ONE Championship | Singapore | Friday

Lightweight, Christian Lee (15-3)

After a failed title shot in 2018, Lee rebounded and when he moved to welterweight (lightweight under the ONE weight system) he won a title. Lee is excellent on the feet, being quick and dynamic with outstanding footwork. He covers distance quickly and has some dangerous power is everything he throws. His abilities on the mat are there when needed, holding four submission wins to date. At only 23, Lee is already a star for ONE Championship. Imagine where he’s going to be in, say, five years. He’s well-rounded, has solid cardio, and gets better in every fight. He fights Rae Yoon Ok (15-3).

ACA 129 | Russia | Friday

Lightweight, Pavel Gordeev (18-2)

Gordeev has shown he is a promising prospect, beating four undefeated fighters, former UFC fighter Mickael Lebout and Shane Campbell, and other solid competition. Gordeev is mainly a striker who loves to use the jab often. The Russian has good long straight punches and his speed can be a real factor. Gordeev has also shown the ability to land at a high rate as well. His wrestling is decent enough to be effective with good scrambles and an active ground game. He fights Zhorabek Tesheboev (8-2).

Future MMA 13 | Brazil | Friday

Middleweight, Claudio Ribeiro (8-2)

Outside of his pro debut, his only loss is a split decision in 2018. Ribeiro brings a wild approach slinging wild looping punches. He’s a wild man but with a lot of power in his hands. Not just in his hands as Ribeiro throws thunderous leg kicks as well. Ribeiro is someone you don’t want to rush in on as he will catch you. Not someone to sit in the pocket and trade with either because his knockout power is dangerous. He fights Kelles Albuquerque (24-20).

Flyweight, Wellington Souza (8-1)

Souza is an exciting young prospect out of Brazil. He’s competed in some jiu-jitsu competitions but it’s his stand-up that has impressed. Souza throws heavy leg kicks and fights long very well. He throws wide but throws in twos. What makes him dangerous is his explosiveness. Souza likes to throw the flying knee and has a dangerous head kick he’s landed with a few times. Not completely sold on him but he’s worth watching. He fights Eduardo Henrique da Silva (7-1).

Featherweight, Jean Silva (8-2)

Silva is on a five-fight win streak since his last loss in early 2018. In all eight of his wins, Silva has a 100% finish rate. Silva is fast, athletic, powerful, and explosive. There are concerns about his takedown defense. He does a good job at least getting back to his feet and can end the fight at any point when he has space. Silva has the ability to go to air for the flying knee, sit down on heavy punches, attack with kicks, and grab a hold of the neck. Not sure if he’s at a high level but he’s at that excitement level. Silva fights John David (8-3).

LFA 115 | US | Friday

Light heavyweight Joshua Silveira (5-0)

Silveira trains out of American Top Team under head coach and his father, Conan Silveira. He’s currently 5-0 and went 4-0 as an amateur, so he does have good experience. Silveira wrestled in college for Arizona State University and was a Florida high school state champ. With that wrestling pedigree always in his back pocket, he’s able to let loose on the feet. His shot selection is very on-point with his hands, and his left high kick is very sneaky and dangerous. Silveira really checks all the boxes and is a major prospect to watch for. He fights Tee Cummins (3-0).

Light heavyweight, Tee Cummins (4-0)

Although Cummins isn’t experienced much in pro MMA, he has also dabbled in some bare-knuckle boxing for BKFC going 2-0. Cummins has displayed technical ability, patience, and finishing ability. That trifecta isn’t seen much at 205. In his last fight he was able to prove he can wrestler and end the fight with ground and pound. A lot still needs to be seen from Cummins, but he’s looked really good recently. Watching his old fights he’s improved quickly. He fights Josh Silveira (4-0).

Lightweight, Lucas Clay (7-1)

Lucas Clay has wins over good prospects like Brant Moore, JJ Okanovich, and Mike Breeden. On the feet, he’s still green but at least fights long. Clay is a grappler and mostly a submission artist. Both his submission wins are from a rare buggy choke. He is too willing to fight off his back but in the same sense, that’s where he’s most dangerous. There’s a lot Clay can improve on but he’s definitely worth a watch. He fights Jake Kozorosky (5-1).

