Davies was 1-0 as an amateur when he suffered his first setback. In what was a valiant effort, he lost by decision to Harry McKnight under the Cage Warriors banner. That led to a nearly year-long layoff before Davies got back in the cage. It worked— he hasn’t lost since and now is on a current six-fight win streak. Five of his seven wins come by a way of finish.

Davies lost that sole fight due to his inability to stuff takedowns and lost valuable time on his back. It’s still a concern he has to this day but he at least still gets back to his feet much better. He does do a nice job in using momentum to defend takedowns and wind up on top. Lately, he has been landing nicely executed takedowns. The ground game has gotten more shine and that showed recently with Davies winning via a rear-nake choke.

The Welshman is a strong kickboxer. His front kick is the jab and his roundhouses are his right/left hooks. Davies quickly asserts himself right away in fights landing thudding kicks to knock you out. He’s finished three fights in under a minute and two of those come from a head kick finish. He kicks frequently and mixes it up going to the head and body before going upstairs. When he decides to throw his hands it is set up off his kicks. You’ll see this young man throw nice straight punches and his combinations flow when he opens up. Davies keeps his hands up high too which is something important a young fighter does.

This Saturday in Bolton, England Davies will be fighting Karl Fletcher (4-1) who is another good amateur prospect. This will be for the Full Contact Contender featherweight championship. This fight could be a barn-burner as both prefer to trade on the feet with high volume.

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The young 25-year-old came into MMA with a wrestling background. He wrestled in high school and throughout college from 2015 to 1019. He was a D1 wrestler for the Virginia Military Institute.

Starner has brought that wrestling upbringing to the table throughout his MMA run. All three of his three wins come from being able to apply his wrestling. In his debut, he took on Maceo Bobbs and quickly took him down with a perfectly timed double leg. Bobbs did a good job at least getting back in the guard but as soon as his legs opened Starner jumped right into side control again. Starner locked in an arm-triangle on the opposite side and jumped across the body to lock in tight. Bobbs had no choice to give up his back and Starner took that and won with the RNC.

To go to 2-0 Starner beat Cameron Yancey in the second round. In round one Starner caught a leg kick and dominated, spending nearly the whole round on top. While powering through in tough spots Starner attempted an anaconda choke, kimura, and a triangle all in round one. In round two he caught a kick again to take the fight down. He was setting up a guillotine on top but switched grips and sunk in a d’arce choke for the tap.

His last showing coming just last May, where he beat his toughest challenge to date in Matthew Lamb. Although Starner won due to his wrestling he showed more of his skillset this time out. His striking looked promising, his footwork looked good, and his defense was impressive. In round three Starner defended a takedown and cradled a leg to get on top. Moving into side control, Starner locked in an arm-triangle on the opposite side and jumped across the body and Lamb tapped.

Starner is an excellent wrestler and it’s going to take a darn good amateur to be able to fend him off. In all facets, he’s a solid all-around wrestler. Starner is good at letting guys come forward and use their momentum to take them down. He’s got a good single leg, double leg at space, good at catching kicks, and has outstanding chain wrestling. Even as impressive as his wrestling has been, Starner is also a skillful grappler. His positional grappling has looked outstanding. Being able to methodically set up each move/pass is a fantastic feat. He’s been in positions where he’s losing control but his wrestling, position, and excellent scramble ability have bailed him out.

There are concerns about his stand-up but Starner has looked good in some areas. He has good movement, and is a fighter who is pretty light on his feet with a good bounce to his step. He draws his left hand back like a piston and it looks like his best weapon on the feet. Another thing to like is his hands are high, and he keeps them high throughout the fight.

Hunter Starner is fighting this Saturday in Winchester, Virginia for the Rocket Combat Sports promotion. He’s scheduled to fight Josh Armstrong who doesn’t look too threatening with a 6-7 record. He is still the most experienced fighter Starner has fought however, so it’s a good challenge for the young man.

