Bellator hosts their final event of the year, ONE Championship is back with Winter Warriors, including the conclusion of the women’s atomweight grand prix — and our Weekly MMA Prospect Report is back as well!
ONE Championship | Singapore | Friday
Strawweight, Stamp Fairtex (7-1)
Nong Stamp (Stamp Fairtex) is a world kickboxing and Muay Thai champion, with a Muay Thai record of 63-15-5. Her sole loss in MMA to Alyona Rassohyna; Fairtex won the rematch two months ago. She’s shown her kickboxing and Muay Thai skills of course, and although she could throw more volume, she picks her shots well. Fairtex does have a submission win and overall has pretty good grappling. She fights Ritu Phogat (7-1).
Bellator 272 | US | Friday
Bantamweight, Jared Scoggins (10-1)
Jared is the younger brother of the well-known former UFC fighter Justin Scoggins. Jared has the same potential and has a background in karate. He is light on his feet and throws a lot of kicks at rage well. I’m more impressed with Jared’s wrestling, he changes levels well and is near perfect on his takedowns, and on the mat, he moves well on top and throws a lot of ground and pound. So overall a promising fighter. He fights Josh Hill (20-4).
Middleweigt, Johnny Eblen (9-0)
Eblen has a background as a Division I wrestler for the University of Missouri and he’s absolutely dominated with takedowns in MMA thus far. On the feet, Eblen bounces in and out throwing the outside leg kick well. Eblen times his shots very well grabbing the single leg and pressing his opponent against the cage then dropping levels executing the double leg. He’s a relentless wrestler and a dang good one. Eblen’s hands are improving displaying knockout power in the past. He fights Collin Huckbody (10-3).
Lightweight, Alexander Shabliy (20-3)
Shabliy, although violent, is an efficient counter fighter, reacting well to his opponents’ advances. His takedowns generally happen when his opponents try a takedown themselves, but he overpowers and throws them to the mat. On the feet, he is calm but he brings the heat when needed, and if he catches his competition then he will try his best to end the fight, whether that be with his strikes or knees. Shabliy is an intelligent fighter that makes very few mistakes. He’s one of the best prospects out of Russia. He fights Bobby King (10-3).
Welterweight, Kyle Crutchmer (5-0)
Kyle Crutchmer has a background in wrestling with a very successful Division I career at Oklahoma State University. He was a two-time All-American and a two-time Big 12 champion. His only loss is to Kemran Lachinov which Crutchmer arguably won. He has excellent wrestling and good ground control. He’s been a dominant fighter looking better with each fight. Crutchmer fights Oliver Enkamp (10-2).
LFA 119 | US | Friday
Middleweight Joshua Silveira (6-0)
Silveira trains out of American Top Team under head coach and his father, Conan Silveira. He’s currently 6-0 and the LFA light-heavyweight champ. Silveira wrestled in college for Arizona State University and was a Florida high school state champ. With that wrestling pedigree always in his back pocket, he’s able to let loose on the feet. His shot selection is very on-point with his hands, and his left high kick is very sneaky and dangerous. Silveira really checks all the boxes and is a major prospect to watch for. He fights Jared Revel (11-2) for the vacant LFA middleweight title in an attempt to be a double champ.
Bantamweight, Allan Begosso (6-0-1)
Born in Brazil, Begosso currently lives in the US in California and trains out of Team Alpha Male. Begosso isn’t active enough, only fighting twice in the last three years. His level of competition hasn’t been great but has never fought anyone with a losing record. Due to the excitement level Begosso brings he’s a fun guy to watch out for. He has a lot of power in his hands, is very explosive, and can finish the fight at any time. As shown in his last fight he’s got a dangerous submission game as well. He fights Richard Palencia (9-0).
Bantamweight, Richard Palencia (9-0)
At 31-years-old, Palencia is in the prime of his career. He’s undefeated and trains out of the MMA Lab. He hasn’t had the best of competition but has fought inside both the Combate and the LFA cage. Palencia is in fact 3-0 under the LFA banner. In the last few years, he hasn’t been too active but that’s the only thing you can hold against him. He fights Allan Begosso (6-0-1).
Flyweight, Clayton Carpenter (4-0)
As expected with his experience across an array of sports, Carpenter puts it all together in MMA. He doesn’t do anything significantly better than the other, but he’s as well-rounded as they come for such a young fighter. Carpenter on the feet is a technical player. He mixes it up perfectly, lunging forward with knees and strikes, and sits back, takes out the legs, and goes up top for the kill. Once he does get it down to the mat, he’s immediately passing guard and eventually getting into the mount. The transitions are smooth and although he has just one submission as a pro, he’s a threat. Carpenter fights Rodney Kealohi (5-2).
EFC 91 | South Africa | Friday
Flyweight, Nkazimulo Zulu (13-4)
Zulu has a lot of experience and has fought some good competition. Zulu is a former EFC bantamweight champion and a two-time flyweight champion. He’s a high octane fighter that throws a lot of volume on the feet. He mixes in a lot of kicks and can throw actively with both legs. Not much more you can ask from his stand-up. His takedown defense has been the issue but is dangerous off his back. If he can put it together he’s the real deal. He fights Luthando Biko (8-3).
Oktagon 29 | Czech Republic | Saturday
Welterweight, Losene Keita (6-0)
I’m not fully sold on Keita due to his poor level of competition but the talent is there. He seems to be a well-rounded fighter who has no issue taking fights to the mat. Keita is more of a dangerous guy on the feet. His speed, athleticism, and explosiveness is scary. I’d like to see him show more footwork but makes up for it in blitzes and explosions. Once he gets going he’s throwing a lot of volume as well. He fights Karol Ryšavý (9-3).
Rogue MMA 1 | Australia | Sunday
Featherweight, Jack Jenkins (7-2)
