Brave CF 43 | Thursday | Bahrain

Featherweight, Akhmed Shervaniev (14-1-1)

Shervaniev is a part of Akhmat Fight Club with the likes of many top Russian prospects. Shervaniev has four submission wins but he really wants to keep the fight on the feet and his excellent takedown defense really helps that. On the feet, you can always see him switching stances and throwing more than one strike. While he can be too patient at times, he is very accurate and quick. I really like everything Shervaniev does and I think he has a bright future. He fights Arman Popal (5-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syx_APlsvLs&ab_channel=FightClubAkhmat

Bantamweight, Bernardo Sopai (8-1)

Sopai is a product out of Allstars Gym Sweeden which is a fantastic team. Crazy enough, Sopai is only 20-years-old and a complete fighter already. On the feet, he has a muay thai background. The Albanian is a solid striker with excellent kicks and slick short combinations. 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. He fights Gerson Pereira (12-7).

Featherweight, Anzor Abdulkhozhaev (10-1)

Anzor Abdulkhozhaev has just one loss as a pro; that was a little over four years ago. Now, Abdulkhozhaev is on a seven-fight win streak. On the feet, Anzor is a distance striker throwing at his preferred range. He throws a good one-two and good right hand. He frequently switches stances to give different looks. Anzor has some decent wrestling as well and has a dangerous guillotine choke. His takedown defense needs work though moving forward. He fights Soheil Davoodi (8-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU2vzHgo5R4&ab_channel=FightClubAkhmat

Bellator 247 | Thurday | Italy

Middleweight, Norbert Novenyi (4-0)

Novenyi is only 4-0 as a pro but had some experience as an amateur at 3-0 as well. He is a Hungarian, but he trains out of a top camp in the UK, London Shootfighters. Novenyi is primarily wrestler that has slick jiu-jitsu with three career submissions. He hasn’t stayed on the feet too much but has some nice footwork and a good kicking attack along with nicely cut angles showing his training with the London Shootfighters. The cardio does worry me so it will be interesting to see the longer his fight goes. He fights Laïd Zerhouni (7-5).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySVhG3EkXz0&ab_channel=FIGHTsportTV

Flyweight, Denise Kielholtz (5-2)

Despite only a 5-2 MMA record Denise Kielholtz is well-accomplished in other combat sports. She has a ton of experience in kickboxing (17-2) including winning the Bellator flyweight championship. Also, Denise has spent some time in Judo being a member of the 2008 Dutch Team Championships. Despite being well versed on the feet Kielholtz in her MMA career has three submission wins. She’s a good counter striker clipping her opponent coming in and finishing on the mat. She fights Kate Jackson (11-4-1).

Welterweight, Justin Burlinson (5-0)

Burlinson may be only 5-0 as a pro but this 23-year-old has a lot of experience as he went 15-1 as an amateur. Burlinson is a well-rounded talent that needs a little sharpening around the edges with takedown defense and at times, his striking. He has knockout power and good striking fundamentals but is better on the ground with effective jiu-jitsu. He’s a big threat with submissions holding thirteen career wins by that method. He fights Bobby Pallett (5-0).

Flyweight, Mandy Böhm (6-0)

From Germany, Mandy Bohm trains out of Straight Blast Ireland under John Kavanagh. On the feet, she’s good and long, throwing a variety of kicks. Bohm is solid in the clinch with Muay Thai along with some nasty elbows she uses often. She’s even better on the mat with exceptional wrestling to get it there. Still raw but has the talent. She fights Griet Eeckhout (5-3-1).

Welterweight, Uroš Jurišič (10-0)

Fighting out of Slovenia, Uros Jurisic is a savage of a fighter. He hasn’t fought in a while but has some good wins on his record including a win over Jose Caceres for the Titan FC title. Jurisic is a heavy handed wild man who will explode forward throwing heavy leather. He will draw guys in and then sling with some bad intention with everything he throws. Not just a striker, Jurisic has a good ground game as well with nasty ground and pound and some overall underrated grappling. He fights Walter Gahadza (10-0).