Featherweight, Edwin Cooper Jr. (4-1)

Cooper is a three-time Illinois high school state champ, an NJCAA National Champ, a D2 finalist, and he was a national qualifier at the University of Iowa. His sole loss came by a submission where the ref made a mistake saying Cooper tapped. Cooper is a top-level wrestler. To wrestle is his intention in every fight as it should be. He’s very aggressive, strong, and crafty. Cooper has a deep gas tank being able to impose his will on you constantly. He’s got lock-down top control and some good ground and pound when the opening is there. He fights Andrew D Johnson (2-0-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOS7ZPXvWQY&t=1180s

Middleweight, Roland Dunlap (2-0)

Dunlap is someone that’s been on my radar ever since he was an amateur. Dunlap has won two wrestling state titles in high school and had a career record of 159-9. He went on to be a three-time All-American and wrestled D3 in the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. Along with that wrestling upbringing, his father was a high-level karate black belt. Dunlap fights very loosely and very long. He’ll throw a lot of kicks and he’ll attack with both legs attacking each side of his opponent. Where Dunlap shines is when he uses his wrestling. Dunlap does nice work changing levels as his opponents come forward to engage. He sneaks under punches to get a hold of the legs to lift guys up and slam them to the mat. To read my more in-depth piece on Dunlap click here. He fights Ryot Waller (3-6).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Christian Lee Looks to Continue His Reign appeared first on Cageside Press.

BRAVE CF 50 | Bahrain | Wednesday

Welterweight, Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi (15-2)

Jarrah Hussein is well-rounded with exceptional cardio and that has won him the Brave CF welterweight title twice. On the feet, once he gets warmed up, he’s a skilled striker. I like the way he kicks the legs after combinations. His striking defense could be better and so could his takedown defense but I think he’s at his best on the mat. He has five submissions and can threaten from both on the top and bottom. Hussein has good jiu-jitsu and while he is a bit more of a slower fighter, he has good technique. He fights former UFC fighter Ismail Naurdiev (20-4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPQNucwa92w

Light heavyweight, Mohamed Said Maalem (11-3)

Born in Geneva, Maalem is a good prospect. Not often do you see a heavyweight with an 11-3 record and on a six-fight win streak. The biggest issue is he’s 37-years-old. Despite his age, he hasn’t had any signs of slowing down and at heavyweight, you can get away with being older. Still, with one more loss he could be set back too far to make an impact in a major promotion. On the feet, Maalem has clubbing striking throwing big looping overhands. He does hit hard and strikes well to close the distance. He has solid wrestling and on top he’s going to threaten with big ground and pound. He fights Mohammad Fakhreddine (14-4) for the title.

Light heavyweight, Anton Turkalj (6-0)

Turkalj is a raw talent fighting out of Sweden. He’s a big guy standing at 6’4″ and is super athletic. On the feet, Turkalj fights long with a jab and kicks. He’s explosive throwing spinning kicks and flying knees as well. He puts together punches and knees well and can finish the fight at any moment. The Swede has an array of submissions dating back to his amateur MMA career. He’s well-rounded and although he’s still raw he’s got the skillset to go far in his division. He fights Konstantin Soldatov (5-1).

Featherweight, Borislav Nikolić (8-0)

Nikolić’s main attribute is his solid jiu-jitsu. Even off his back, Nikolić is aware of what’s going on. He scrambles well and is good at making bad positions into good ones. He oftentimes transitions into the mount or to the back to later finish the fight. Nikolić has excellent ground and pound. He’s finished fights a couple of times with ground shots. When not getting the finish, he has at least used ground and pound to improve the position or get to a submission. Shockingly enough, Nikolić actually comes from some sort of kickboxing background. Not that his stand-up is bad, per se, but his grappling is where he’s looked most comfortable before. I would like to see him cut the cage off more, but his hands are looking good. He throws in combos, and despite lacking power, he makes up for it in aggression. Nikolić has finished seven of his eight fights via submission. What he’s good at is attacking the neck, as he has earned two guillotines finishes and three rear-naked chokes. He fights former UFC fighter and TUF winner Brad Katona (8-2).

Lightweight, Amin Ayoub (15-4)

25-year-old French fighter Amin Ayoub already has a good amount of fights under his belt. He hasn’t lost a fight in over two years and he’s currently on a seven-fight win streak. Ayoub is a European kickboxing champion but eight of his MMA wins come by submission. His takedown defense needs a lot of work but at least he does have a dangerous guard. Ayoub on the feet throws good output and mixes his kicks and punches together well. Not sold on him but he has a lot of talent. He fights Mashrabjon Ruziboev (10-2-1).

Bantamweight, Bair Shtepin (9-3)

From Russia, Bair Shtepin is one of the best-kept secrets among all Russian prospects. From the start of his career, he’s fought for Fight Nights Global and M-1 always testing his skillset. He’s only lost to good fighters and has beat good fighters as well. Shtepin is a diverse striker on the feet that mixes a bit of everything into combinations. The Russian likes to keep his opponents guessing throwing from different angles. He loves to be a bit flashy as that spinning kick to the body is money. The accuracy, the timing, and the setups with feints are all perfectly set-up. To make everything better he can wrestle when needed and has a good ground game. He fights Alexander Keshtov (9-1).

