Sweden
Sweden has had a lot of fighters come and go over the years. It’s an area that’s always going to have talent. Benardo Sopaj (10-2) has been a highly touted prospect for years. He’s trained at Allstars in Sweden but has recently went to the US training at Xtreme Couture and The Goat Shed. Earlier this year he won the FCR bantamweight title out of Sweden. Crazy enough, Sopai is only 23-years-old and a complete fighter already. On the feet, he has a Muay Thai background. He doesn’t really have knockout power but does throw a lot of volume and gives a lot of different looks. I’ve been impressed with the wrestling from the setups, speed, and his ability to slam guys to the mat. Sopai has three wins by submission and overall his grappling could be where he’s best at. This kid is a major problem with a bright future.
Switzerland
The only fighter from Switzerland in the UFC is former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. Husein Kadimagomaev (10-1) is very talented and super young at 24. As impressive as 10-0 is, Kadimagomaev went 18-0 as an amateur as well. He has heavy kicks, good combinations coming in, and has solid wrestling. At such a young age he’s already so well-rounded and already so good. I’d like to give a shout-out to Daniel Konrad as well because he’s made a good account of himself.
Tajikistan
The UFC has a few fighters from Tajikistan but there is much better talent out there compared to what they’ve got so far. Samandar Murodov (9-0) has the exposure already fighting for UAE Warriors and was a featured bout of Road to UFC. There isn’t much I dislike about Murodov but there is a lot I like. He’s got good wrestling, is a slick grappler, scrambles really well, and has a submission attack. His stand-up is still growing but at his age he has time to develop.