Bellator Euro Series 9 | Saturday | Italy

Featherweight, James Gallagher (10-1)

Gallagher fights at a karate stance but is a solid kickboxer. Gallagher is very unpredictable with his kicks he goes to the legs, body, and head and throws spinning kicks and throws with some heat. Even though he is so good on the feet, all of his best work is on the mat. James has very good wrestling and movement on the mat, he can get dominant positions, rain down ground and pound, and go for the chokes. He fights Cal Ellenor (8-2).

Welterweight, Kiefer Crosbie (8-1)

Crosbie is a product out of the Straight Blast Gym in Ireland, who has really turned his pro career around after a back-and-forth amateur career going 6-6. Crosbie isn’t great anywhere but he has some good qualities. His takedown defense could need some work but he is decent off his back. He could throw more on the feet but he does hit hard. What Crosbie does the best is land massive elbows as he has shown on the feet and on the mat. He also has some good clinch work. He still needs work but there has been a definite improvement. He fights Charlie Leary (16-11-1).

Lightweight, Robin van Roosmalen (2-0)

Robin van Roosmalen is a Dutch kickboxer who is a former Glory featherweight and lightweight champion. Roosmalen has a kickboxing record of 51-18. So far in his short MMA career, his takedown defense has been tested. He’s been taken down twice but in his second fight, it improved a lot. RVR is obviously dangerous on the feet showing one-punch knockout power, heavy kicks, and excellent shot selection. He fights Nauzet Trujillo (0-0).

EMMA 17 | Saturday | Ecuador

Welterweight, Michael Morales (9-0)

I will go on record to state that I’m not sold on Morales due to his poor level of competition. Morales is a tall welterweight at 6’3″ using his length well. He throws good leg kicks and long straight strikes. He does hold his hands low but he’s comfortable with his distance control. Morales doesn’t have the power but does have the output and volume. He fights Ricardo Centeno (6-5).

Featherweight, Aaron Cañarte (4-0)

Canarte is undefeated as a pro and went undefeated as an amateur going 5-0. Outside of MMA, Canarte has competed in kickboxing fighting for WGP. He has lights out power in his hands and some heavy kicks as well. He’s well-versed on the feet throwing together kicks and punches together. I’m not fully sold on him due to his lack of competition but his technical ability is good enough to keep an eye on. He fights Alex Fermin Cunuhay (1-3).

ACA 112 | Sunday | Russia

Flyweight, Imran Bukuev (11-1)

A product out of Akhmat Fight Club, Bukuev is a potential world-class flyweight prospect to keep your eyes on. Bukuev is at his best with his wrestling, where he is extremely strong, and the work on the mat is even better. He has five submissions including a flying triangle. Sometimes he can be a bit too flashy on the feet with one too many flying knees but he is very quick and moves very well. He fights Azamat Pshukov (6-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBTvjXkMoys&ab_channel=ACAMMA

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Brave, Bellator, and Beyond appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brave CF 22 | Friday | Philippines

Bantamweight, Stephen Loman (12-2)

I’ve had my doubts mentioning Loman on this list, but now on a six-fight win streak and two title defenses, he deserves it. Loman has a background in Wushu Sanda. On the feet he isn’t too effective but he has power and timing. He has excellent level changes and once on the mat, he is in his world. He thrives in transitions and his six decision wins prove he can fight his fight for three to five rounds. He fights Elias Boudegzdame (15-5), who is coming off a loss but this is a huge test for both guys.

Titan FC 53 | Friday | Florida

Welterweight, Jared Gooden (13-2)

Gooden is an excellent welterweight prospect who has been tearing up the regional scene lately as he is on a six-fight win streak. Gooden is 7-1 in his last eight fights with his loss coming to top prospect Julien Williams. He does have a win over WEC/TUF 14 veteran Micah Miller though. Gooden has some holes as he still needs to work on like his takedown defense. Gooden is well-rounded with good wrestling, striking, and athleticism. He fights former UFC fighter Michael Graves (7-1-2), who is a huge test for Gooden. If Gooden wins, that should be his ticket to the big show.

