Our first Weekly MMA Prospect Report of the year looks at Eagle FC, ACA and more! With Eagle FC landing in the U.S. Friday, let’s get right to it.
EFC 44 | US | Friday
Welterweight, Ramazan Kuramagomedov (9-0)
Kuramagomedov is a fighter with few flaws. His defense all around is solid from his head movement to his footwork to good takedown defense. He has good kickboxing and mixes strikes and kicks together very well. The Russian is an unpredictable but technical fighter with solid cardio. He’s well-rounded so he has good takedowns and is a dangerous threat on top. Kuramagomedov fights well-known veteran John Howard (29-17-1).
ACA 135 | Russia | Thursday
Middleweight, Magomedrasul Gasanov (16-2)
A bit sluggish on the feet Gasanov will crash forward throwing hard to close the distance. He has strong wrestling imposing his will with power and strength. He can be loose in position but uses that to freely take the back. Even when he lets opponents get back to their feet Gasanov is tenacious in getting the fight back down. He has a good gas tank being able to go the distance no problem. He fights Abdul-Rakhman Dzhanaev (15-2).
Bantamweight, Rustam Kerimov (15-0)
Kerimov is one of the best prospects out of Russia and his record affirms that. Where Kerimov is so challenging is his wrestling but it’s complimented and set up with his striking/kickboxing. Kerimov is very good at letting foes come forward and then surprising them with the level change to get the takedown. He fights behind his kicks which is what he sets his takedowns up with and how he controls the pace. Don’t sleep on his hands though because if you do you’ll be waking up not knowing what happened. Check out my extensive piece on him here. He fights Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev (17-6).
ONE Championship | Singapore | Friday
Lightweight, Kai Tang (12-2)
I believe Tang comes from a muay thai base and if so you can tell. Tang is a rangy fighter who will fight on the outside the entire time. He has a well-executed jab, nice leg kicks, and is so good at striking going backward. Tang is a sniper from the outside whether that’s with his legs or his fists. Not only a striker he will shoot for takedowns and is solid with his grappling. Tang has a wide toolset and I believe he’s the real deal. He fights Jae Woong Kim (12-4). Update: Sadly, this one was cancelled
Open Fighting Championship 16 | Russia | Friday
Heavyweight, Alexander Soldatkin (11-3)
Soldatkin is a big, muscular guy and someone you don’t expect to throw a lot of spinning attacks — but that’s exactly what he does. The big man doesn’t overuse the flashy attacks but uses them just to keep his opponent guessing. Someone with his power and athleticism alone is a threat. There is still a lot of concerns going forward with him however. He fights Jackson Gonçalves (10-3).
