After weathering early success from Daniel Barez, Gurule’s relentless pressure, power, and grappling control took over, carrying him to a clear-cut unanimous decision victory.

Round 1 – They met in the center with both men bouncing in and out, but it was Barez who landed the first significant shot, cracking Gurule with a clean right hand. Gurule tried to respond, but Barez’s footwork was sharp early.

Barez then began targeting the legs, landing several calf kicks in under a minute before establishing his jab. Gurule fired a body kick that was caught, and Barez attempted to attack the opposite leg for a sweep but couldn’t complete it.

Gurule answered with a blitz, unleashing a flurry that forced Barez to clinch and shoot for a takedown, which led to Gurule briefly giving up his back. Gurule quickly adjusted, spinning to face Barez and settling into half guard.

From there, Gurule locked in a D’Arce choke that tightened as Barez defended, but Barez managed to survive until Gurule released the hold.

Back on the feet, Gurule applied pressure as Barez continued to recover.

Round 2 – Barez returned to his game plan, looking for the calf kick early in the round. Gurule pressed forward again, but this time Barez stood his ground, trading shots and landing a strong right hand.

That clean right began to swing momentum in his favor, with his footwork playing a key role in keeping him out of danger. When he stayed mobile, he found success. When he stood in front of Gurule, he paid for it.

Gurule eventually found his rhythm, landing heavy shots as Barez began to show signs of fatigue and absorb more damage. Undeterred by anything coming back at him, Gurule continued to push forward aggressively.

A massive combination rocked Barez, and Gurule immediately surged forward looking for the finish. Barez tried to clinch and slow things down, but Gurule countered by lifting and slamming him with a suplex.

With Barez down against the fence, Gurule unloaded with ground strikes, landing freely. Barez attempted a takedown in response, but it was unsuccessful. Gurule answered with a big elbow and continued to hunt him down.

Round 3 – Gurule was firmly in control as Barez dug deep, searching for a way back into the fight.

The post Luis Gurule Overwhelms Barez with Pressure, Earns Clear Decision Win appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both men were coming off victories, but it was Lima who was an undefeated 10-0 to start the night, with three straight wins under the UFC banner. That of course included the infamous DQ victory over Igor Severino, after Severino was caught biting in the octagon. As for the Spaniard, he was coming off his first UFC victory after dropping his debut to Jafel Filho.

Lima opened with a heavy leg kick right away that Barez answered with a combination. Lima wasted no time finding his rhythm with multiple leg kicks, a stiff jab, then a right hand. He then landed a big right hand that stunned Barez. As Lima was calmly hunting down Barez, the Spaniard perfectly timed a takedown and hopped on Lima’s back. Lima immediately fought the hands and dragged Barez off his back.

The Brazilian then started targeting the body with his lead hand. Barez swung with power, trying to dissuade Lima’s constant forward movement, but to no avail. Lima kept plodding forward and was beautifully mixing his weapons and targets. Barez seemed out of answers. An eye poke with 30 seconds left in the round put a stop to the action, but it resumed less than a minute later. Barez attempted a takedown late in the round, but this time Lima easily stuffed it.

As the bell sounded again, Lima was right back at it with punishing leg and body kicks. He stuffed a takedown and then threw a leg kick that stumbled Barez. With a bloodied Barez focused on protecting his head and his legs, Lima feinted high and then dug to the body with his hands. You could hear the thud from those body shots in the empty Apex. Lima, who had clearly found his groove, started to extend his combinations as Barez could do nothing but cover up.

With Barez keeping his high guard, Lima advanced into the pocket and started landing knees and elbows. As the Brazilian was firing elbows to the head, he took a look at referee Kerry Haltey, wondering if he was going to stop the fight. Barez, who had never been finished via strikes in his professional career, used his surviving instincts and kept moving just enough along the fence to keep the referee out of it. Lima used an outside trip from the clinch to get the fight to the ground and landed in side control. Barez worked his way to a full guard and tied up Lima to limit the amount of damage he could inflict. A bullying round from Lima, that should be scored 10-8.