EFC Worldwide 77 | Saturday | South Africa

Lightweight, Roedie Roets (5-0)

Roets is riding in with a lot of hype behind him as he took gold in the men’s lightweight final at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) World Championships. He is a multiple-time national wrestling champion and he has competed in many jiu-jitsu competitions as well as being an MMA champion in his amateur career. The mat is obviously where he wants to be as his positional grappling is fantastic as well as his cardio. On the feet, he’s still progressing but he has decent kickboxing and does a good job using his hands to close the distance. He fights Pierre Botha (9-7-1) who is not a high-level opponent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx7PhcG_X90

ACA 93 | Friday | Russia

Featherweight, Salman Zhamaldaev (16-1)

After losing his very first professional bout, Salman has gone on to win 16 straight. Salman has beat very good competition proving he is a top 145-pound prospect out of Russia. If the fight isn’t finished in the first two rounds, Salman has no problem going the distance as he’s done it in his last six bouts. Salman is well rounded and very dangerous everywhere. On the feet, he is an excellent counter striker and is very effective at kicking the lower calf of his opponent. On the mat, he holds four submissions but really relies on control. He fights Marat Balaev (10-1), who is a tough fighter.

Bantamweight, Rustam Kerimov (12-0)

Kerimov is a product out of a top camp in DagFighter and is one of the best up-and-comers out of Russia right now. Like most Dagestan fighters, Kerimov is an excellent wrestler. Kerimov has beat solid competition, most notably a good prospect in Alexander Peduson, legend Takeya Mizugaki, and Oleg Borisov. Kerimov is obviously a good wrestler but it’s his timing on his shots that is done so well to complement his best weapon of ground-and-pound. On the feet, he is a good kickboxer along with good power in his hands. He fights Rakhman Dudaev (22-4), who is solid, but I think Kerimov is on another level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNsJ2JuJa9o

Heavyweight, Amir Aliakbari (9-1)

Aliakbari is a very accomplished Greco-Roman Olympic wrestler, and he’s transitioned well to MMA. He can use his strength to suplex his opponents repeatedly, and he has good pressure on top with solid ground-and-pound. Sometimes he does so much with his wrestling that he runs out of energy by the end of the fight, but if he learns to be more conservative or ups his cardio, he will be a huge threat. He fights Shelton Graves (9-3) who is tough, but Amir should just be too much for him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqcPnN4_amc

Featherweight, Akhmed Shervaniev (12-0-1)

Russia is booming with top-notch prospects and the 21-year-old from Grozny is a legit talent. Shervaniev is apart of Akhmat Fight Club with the likes of many top Russian prospects. Shervaniev has four submission wins but he really wants to keep the fight on the feet and his excellent takedown defense really helps that. On the feet, you can always see him switching stances and throwing more than one strike. While he can be too patient at times, he is very accurate and quick. I really like everything Shervaniev does and I think he has a bright future. He fights Tural Ragimov (17-5) who is coming off a loss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvbBBqVs8MQ&t=5s

XFN 17 | Saturday | Czech Republic

Middleweight, Makhmud Muradov (18-6)

The Uzbekistan-born fighter has a lot of experience with 24 total fights at only 28-years-old. Muradov relies on his explosiveness on the feet with straight punches and has shown the ability to finish with a flying knee. His takedowns usually come just from him bulldozing over his opponents. He’s at best on top with smashing ground-and-pound until the ref steps in. He fights Diego Gonzalez (20-12), who he should beat.

300 Sparta 30 | Saturday | Peru

Bantamweight, Daniel Marcos (10-0)

Marcos is one of the best prospects out of Peru with an impressive record over some decent regional competition. Marcos is an aggressive fighter who will move forward and throw volume. Marcos doesn’t have power, but he will let his hands go and throws a lot of heavy leg kicks. His wrestling is also very good and he has good ground-and-pound. He fights Roy Quispe (5-4), who is coming off a loss.

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Brave CF 22, Titan FC 53, and More appeared first on Cageside Press.