CFFC 94 | US | Friday

Welterweight, Bassil Hafez (6-1-1)

Hafez made a huge statement in his last fight. Not only did he win the CFFC welterweight title more impressively he beat a top prospect in Christien Savoie. Hafez is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Ricardo and Phil Migliarese. Even though Hafez beat a top prospect like Savoie, he does need to show a bit more overall. He defends his title against Evan Cutts (11-4).

Welterweight, Nick Alley (7-3)

Mid-2018, Alley was 3-3 and on a three-fight skid. However, Alley has hit his stride and is now on a four-fight win streak. He even beat John Gotti III in his last fight putting the brakes on that hype train. Alley is mainly a grappler and a big submission threat with five career subs. Even off his back, he’s comfortable there because of his strong jiu-jitsu. No matter where he’s at on the mat he’s happy. He fights Solomon Renfro (6-1).

iKon Fighting Federation | Mexico | Friday

Lightweight, Elvin Espinoza (4-0)

Espinoza is only 4-0 but is someone that’s caught my eye. Espinoza is a strong wrestler who has manhandled guys lifting and slamming them down to the mat. He is a grinder on top who is heavy with position and will take anything his opponents give him. On the feet, I want to see him move his head more but he’s held his own. He has good hands that are improving. He fights Luis Campa (3-2).

CFFC 95 | US | Saturday

Bantamweight, Paul Capaldo (5-0)

Capaldo is still young in his career but I will say it already seems like he’s now in his prime. He already has everything you look for in a fighter and is someone I’m sure will reach a big stage soon. Capaldo on the feet throws everything with heavy power looking to the finish. He has an excellent head kick which he has a knockout by in his pro debut. Not only a striker as Capaldo is probably a better wrestler than anything. Capaldo throws at a good pace and can do it for three solid rounds going the distance three times in his pro career. He fights Chris Vasil (4-1).

Bellator 255 | US | Friday

Lightweight, Usman Nurmagomedov (11-0)

A cousin of former UFC champ Khabib and brother of UFC fighter Umar, Usman Nurmagomedov is a kickboxer at heart. He doesn’t throw with much power but he’s flashy and diverse with his attacks. He will throw spinning kicks, roundhouse kicks, and question mark kicks. Usman stays unpredictable attacking with all limbs and throws combos with just his legs alone. His wrestling is good, as well as timing double legs and on top. Simply put, he is a big threat. He fights Mike Hamel (7-4).

Welterweight, Jason Jackson (13-4)

Jackson is a good striker who is technical with an excellent jab and a crushing right hand. This product out of the former Blackzilians gym is a very good wrestler as well as being very well-rounded. He’s super athletic and seems to get better every time he fights. He already has career wins against Ben Henderson, Jordan Mein, Dhiego Lima, and Kiichi Kunimoto. He fights Neiman Gracie (10-1).

Bantamweight, Magomed Magomedov (17-1)

Magomedov is a good striker that has improved over the years but owns a better kicking game. He likes to get flashy at times, throwing a lot of spinning kicks which may be his best weapon. He is an excellent wrestler with superb grappling and can wrestle/grapple during the duration of the fight with his tremendous endurance. His only loss has been to the former UFC bantamweight champ Petr Yan. But he also has beaten Yan in the past so that says a lot about him. He fights Cee Jay Hamilton (15-7).

Welterweight, Mukhamed Berkhamov (14-1)

Berkhamov is a very solid fighter that can go the distance or finish. He has solid cardio going the distance three times but mainly ending the fight with his striking. He only throws a strike at a time but he is very explosive and is very hard to read as he throws hooks, jabs, leg kicks and head kicks and his timing is perfect. Berkhamov has soild wrestling as he changes levels great and always gets the takedown. He is very good on top moving well and stays heavy and gets dominate position frequently. He fights Herman Terrado (13-5-1).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Berkhamov, Magomedov, Nurmagomedov and More! appeared first on Cageside Press.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired, and even if “The Eagle” is lured back by Dana White for one last fight, the 29-0 champ’s days are numbered. Arch-nemesis Conor McGregor is set to battle Dustin Poirier for the second time, with that fight going down in just a matter of weeks. The winner of that fight could very well be fast-tracked to the title. Michael Chandler is arriving that same night, at UFC 257.

Which means the 155lb division in 2021 could look very different. So who should the promotion bring into the mix? We’ve got our picks lined up.

Here’s a look at last year’s list, featuring current UFC roster members Alexander Shabliy, Guram Kutateladze, Jai Herbert, and Nikolas Motta signing with the UFC in 2020. Usman Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, signed on with Bellator MMA later in 2020.

Bruno Miranda
Mansour Barnaoui
Alexander Shabliy
Guram Kutateladze
Jai Herbert
Mateusz Rebecki
Nikolas Motta
Rafa Garcia
Tofiq Musayev
Usman Nurmagomedov

Here’s who we see as deserving of a shot in 2021.

The post 10 Lightweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2021 appeared first on Cageside Press.