Round three opened with a takedown from Lima in the first 30 seconds. After landing some body shots from full guard, Lima temporarily got up on his feet for a couple seconds, but went back to the ground. This time, Lima wasn’t satisfied with landing strikes from full guard and started playing a little more jiu-jitsu. He took Barez’s back and after working for it, he eventually got the rear-naked choke and forced a tap.

After systematically breaking him down over the first two rounds, Lima secured his first career submission win. The undefeated 26-year-old now moves to 4-0 inside the promotion and could be looking at ranked opposition next.

Official Result: Andre Lima def. Daniel Barez by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 3:05

The post UFC Vegas 104: Andre Lima Stays Perfect, Subs Daniel Barez appeared first on Cageside Press.

Barez (16-6) fought for the first time in a year having dropped his UFC debut in July 2023. The loss to Jafel Filho put him on the shelf until now, and the Spaniard looked to get his first UFC victory in Paris.

Altamirano (12-4) came into Paris on a two-fight losing streak having lost to Tim Elliot and Felipe dos Santos respectively. The Mexican flyweight held a 2-3 UFC record so far with the hopes of getting back to .500 against Barez.

Round 1 Altamirano used a wide stance to keep Barez at bay, but it only worked momentarily as he ate a massive right hand and got dropped early. Barez was on top landing shots until Altamirano was able to break him down. Instead of trying to finish the fight on the ground Barez invited Altamirano back to the feet.

Altamirano got the message and he quickened the pace using combinations ended with head kicks. Barez was able to eat a couple of them without getting hurt, but he kept the pressure up forcing Altamirano on the back foot.

Altamirano was able to land a short combo as the round ended.

Round 2 both men have their rhythm down with Barez trying to force the hands up top, and Altamirano really going for those head kicks. Barez was repeatedly able to force Altamirano to the fence, but the Mexican fighter made his way out using lateral movement.

Altamirano continued his combo attacks almost always finishing with the kick up high. Barez meanwhile snuck in a few right hands and one that dropped his opponent once again. Altamirano popped right back to his feet however and the round ended with a Barez flurry.

Round 3 Altamirano went in on body kicks early in the round with Barez firing back with the right hand. Victor landed a nice spinning attack that rocked Daniel for a moment, that elbow was nice, and it seemed as though Altamirano finally got the upper hand in momentum.

Altamirano stayed on the pace landing plenty of kicks with his combinations. Not much in terms of takedowns from Altamirano. With 10 seconds left in the round Barez dropped Altamirano once again, but ran out of time to try for a finish.

Official Result: Daniel Barez def. Victor Altamirano via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)

The post Daniel Barez Drops Altamirano Multiple Times, Takes Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

Filho might be remembered as the man who trapped Muhammad Mokaev in a nasty kneebar earlier this year, though he would ultimately lose that fight. Barez, meanwhile, was a late arrival to the UFC, with the Spanish standout a talent many had wanted to see in the octagon years earlier.

It was straight to action between the two on Saturday as both were letting their hands go. Filho made the first move going for a takedown but Barez defended. He then made him pay with a few heavy outside leg kicks. Barez then dropped Filho with a left hook and again with a nasty kick to the body. The body shots were nasty. Barez was out for blood but Filho started to gain traction of his own pressing Barez back. Barez got some respect back but Filho was aggressive and eventually got the takedown. Barez was spent and Filho easily passed to mount and locked in a arm triangle, and the fight was all over with the tap coming moments later!

What a comeback for @JafelFilho 🤯

He gets the submission win in round 1!

[ #UFCLondon | Live on @ESPNPlus 📺 ] pic.twitter.com/vLVSbzhYVM

— UFC (@ufc) July 22, 2023

A big first win for Jafel Filho, who said following the bout that he felt he was now a complete mixed martial artist.

Official Result: Jafel Filho def. Daniel Bárez by submission (arm-triangle), Round 1, 3:26

The post UFC London: Jafel Filho Survives Nasty Body Shots, Submits Daniel Bárez appeared first on Cageside Press.

