With no Bellator or ONE card this week, and few if any names debuting in the octagon, it’s the PFL and a hodge-podge of other promotions bringing you MMA prospects in action.
PFL #5 | Thursday | US
Light heavyweight, Marthin Hamlet Nielsen (7-1)
Hamlet has a background as a Greco-Roman wrestler and has wrestled since a young age. He’s won a few championships along the way with an Olympic scholarship. His only loss is to UFC fighter Modestas Bukauskas. Hamlet is a tank of a wrestler being able to throw guys around. Once on the mat, he is in his world. His ground and pound is really good and he has a strong submission base. He fights Cory Hendricks (7-3).
AMC 102 | Friday | Russia
Light heavyweight, Armen Petrosyan (4-0)
Petrosyan is a kickboxer so on the feet at range is where he’s comfortable. He does struggle with takedown defense and getting opponents off of him. Once he does though, and he gets separation, Petrosyan can finish the fight at any time. He fights behind kicks to set everything up. He’ll chop away at the lead leg and then go to the body and head. He has a good jab and snapping long punches. Overall if he can tighten up his defense Petrosyan is going to be a problem. He fights Hasan Yousefi (6-4-1).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZLj4Tw_N0o&t=412s
Middleweight, David Barkhudaryan (12-3)
Barkhudaryan is mainly a striker and a very dangerous one. He has a one-two he loves to throw, chopping powerful leg kicks, and a firing straight jab. Beware of rushing in on him as well as he’s a dangerous counter-striker. Barkhudaryan has lights out power in his hands and can stop the fight at any time. He’s currently on a six-fight win streak and looking at the peak of his career. He fights Vyacheslav Vasilevskiy (35-8).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk-ryTkiMns
EFC 37 | Kazakhstan | Friday
Welterweight, Shakhban Alkhasov (4-0)
Like many Dagestanians, Alkhasov is primarily a talented grappler. Most of his takedowns come from body locks and inside trips. His wrestling could be better when it comes to getting takedowns in open spaces. Alkhasov is raw on the feet but he is good at utilizing his kicks, going right upstairs which is rather impressive given his own 6’3″ height. He fights Yuriy Ermolenko (3-3).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMDXcI0rYOQ
UAE Warriors 20 | Abu Dhabi | Friday
Featherweight, Martun Mezhlumyan (11-2)
Mezhlumyan seems to be a promising prospect but fight footage does lack on the young Armenian. He has that killer instinct from the bell to the finish. Throwing output from the beginning Mezhlumyan really loves to throw his lead elbow over and over. He’s tricky with his style and a dangerous guy all around. He fights Attila Korkmaz (11-5).
Welterweight, Daniel Skibińsk (17-5)
Since a pair of losses in mid-2016, Skibinski has won his next eleven fights. Outside of MMA, he was an ADCC Polish Championship in 2019 and won gold in No-Gi in Poland. Skibinski has strong wrestling with heavy top control. He’s a grinder with a good gas tank going the distance in ten of his wins. He’s not the flashiest fighter but has a high fight IQ and is really dominant. He fights Acoidan Duque (16-2).
Flyweight, Lucrezia Ria (8-2)
Ria is a long fighter who uses her reach well. She throws a lot of output in bursts and hits really hard. Although she is exceptionally good on the feet she is even better on the mat. All her finishes are by submission and she is dangerous on top or off her back. She’s one of the best prospects out of Italy. She fights Carolina Jimenez (6-0).
Welterweight, Amiran Gogoladze (11-1)
Gogoladze is a highlight-reel finisher on both the feet and on the mat. He is extremely slick on the mat, especially off his back. He’s a sharp submission hunter and that shows with three submission victories by three different submissions. He’ll utilize a lot of feints on the feet which sets up the eventual finish. Gogoladze throws a dangerous head kick and is just very tricky and explosive. He fights Handesson Ferreira (15-3-1).
Oktagon 25 | Czech Republic | Saturday
Heavyweight, Martin Buday (7-1)
Buday is a prospect that’s stood out in the last few years. He is arguably the best prospect out of the Europe Eastern. Besides being 7-1 as a pro he went 3-0 as an amateur. Outside of MMA, Buday is a 2x IBJJF European NoGi champion and an ISFA European grappling champion. Buday doesn’t have any special qualities, but his forward pressure and ability to cut off angles has served him well. He doesn’t hit hard but has good timing when he throws. He’s not fast but uses effective footwork. While he’s not the most explosive heavyweight, he is still on a six-fight win streak with all six wins being finishes. He fights Kamil Minda (7-1).
