Thursday’s Titan FC 66 was supposed to have one of the hottest prospects in MMA competing, with Kayla Harrison set for a rematch with Jozette Cotton. However, with Cotton missing weight by a country mile and hospitalized in the process, that fight is off.
Still, between Titan FC, ONE Championship, KSW, and a number of regional promotions hosting shows this week, plenty of other prospects were ready to big up the slack.
Titan FC 66 | Thursday | US
Flyweight, Juan Puerta (20-6)
Puerta has had a lot of speed bumps in his career but has now hit his stride and is on a nine-fight win streak, the biggest of his career. On the feet, Puerta uses his range well with jabs and knees. He’s much better on the mat, though, using his length. Puerta is a big submission threat with nearly all his fights going that way. He shows how dangerous he is on the mat with his versatile submission attack holding five different types of submission wins. He fights Joe Penafiel (5-1).
One Championship | Friday | Singapore
Welterweight, Lowen Tynanes (10-0)
Tynanes is primarily a wrestler and a stellar one at that. Tynanes uses a lot of feints with his hands and level changes before powering forward with an explosive double-leg. If not able to get the takedown in the middle of the cage he’s good at pressing into the cage and getting the takedown from there. Once on the mat, he’s showed to be insanely strong with his top position. He puts a lot of pressure on the upper body of his foes nailing them down to the canvas while unloading ground and pound. Tynanes has glue-like grappling being all over every move his opponent makes. Just an overall dominant wrestler/grappler with solid cardio and a constant work ethic. He fights Marat Gafurov (17-3).
Featherweight, Troy Worthen (7-0)
Troy Worthen started wrestling in high school and competed in college as well. Worthen became an NCWA All-American and a Southeastern Conference Champion for Central Florida University. 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 Yusup Saadulaev (19-5-1).
ACA 116 | Friday | Russia
Featherweight, Felipe Froes (19-4-1)
Froes is solid all around. In his stand-up, he throws a lot of kicks to keep distance but his hands are where it’s at. Froes has a very nice straight right hand that he lands more than anything but still throws with both. His wrestling is good as he can get the double leg or the trip in the clinch. On the mat, he has good ground and pound and is excellent at taking the back. He is always the one in control, the only thing he needs to work on is his takedown defense. He fights Marat Balaev (11-2) which is a good fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7uPcHCq4pk&ab_channel=ACAMMA
Heavyweight, Alikhan Vakhaev (10-2)
Vakhaev is a talented heavyweight at only 27-years-old. He a striker who understands distance management. He throws good long punches and kicks and does an excellent job coming in with strikes and knees in the clinch. He’s shown to be a well-equipped counter striker making guys pay when they rush in on him. Vakhaev stays calm and picks his shots while conserving his energy well. He fights Roggers Souza (10-2).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWg_4pXoKHk&ab_channel=ACAMMAACAMMAVerified
Megdan 8 | Friday | Serbia
Bantamweight, Stipe Brčić (8-1)
Fighting out of Croatia, Brčić is a tank of a fighter. Last February, Brcic won a one-night tournament to win the GMC title. To capture the belt he beat Luca Iovine who is a good fighter. Brcic is a physical guy bullying his way forward getting takedowns. On the feet, he’s mainly a head hunter with big power. He’s not as technical but his power makes up for it. He fights Mikhail Sirbu (14-7).
CFFC 91 | Friday | US
Welterweight, Solomon Renfro (6-0)
Renfro has bee someone that’s been on my radar for some time. The only thing holding him back was his lack of finishes. With that said, he secured his first finish in his last fight with a super impressive anaconda choke in round one. On the feet, Renfro is a pocket striker with nice hand speed and isn’t afraid to just sit in the pocket. I believe he’s an even better wrestler/grinder. He fights Mike Malott (5-1-1) which is his biggest test to date.
QFC 11 | Friday | Ecuador
Featherweight, Freddy Emiliano Linares (4-0)
Fighting out of Ecuador Linares hasn’t had the best level of competition but has still looked good. He’s a madman coming forward throwing a lot of big fight-ending strikes. Although he is extremely wild he’s still dangerous in the same sense. I’m even more impressed with ground game, particularly with his submission game. He’s got fluid hips and a real dangerous triangle. Linares reminds me of Bellator fighter Adam Borics. He fights Alberto Jarrin (5-1-1).
RCC 8 | Saturday | Russia
Heavyweight, Anton Vyazigin (15-3)
In three of his last four fights Vyazigin has beaten some good names in Gerônimo Dos Santos, Josh Copeland, and Wagner Prado. His only losses are to Klidson Abreu and Phil De Fries. He’s a veteran of M-1 Challenge and is now a free agent. Vyazigin doesn’t have the most attractive fighting style but his resume speaks for its self. The Russian isn’t the best on the feet as he’s just too ground oriented. He relies on his strength to get the takedowns and once there he’s at home. Vyazigin does enough on top and his relentless style breaks his foes. He fights Evgeny Goncharov (14-3) which should be a good test.
EFC 31 | Saturday | Russia
Heavyweight, Rizvan Kuniev (9-2-1)
Kuniev has some sort of background in Wushu Sanda which you can tell from watching his fights. On the feet, he doesn’t hold that heavyweight power but is agile and diverse, unlike most of the big guys. Kuniev is primarily a kickboxer who fights behind some flashy kicks from a lot of different angles. He’s well-rounded also being able to wrestle well, and he has a good top game. He fights Vladimir Dayneko (11-4).
KSW 57 | Poland | Saturday
Middleweight, Cezary Kesik (12-0)
Kesik is very underrated and is one of the best, if not the best, Polish prospects out there. Kesik is exciting, bringing an aggressive kickboxing style with a lot of power in his hands with six finishes by way of KO/TKO. If needed, Kesik will take the fight down where he is really talented with positional control and transitions. Kesik is the current Thunderstrike Fight League middleweight champion, the same promotion UFC light heavyweight Michal Oleksiejczuk came from. He fights Abusupiyan Magomedov (23-4-1).
Middleweight, Abusupiyan Magomedov (23-4-1)
Magomedov has been forgotten since 2018. He competed in the 2018 PFL middleweight tournament and was a favorite to win. He got to the finals and lost to Louis Taylor. Abus has everything you look for in a fighter moving up in the ranks. He has that tall build fighting long using his jab and kicks perfectly at a distance. Magomedov is a combination striker always going to the body mixing that in with combinations. Impressive footwork exploding forward covering a lot of distance but getting back out when needed. For a plus the TDD is awesome and he has a sick guillotine he has hit many times. He fights Cezary Kesik (12-0).
Bantamweight, Bruno Santos (9-1)
Bruno Santos is a young Brazilian 22-year-old on a 4-fight-win streak. On the feet, he throws a good front kick and fights long well. His purpose is to get the fight down as his jiu-jitsu is his strong suit. Santos is smooth on the mat. At times his positioning is loose but he’s has a good back take. Santos has five submissions – four of those by rear-naked choke. He fights champion, Antun Račić (24-8-1).
