Featherweight: Darlan “Draco” Ferreira (9-2)
If Ferreira doesn’t turn out to be a higher-level fighter he’ll be very entertaining at the very least. Ferreira is a showman that likes to do a lot of trash-talking and taunting during his fights. And so far he has backed up all of his trash talk. The Brazilian is all action once the bell rings. He throws a lot of kicks up the middle, goes to the legs, to the head, and will throw a lot of flashy kicks. He fights long throwing a lot of straight punches and throwing different patterns of combinations. The knee is his best weapon whether that’s stepping in with it, from the muay thai clinch, or launching through the air. He’s exciting, always brings it, is high-paced, a violent finisher, and awesome personality.
Lightweight: Marcel “Indomável” Marques (8-0)
Marques started off his career beating low-level guys. His last three wins have been over good opposition. His last three opponents had a combined record of 27-5. Last month was his debut for LFA and he had a good showing. Marques has a karate style but is a BJJ black belt. His persistent wrestling and smothering jiu-jitsu are top-notch. Marques is a serious grappler and his stand-up has been looking better and better.
Bantamweight: Herbeth “Indio” Sousa (15-2)
Sosua is coming off a loss to a dangerous guy in Muin Gafurov. Coming into that fight Sousa was coming off a two-year layoff. Prior to this loss, Sousa was the CFFC and the Future FC bantamweight champion. “Indio” is an aggressive grappler who has ten submissions all coming in the first round. His wrestling is solid but obviously, it’s the grappling that’s key. His transitions are smooth and his finishing ability on the submissions is dangerous as he is a black belt in BJJ. I’m sure he will return better than ever.
Bantamweight: Mairon “the Legend” Santos (12-1)
“A Lenda” is coming off a dominant loss to Dan Argueta. In his defense, that was his first fight in a year and it was his biggest test to date. I’m still high on the young man as he’s only 22. Santos comes out of Paraná Vale Tudo, the home of Jessica Andrade and a slew of young fighters like Santos. Santos is such a big threat on the feet. He has the speed, the explosiveness, the decision-making, and the power just to list a few of what he brings to the table. If his superb striking/kickboxing isn’t enough he’s an intelligent wrestler as well. Santos can fight all three rounds of kickboxing or wrestling but in the end, he usually mixes it up.
Heavyweight: Jhonata Diniz (2-0)
If Diniz isn’t familiar to you in the MMA world he should ring a bell if you’re familiar with kickboxing. His kickboxing record is 13-6 and went 3-3 for Glory Kickboxing. He transitioned to MMA earlier this year and scored two first-round TKOs. The footage is limited but for someone with his high-level kickboxing in a thin weight class, he has a high ceiling.
Middleweight: Marco Tulio Silva (6-1)
Fighting out of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima, Silva is flying under the radar. An under-the-radar win came earlier this year against former UFC/LFA veteran Glaico Franca. Silva has trained with a ton of top fighters including a lot with Charles Oliveira being a main training partner of his. Silva has competed in some kickboxing/muay thai and a littler bit of jiu-jitsu. After his sole loss in 2018 he took a three-year layoff. He’s looked better than ever winning his last three. Silva is a powerful striker with good kickboxing and nasty muay thai plum. There needs to be a little more shown but he’s looked darn good.
Strawweight: Giovanna “GiGi” Canuto (4-0)
Canuto is a five-time world IBJJf champion and a six-time IBJJF champion. She’s a highly touted jiu-jitsu specialist that’s only 19. Her striking is questionable but I’ve been so impressed with her jiu-jitsu. Everything from her transition to her submission attack is high-level. She moves so quickly on top but she still knows exactly what move she is going to make next. Canuto has solid wrestling too so it all translates very well. Still green but Canuto has an extremely high ceiling.
Lightweight: Milson Castro (14-3)
Castro hasn’t fought in over a year but is still one of the most proven Brazilians around. Castro is on a big 13-fight win streak and not only is he successful in Brazil he’s highly regarded in Mexico fighting there multiple times. Having fought for years Castro has won three different regional titles. Castro is a stand-up fighter with a solid Muay Thai base. He is a scrapper that will stand toe-to-toe with anyone he stands across from.
Heavyweight, Levi Rodrigues (2-0)
The 26-year-old from Brazil is only 2-0 as a pro but went 5-0 with one no-contest as an amateur. Rodrigues has also competed in kickboxing and boxing as well. The best way to describe him is by saying he’s a heavy-handed guy. He wastes no time pressing forward and letting his hands and kicks go. As an amateur, he finished all five of his fights in under a minute. Even though as a pro he has gone longer, he still finished inside one round.
Lightweight, Kauê Fernandes (5-1)
Fernandes has a muay thai base along with a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Once he lets his hands go he’s such a problem at range with his long punches. He has a good jab, a good one-two, and is a solid counter-striker. He does get a bit wild throwing at times though. Once he gets on the mat Fernandes’ control is lockdown. Even when he’s on his back he can snatch up a submission just like that. He has fluid hips being able to attack very quickly. If he gets on top though he’s likely staying there and finishing the fight. The jiu-jitsu is his best weapon. Still some concerns with his cardio but the potential is there.