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Featherweight, Ethan Burmingham (4-0)

Fighting out of Wynne, Arkansas, US
Fighting currently at the age of 17
Training out of The House MMA Academy
A record of 4-0
Three finishes (2 KO/TKO’s, 1 Submission)
Combined opponents’ record: 8-1
Best win: Cameron Hill (8-1)

Burmingham is still a super young kid at only 17-years-old. While he’s nowhere near his full potential, his ability to catch attention speaks volumes. Burmingham has competed in various grappling contests and it’s by far the main focus in his MMA fights. The young man is a serious jiu-jitsu specialist. Comfortable going to his back, he’s extremely flexible and ultra dangerous just throwing his legs up and attacking submissions. Burmingham has a lethal triangle choke which seems to be his favorite tool. If he doesn’t force guys to tap in the triangle he will land elbows and hold them in the position making life difficult. Of all the amateurs I’ve watched Burmingham is one of the best grapplers I’ve seen. He’s the 125-pound submission hunter champion, a five-time world champion, and a ten-time national champion.

Lightweight, David Zoula (8-0)

Fighting out of Kladno, Czech Republic
Fighting currently at the age of 21
Training out of SKS Aréna Kladno
A record of 8-0 1 NC
Four finishes (2 KO/TKO’s, 2 Submissions’)
Combined opponents’ record: 21-10
Best win: Lukáš Jelínek (6-0)

At just 21-years old, Zoula has some good experience as an amateur, which leads me to believe he’ll find success as a pro. He’s proven to be well-rounded, has a deep gas tank, and a clear understanding of what to do in a fight. On the feet, Zoula fights behind long strong kicks going to the legs and the head. He’s good at mixing in kicks behind punches and takedowns, and hiding his shots behind strikes. Once on the mat and on top he’s going to dominate with top position. Most of the time Zoula will hold position and just land short strikes and slowly transition. Zoula will do a fine job on standing up in the guard landing ground and pound and throwing the legs to the side getting into side control. Zoula has tons of potential.

Middleweight, Derik Overstreet (5-1)

Fighting out of Bowling Green, Kentucky, US
Fighting currently at the age of 24
Training out of Nashville MMA
A record of 5-1
Three finishes (3 KO/TKO’s)
Combined opponents’ record: 7-8
Best win: William Conner, Jr. (3-3)

Overstreet definitely looks like a fighter that has a high ceiling. “Lord” did wrestle in high school and was a state qualifier. He earned a scholarship to compete for Western Kentucky and played there for four years and was the captain of the team. I hate that Oversteet has that six-second knockout loss on his record but I feel more times than not Overstreet wins that one. On the feet, Overstreet fights at distance very well with a long jab and powerful kicks. He will also chew guys up in the clinch with knees and has solid control. He has decent wrestling and does have good ground and pound. I’d like to see him keep his hands up higher and his takedown defense needs to improve but he is a super talented athlete.

Strawweight, Natalie Salcedo (5-0)

Fighting out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, US
Fighting currently at the age of 28
Training out of Warrior Fitness Center
A record of 5-0
Four finishes (1 KO/TKO’s, 3 Submissions’)
Combined opponents’ record: 9-10
Best win: Alyssa Garcia (4-1)

Salcedo is a BJJ purple belt and a five-time muay thai champion. Her fighting style reminds me of UFC fighter Victoria Leonardo. She can be a bit stiff with her striking but once she closes the distance she’s a powerhouse inside. There she can utilize her muay thai and slam girls hard to the mat. She actually does have a knockout win by a vicious slam. Salcedo is at her best when on top with smashing ground and pound and some decent jiu-jitsu. Just her physicality will give a lot of women problems.

Lightweight, Almir Talic (4-0)

Fighting out of Boise, Idaho, US
Fighting currently at the age of 21
Training out of SBJ Idaho
A record of 4-0
Three finishes (1 KO/TKO, 3 Submissions’)
Combined opponents’ record: 9-6
Best win: Ryder Small (4-1)

Talic is a strong grappler. In fact, Talic will accept going to his back just to go where he’s comfortable. Of the footage available his striking will need to be tightened up a lot but he does at least throw some nice lower calf kicks. Talic has a flexible guard always throwing up the rubber guard to set up an attack with the armbar or the triangle. He does have three wins coming by a triangle. So far, once Talic is on the mat he’s been in control as his 100% finish rate comes from the ground. He’s someone that could use more experience as an amateur just to refine his overall game before taking the bigger steps in his career.