Daniel Barez
Standing at five-foot-six
Fighting at 125 lbs (flyweight)
34-years-old
Fighting out of Valencia, Spain
Training out of Fight4Life Home
A pro record of 16-5
7 KO/TKOs, 6 Submissions

How will Barez fare in the UFC:

Barez is finally in the UFC after years wasted outside the promotion. He fought on the Contender Series in 2021, in a fight he lost that I thought he clearly won. Barez then had to go back to Mexico wasting almost two years of his prime squashing low-level guys. It was a bad decision not signing him sooner but it’s better late than never. It just sucks he’s already 34 but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

If you watched Barez over the years you would notice incredible growth and talent. Starting off, his striking is a serious problem. It’s so much of a problem his wrestling is forgotten about a lot. I wouldn’t say he’s a great grappler but he can hold his own quite well. I’m more impressed with his wrestling. Barez has excellent timing on his takedown entries timing guys coming in and going in underneath. He’s obviously a better striker but having six submission wins he can’t be slept on or he will be the one putting you to sleep.

One thing you can always expect is for Barez to come out aggressive letting everything go. Barez likes to set the tone with a strong stiff jab and damaging leg kicks. He’s best when going forward but can crack you with his check left hook if you’re sloppy. Barez can get a bit wild at times on the feet. Saying that it’s part of how dangerous he is. Even though he’s reckless he’s very accurate. His body-head work is excellent and he has some big power at 125.

I’m really high on Barez and I have high hopes for him in the UFC. Not a lot of people will be able to strike with him. His takedown defense will be tested a lot but it’s good enough to hang with most of them. I easily see him as a future top-15 flyweight.

How he matches up with Filho:

Filho has a good showing in his UFC debut loss to highly touted Muhammad Mokaev. Filho looked so good because Mokaev played right into Filho’s game taking him to the mat. Styles make fights and Barez is going to try to keep this fight standing. I don’t rate the wrestling of Filho too high but he could get the fight down off a scramble. I believe Barez has good enough grappling to at least survive. On the feet, Filho stands tall and his hands are low being an open target for Barez. I see Barez having a field day going to the body draining the energy and eventually finishing Filho.

The post Welcome to the UFC: Daniel Barez appeared first on Cageside Press.

We’re back at it again four years later, and once again, we’ve decided to bring in a few other opinions. This time out, we polled a few journalists and other respected minds in the MMA space for five prospects we believe are UFC-ready.

Up first is James Colwell, who is an excellent scout. I’ve been scouting and writing about prospects for years and James knows just as much as me if not more. His scouting ability is so good and I even think he does a better job than myself. Shoot him a follow on Twitter because he deserves way more respect.

When choosing my top 5, I tried to limit it to active fighters that the UFC has a realistic chance of signing, so no one currently under contract with ONE/KSW/ACA, though guys like Anatoly Malykhin, Adrian Bartosiński, and Islam Omarov certainly deserve honorable mentions and would make a big impact in the UFC rankings. I also excluded anyone who’s fought for Bellator or PFL to keep the focus on less-known prospects.

Shamil Gaziev: 10-0, Heavyweight

As we frequently see on UFC cards, HW is a very shallow division globally and it only
takes a few signature wins to get an opportunity at the highest level. Gaziev has the massive power in his hands one would expect from the big boys, but his wrestling ability and successful amateur career (9-2 for IMMAF including the 2019 world title) are what really make him stand out. Gaziev is massively muscular and has had to cut to make 265 in his career, but his ARES FC debut showed his cardio is sufficient to grind out three rounds of grappling. He took on Kirill Kornilov, who is an elite kickboxer and entered the fight 13-0-1, and Gaziev smartly committed to his takedowns early and often. It wasn’t the most thrilling fight, as there was lots of smothering top control at the fence base and short GnP, but he showed good technique with wrist rides, trapped his opponent’s legs, and generally used his size and weight to his advantage.

His most recent win showed a very different side to his game, as he took on UFC vet Darko Stošić (17-5) in an absolute brawl that lasted less than three minutes but was packed with power shots on both sides. Gaziev proved his chin can stand up to big power and scored a highlight knockout that is exactly what the UFC matchmakers love. I think he’d be an immediate threat to the top 15 rankings, as there are few other humans on this planet who have his combination of raw size, grappling technique, and heavy hands.

