A lot to prove
These fighters have good-looking records but are lacking the performances to be viewed as top heavyweight prospects.
Alexander Soldatkin (14-3) is someone that has a good-looking record but there are still a lot of questions. Takedown defense and cardio have been his biggest concerns for his entire career. Someone with his power and athleticism alone is a threat. You can get away with a not-so-great gas tank at heavyweight since most of the time the bigger guys don’t go three rounds.
Vyacheslav Ryabov (7-0) is an unknown heavyweight out of Russia. Heavyweights are thin outside the big promotions so Ryabov has stood out. He fits the mold of a heavyweight having big knockout power. He hasn’t fought really high-level opposition thus far but being in Russia, it’s likely to be soon enough when he will see a good-quality opponent. He is unbeaten in his career but has lost twice in custom rules MMA bouts in 2021 so that’s weird. Ryabov is unknown in part due to his inactivity, which in turn is due to him taking some boxing matches. He fits the mold of a heavyweight having big knockout power. He hasn’t fought really high-level opposition thus far but being in Russia, it’s better competition than about anywhere else. It’s really all up in the air when it comes to the ceiling of Ryabov.
Aleksandr Maslov (10-1) has a strong resume along with a good-looking record. He has wins over former UFC fighters in Cody East, Luis Henrique, and Vinicius Moreira. Although he has good wins his performances don’t match. Lately he’s been battling injuries so that’s why he hasn’t been as active. He returned last March and got a win. He’s getting those wins but is lacking quality performances.
Ben Tynan (4-0) is only 4-0 but has had high expectations since he was an amateur. Tynan was a D1 wrestler out of North Dakota State University and was a Canadian National Champion. He was a Pac 10 champion and in MMA has been training at Elevation Fight Team. Tynan’s last fight wasn’t as dominant as his others but is still 12-0 in MMA counting his amateur run.
Caio Machado (7-1-1) is the current reigning BFL heavyweight champion. He’s defended his title three times. For a heavyweight, Machado has fought decent competition. Not UFC-level competition but heavy hitters to really test him. He gets a chance to prove himself on this season of the Contender Series.
Promising Brazilians
Brazil is one on the most loaded countries when it comes to up-and-coming talent. Yes, more of their fighters are in the lower weight classes but here is a pair of heavyweights to watch out for.
If Jhonata Diniz (5-0) 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 he went 3-3 for Glory Kickboxing. After a decade of competing in Kickboxing Diniz made the transition to MMA. He’s only been fighting for a little over a year and has impressed with a 100% finish rate with all stoppages in the first round. He’s going to be fighting on the Contender Series this season against fellow Brazilian Eduardo Neves.
Not many people know of Talisson Teixeira (3-0) but those unaware need to start paying attention. This 22-year-old is towering at six-foot-eight. He’s already a BJJ black belt and is fighting under and is training under a high-level boxing coach. It’s very nice to see a guy the size of Teixeira know how to use his reach. He throws long jabs and chopping leg kicks while being able to snipe his opponent at any time. There is hardly any footage of his jiu-jitsu but with his size and black belt abilities, I imagine it’s good.