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If you haven’t checked it out, the first part of our Amateur MMA Roundup is available right here.

Flyweight, Xavier Franklin (5-0)

Fighting out of Lewisville, Texas, US
Fighting currently at the age of 24
Training out of George Prevalsky Muaythai and Boxing
A record of 5-0
Four finishes (4 KO/TKO’s)
Combined opponents’ record: 8-5
Best win: Jacob James (4-0)

Franklin is a tank and shows it every time he steps in the cage. Four of his five wins have been by KO/TKO and all were emphatic finishes. All his fights have been under the LFA banner so it would be nice to see him stick there when he goes pro. From the start, Franklin will come out guns a blazzing throwing nothing but 100% power.

Franklin has really good hands, which all of his stoppages can be credited to. He will let his hands go attacking the body and head and at any time can put the fight away. As a flyweight, he has the speed, the athleticism, the explosiveness, and he has big knockout power for the division.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8NOhYJzB2k

Welterweight, Craig Willingham (6-0)

Fighting out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, US
Fighting currently at the age of 24
Training out of Team Lloyd Irvin
A record of 6-0
100% Finish Rate (6 KO/TKO’s)
Combined opponents’ record: 20-14
Best win: Zach Krapf (4-1)

Willingham is someone I’m fairly confident has a bright future. Willingham is first and foremost a striker. Of what I’ve been able to watch, he has perfect takedown defense. He’s done a good job making guys pay when they shoot as he defends and lands shots of his own. Willingham does have an underrated ground game as it’s put in the review mirror behind some excellent work on the feet.

Willingham is a 6’1″ fighter that knows how to use his length to his advantage. Being a distance fighter he’s excellent at fighting on the outside with long punches including a slick one-two. He uses a lot of kicks and mixes it up nicely. Willingham is very dangerous on the feet with his hands, kicks, knees, athleticism, explosiveness, and his shot-selection. I believe he’s the real deal.

Welterweight, Fernando Reyes (5-0)

Fighting out of  Boca Raton, Florida, US
Fighting currently at the age of 22
Training out of American Top Team
A record of 6-0
100% Finish Rate (2 KO/TKO’s, 3 Submissions’)
Combined opponents’ record: 15-8
Best win: Dylan O’Sullivan (7-4)

Reyes is a big welterweight standing at 6’2″. From what he has shown on the feet, he is super aggressive, has good hands, and seems to have good countering ability. Although he has two TKO’s on his record both of those come by the way of ground and pound.

Reyes has proven to be a good wrestler. So far, he has timed his entries very well. He’s been able to just rush across the cage and bully other guys down. The work Reyes has done on the mat has been substantial. All his finishes have come by ground and pound and submissions. Reyes is all danger on the mat as he’s looked levels above as an amateur.

Featherweight, Bobby Seronio III (4-0)

Fighting out of Vallejo, California, US
Fighting currently at the age of
Training out of Nobody MMA
A record of 4-0
1 Finish (KO/TKO)
Combined opponents’ record: (5-3)
Best win: Ian Masloff (4-3)

Seronio will confuse you as he fights with a taekwondo stance but it’s his wrestling that he goes to the most. He’s very light on his feet and that’s complemented his takedowns. He’s able to close a good amount of distance very quickly and behind a lot of feints as well. He’s tough to read. Seronio even has a few big emphatic takedowns in his career. On top, while he has good control he doesn’t produce much offense.

Seronio is a diverse kickboxer throwing a lot of sidekicks and an array of other flashy techniques. He’s also got good hands especially that right hand. If you dare to come in on him sloppy he has excellent timing on his counter striking. Only 4-0 so time is on his side and with a few adjustments he’s going to be an interesting prospect.

