion which is the best organization out of the UK/Ireland. In his young career, Garry has already proven to be extremely well rounded, fought through adversity, and has already improved greatly. He fights Lawrence Tracey (5-4).
Lightweight, Kieran Lister (7-0-1)
Lister is a karate fighter who will fight off his back foot but is mainly a counter striker anyway. He has stopping power in his hands and has some tricky kicks in his arsenal. Watch for his uppercut as well as that seems to be one of his biggest things to throw. Not fully sold on him but there is some potential. He fights Joe McColgan (6-3-1) who is a good test.
Middleweight, Will Currie (4-0)
Currie is a primary grappler with a submission base. As a pro, he’s finished with an RNC, armbar, americana, keylock, and an arm-triangle. Wrestling wise he has good timing on his entries and has a strong body lock. He has had lackluster opposition but hes looked the way he’s supposed to. He fights Dario Bellandi (2-0).
Combat Night Pro 19 | Saturday | US
Welterweight, Preston Parsons (7-2)
Parsons is an underrated fighter but in my opinion, he’s very legit. He’s a wrestler who is aggressive and relentless with his takedowns. He’s really an excellent wrestler and has some very slick jiu-jitsu. Parsons is so good at flowing on top with seamless transitions. He’s got a dangerous choke and an impressive armbar he’s finished with three times. Someone I think has a lot of potential. He fights Wesley Golden (9-16).
Featherweight, Ramon Taveras (3-0)
Taveras is only 3-0 but watching him you can’t not be impressed. He’s a super clean boxer who is very sharp and so technical. He has heavy kicks and is a solid counter striker as well. Not doing it alone with his hands Ramon can wrestle and has a few submissions. Still raw but the potential is there. He fights Anthony Tisdale (3-13).
YFC 11 | Ecuador | Saturday
Featherweight, Aaron Cañarte (5-0)
Canarte is undefeated as a pro and went undefeated as an amateur going 5-0. Outside of MMA, Canarte has competed in kickboxing fighting for WGP. He has lights out power in his hands and some heavy kicks as well. He’s well-versed on the feet throwing together kicks and punches together. I’m not fully sold on him due to his lack of competition but his technical ability is good enough to keep an eye on. He fights Paolo Trujillo (0-0).
ACA 115 | Sunday | Russia
Heavyweight, Magomed Ismailov (16-3-1)
With a background in combat sambo, Ismailov is a powerhouse athlete who is very fun to watch. He does have power on his feet but Ismailov has every desire to get his fights to the mat. When you tune in to watch Ismailov you would think you’re watching a professional wrestling match with the way Ismailov picks opponents up and drives them to the mat. It’s just awesome. He’s insanely strong and can elevate his opponents at any time and put them down. He has a few submissions but has better ground-and-pound. He fights Ivan Shtyrkov (17-1).
Light-heavyweight, Muslim Magomedov (7-0)
Muslim Magomedov had a successful amateur career winning the WMMAA 2018 European Championship. In only his fifth pro bout, he dominated former UFC fighter Chris Camozzi. Despite not offering much on the feet, Magomed is an excellent wrestler. His timing on his shots is fine and the way he shoots so low makes his execution near-perfect. The work he does on top is his best aspect. He has good top position and his ground and pound is strong, active, and he lands hard. He fights Murat Gugov (7-2).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_VNT3OBdU&ab_channel=ACAMMA
Featherweight, Bibert Tumenov (9-1)
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 Alexey Polpudnikov (29-7-1).
