While it was a slow week among the major MMA promotions last week, the UFC is back this weekend. Plenty of smaller shows are running as well — here’s our weekly look at some of the best prospects in action.
UCC 52 | Panama | Thursday
Flyweight, Harry Gomez (9-0)
Gomez is a young man from Ecuador flying quietly under the radar with a solid record. Gomez is going to get taken down and controlled even, but always gets up and gets off his offense. Gomez is a good wrestler and a strong grappler. He’s not afraid to take risks, jumping into positions for submissions. His jiu-jitsu is solid but there is a lot more that needs to be seen. He fights Bojan Kladnjaković (6-4).
LFA 128 | US | Friday
Lightweight, Lucas Clay (8-1)
Lucas Clay has wins over good prospects like Brant Moore, JJ Okanovich, and Mike Breeden. On the feet, he’s still green but at least fights long. Clay is a grappler and mostly a submission artist. Both his submission wins are from a rare buggy choke. He is too willing to fight off his back but in the same sense, that’s where he’s most dangerous. There’s a lot Clay can improve on but he’s definitely worth a watch. He fights Aaron McKenzie (10-2-1) for the vacant title.
Heavyweight, Jimmy Lawson (3-1)
Lawson came into MMA with some hype riding in off a solid wrestling career. Lawson wrestled for Penn State. He helped win two national championships and earned All-American status in 2015. Lawson was also a really good football player. He lost his debut but would win his next three. Although wrestling is his base he has proved to have power in his hands as well. He fights Marino Eatman (5-4-1).
Cage FS 10 | Austria | Saturday
Welterweight, Andreeas Binder (4-1)
Fighting out of Ireland, Binder is from Romania. As an amateur Binder has a key win over current UFC fighter Ian Garry. On the feet Binder is a bit reckless but is super dangerous. He throws looping hooks and heavy leg kicks. Binder is a judo black belt and a lot of his takedowns are from the clinch obviously. He fights former UFC fighter Rostem Akman (6-3).
Shamrock FC 337 | US | Saturday
Bantamweight, Austin Bashi (5-0)
Bashi is a young 20-year-old out of Michigan that has a lot of promise. His wrestling is his bread and butter. He can put his wrestling on his opponents all fight long, going three rounds three times. He stays all over his opponents with fluid grappling and a strong base. The wrestling is top-notch and he has solid cardio. He is still very young though and is still untested in his career. Bashi fights Erion Zekthi (6-1).
Bantamweight, Erion Zekthi (6-1)
Zekthi is a well-rounded fighter that is a grinder. He has good bursts on the feet with strong punches and in the clinch he’s physically strong. Along with good wrestling his takedown defense and counter wrestling are impressive. On top he’s a bully with strong pressure, ground and pound, and if a mistake is made he will choke you out. Zekthi isn’t talked about too much but deserves lots of credit. He fights Austin Bashi (5-0).
Titan FC 75 | Dominican Republic | Saturday
Lightweight, Landon Quiñones (5-1-1)
Quinones fights for the first time after a year and a half layoff. He’s a good striker with a lot of good techniques. Quinones throws a good straight left. He mixes it up well using kicks going to the body and legs well. He’s shown solid TDD, which allows him to be more comfortable on the feet. He fights Reynaldo Acevedo (9-3).