Bantamweight, Dakota Ditcheva (4-0)

Fighting out of England
Fighting currently at the age of
Training out of Aspire Combat Sports Academy
A record of 4-0
2 Finishes (1 KO/TKO, 1 Submission)
Combined opponents’ record: 14-5
Best win: Kerry Isom (8-1)

Ditcheva is likely to run into a lot of women who don’t want to strike with her, and instead test her takedown defense. Ditcheva has an extensive Muay Thai background and a very successful one at that. She is a British Muay Thai champion and a member of the British team that won the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateur World Championships in Jönköping, Sweden. She’s also a three-time world champion.

So far her takedown defense has held up pretty well. You have to close the distance to try and take Ditcheva down but she will make life very tough in the clinch. She does excellent work staying busy with knees while defending wrists and landing while she’s framing off. At distance she will chip away with leg kicks, teep kicks to the midsection, and long strikes. Ditcbeva reminds me of UFC fighter Manon Fiorot comparing the fluidity and constant attack from all angles. Ditcheva has shown she can scramble well on the mat and has a submission base attacking a few subs in her career. In her last fight she won quickly with a RNC. Watch out for Ditcheva.

The post Amateur MMA Roundup II: Five Ammys to Watch For appeared first on Cageside Press.

Born on September 22, 1995, KOTC’s Meaghan Penning hails from Madison, Wisconsin. Currently living in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the strawweight prospect visits her family in Detroit, Michigan for a few weeks every three months. Penning loves to travel and that includes around the US and sometimes overseas. Traveling around the US, Penning finds, can be helpful for her training. That’s a good thing, too, with all that back-and-forth.

The next stop on her itinerary will be in Wyandotte, Michigan, for King of the Cage’s Supremacy 2 on April 13. There, Penning (3-0) will face Marina Coffman with gold on the line.

Penning spoke to Cageside Press about her training and upcoming title bout, among other topics.

“I’ve trained in Denver with Rose Namajunas, in NYC with Renzo Gracie, in San Diego at the Arena, and a few other places. I decided Albuquerque at Fit NHB is the best place for my current goals in fighting so that’s where I live now. Some of those goals include a grittier mentality and fighting style, becoming an eloquent boxer and wrestler, and to continue to improve my ground game, particularly ground and pound.”

At Fit NHB Penning trains with coaches Tom Vaugh, Arlene Sanchez-Vaughn, and Jonathon Judy. When in Michigan at Victorious MMA it’s with Victor Torres, who is the main event on the card. But mostly for the past 6 months, her main sparring partners have been Amber Brown, Nicco Montaño, Brenda Means, and fellow amateur fighters, Sarina Ochoa and Shania Arredondo all at Fit NHB says, Penning.

Before getting into MMA, Penning stated in jiu-jitsu.

“BJJ is where I started, I completed a lot before I switched to MMA. I coached Cross Country running in college which has given me killer cardio and stamina. I also played a little tennis growing up, but in general, I don’t have a very athletic background. Building athleticism was a huge goal of mine and one of the reasons I picked Fit. Daily wrestling classes have made a huge difference already over the last six months.”

Penning made her MMA debut not long ago in July of 2018.

“One of my best friends — Hainite Tuitupou — and I went on a 25 day, 5 country bicycling trip in Europe. While we were there, we were talking about this girl we knew who was in great shape and trained kickboxing,” Penning recalled. “We were like, ‘if we make it back home (it was not the easiest trip…we kinda bit off more than we could chew) we need to train some martial arts and be some bad bitches like that girl.’ So we both did and now, three years later, we’re both 3-0 as amateur fighters. She will be fighting for the Golden Gloves boxing women’s 119 title the same night I’m fighting for the KOTC amateur women’s 115 MMA title.”

While pursuing her MMA career, Penning also takes gigs as a ring card girl for local MMA events. It’s something she certainly enjoys. “I love the glamour and the interactions with the crowd. It’s also showed me who makes up MMA audiences and what they like to see at fights. But more than anything, it’s a great way to gain experience as a fighter – you have the best seats in the house at live fights.”

One of the biggest issues with fighters starting out is usually the weight cut. With Penning, it was a learning experience but she has figured out her weight plan and her diet already. She’s made weight so far in all three of her fights which has been at strawweight (115). Her first two fights Penning had opponent changes and opponents miss weight so she ended up going to 120 for a catchweight.

“Before moving to Albuquerque, I walked around kind of dehydrated all the time. I also ate very low sodium so I’d walk pretty light for the weight class, maybe 121. I remember running in the hot Michigan summer sun and barely sweating two lbs in an hour. Now I know a lot more about the weight cut and have tried a few different techniques. First I tried low sodium and water loading and then would cut 7-8 lbs in the sauna (total) the day before and day of weigh ins said Penning.”

“The last time I fought, I tried more of the wrestling style and liked that a lot better. I start about 10-12 lbs out 1-2 weeks before the fight and each night, I have a new goal weight to hit. The day before weigh-ins, I need to be 5 lbs out and then I cut that in the sauna or hot tub. I emphasize eating foods with high nutrition or calories for low mass weight. Staples include blended nut butters, kale chips, salmon, red meats, and coconut butter bars/cookies. I also eat fruit – maybe two servings a day – oranges, blackberries, and mangoes especially- before and sometimes after my workouts. Makes me feel hydrated and seems to help my muscles with recovery. The sugar also gets me going when I’m sluggish. I try not to cut my water more than half of my normal daily amount until I’m 2-3 days out Penning explains.”

For Penning, it’s all about dedication. “I don’t do anything in my life halfway. If I’m going to do anything, my goal is always to take it all the way,” she said. Whether strawweight will continue to be her home, however, remains to be seen. “It’s still unclear whether I will stay 115 or drop to 105 when I go pro, but whatever weight I end up at, my goal is to be the best in the world at that weight class and defend a title multiple times.”

“After I’ve done that, I want to be in movies that are centered around martial arts stunt scenes like a female John Wick,” explained Panning on her goals in MMA and beyond.

When Cageside Press asked Penning about when she wants to go pro, she said:

“My coaches at Fit NHB want us to stay amateur as long as we can to gain experience. Maybe another 4 or 5 fights. Maybe less maybe more depending on how I progress. I’m confident and excited with the rate at which I’m learning new tools and building athleticism and mentally, I feel ready for anything.”

In three fights, Penning has a 100% finish rate with two stoppages by TKO and one by submission.

“With striking my favorite techniques are all in the footwork. I’ve learned a lot from my coach Arlene about when and how to change up footwork and stances and I’m excited to show more of that. Grappling I love fancy chokes, anacondas and Darce chokes off a transition. I like a lot of things in grappling that might not always be practical in self-defense or in the cage but are cool to learn for the sake of the art.”

Penning will look to improve to 4-0 as an amateur this Saturday for KOTC: Supremacy 2. She’s set to take on 8-fight amateur veteran Marina Coffman.

“She’s 3-5 so she’s had 5 more fights than me and fights regularly. I generally go into a fight the way I would a self-defense situation. I try and take as little damage as possible and finish as quickly as I can. However, I want to make MMA my career and that requires experience in a variety of fighting styles. This fight, I want to show off what I’ve learned in Albuquerque. I don’t want to give it away – you’ll have to come to the fights to find out, but I hope my supporters see me show off some fighting styles I’ve yet to utilize in my past 3 fights.”

To close out the interview we asked a very serious question: PS4 or XBox One?

“Never played either one. I’m awful at video games. The problem is I’ve grown up around video game nerds my whole life so I was always the worst and never properly encouraged. My brother and dad are both computer science majors. As a kid, I played space invaders on a Nintendo 64. One of my best friends since the 4th grade, Mattie, is a consultant at a tech company in West Michigan and her and her fiancé play Xbox one I think? They also recently took up kickboxing. Don’t be my friend — I will convert all your hobbies to martial arts.”

The post Get To Know Meaghan Penning Before Her KOTC Strawweight Title Shot This Saturday appeared first on Cageside Press.