Murad Magomedov: 13-0, Bantamweight

Murad has compiled a very impressive record despite still being in his 20s, and he hasn’t
just been crushing cans like we sometimes see with undefeated fighters. His opponents have a combined record of 97-39-1, including four straight decision wins in top Russian promotion ACA, with all of those fights at flyweight. Magomedov then took a couple of years off before making his debut for UAE Warriors at 135 pounds, and he impressed by knocking down Alimardan Abdykaarov (16-1-1) in the second round then battering him with GnP until he opened up a chance for an RNC submission. His most recent fight was even more impressive, as he immediately doubled Javlonbek Tokhtaboev (10-5) over with a hard kick to the body, launched into the air for a flying knee that didn’t land flush but still did some damage, then transitioned quickly to a guillotine that forced an immediate tap and earned him a submission in just 23 seconds.

These wins for UAE Warriors have shown off his finishing instincts with submissions
and that he has the striking necessary to hurt his opponents, and he’s already proven he has the cardio and durability necessary to go three hard rounds during his time with ACA. He’s a smart fighter who doesn’t make many mistakes and is quick to exploit openings his opponents give him, and there really aren’t many holes that I’ve found in his game. His UAE fights have been on UFC Fight Pass, so there’s no way the matchmakers aren’t aware of him, and he’d be a great addition to the stacked UFC bantamweight division or could even drop back down to flyweight if he wants a quicker path to contention.

Losene Keita: 11-0, Featherweight

Keita is an explosive and dynamic wrecking ball who burst onto the international scene
with his Oktagon debut in December 2021 and has been running through top European
competition since. He was born in Guinea but moved to Belgium and went 3-0 as an amateur then 6-0 as a pro fighting nobodies for small shows mostly in the Netherlands before making the move to Oktagon for a big step up in competition. He proved he was more than ready for the challenge with a first-round KO of a decent prospect in Karol Ryšavý (9-3) followed by a beatdown of Ronald Paradeiser (13-7) where he won by decision purely because his opponent refused to be finished. That set up a lightweight title shot against Ivan Buchinger (39-7), one of the more under-rated fighters in Europe and someone I consider a real top-level gatekeeper. Keita passed that test with flying colors, overwhelming his opponent with aggression and athleticism while throwing powerful hooks for a one-sided round one KO. That was when I first thought he was ready for the UFC, but instead, he dropped to 145 pounds, continued to dominate great opponents, and just became a double-champ for Oktagon. His first fight at featherweight was a great test of his versatility, as he had mostly been known for his striking but was matched against an elite Muay Thai practitioner in Samuel Bark (8-1). Keita intelligently got an early takedown, took away some of his opponent’s explosiveness with wrestling pressure and GnP, then started to go to work with his own striking in round two, which included a knockdown to end the round. He showed off his cardio and killer instinct by swarming immediately and finished the job with vicious hooks after just thirty seconds of round three.

His willingness to keep risking his perfect record against top competition is admirable, as he was scheduled to challenge Mate Sanikidze (9-2) for the 145-pound title but happily accepted an interim title shot against Jakub Tichota (5-1) when his original opponent was forced out with an injury. Keita once again outclassed a good fighter pretty much everywhere and broke Tichota down before finishing him in round four with his patented power combos. There have been rumors that he was previously offered a short-notice UFC fight but nobody wanted to fight him, and with the ability he’s shown it’s hard to blame them. I expect him to feature on the next UFC card in mainland Europe, or even sooner if he can get a visa for the USA.

Eldar Eldarov: 14-1, Welterweight

Eldarov is the first guy on this list with a loss, but its aged about as well as humanly
possible as it came in his second pro fight, all the way back in 2009, against someone you may have heard of named Khabib Nurmagomedov. Eldarov then crushed a bunch of cans to build up a win streak before signing with Brave for their first-ever event in 2016. He’s 6-0 there with three finishes and three decision wins against much stronger opposition with an impressive combined record of 64-18, including future UFC fighter Mounir Lazzez, which has extended his win streak to thirteen straight. Sambo is his base and he’s clearly most comfortable when wrestling, but his BJJ has continuously improved, his GnP is naturally powerful, and his striking on the feet is good enough to present a threat.

Despite a nearly 15-year career, Eldarov is still just 31 and he stays in incredible shape, which translates into the cardio necessary to push a high pace for 25 minutes as he proved in his decision win over Lazzez for the 165lb super-lightweight title. The main things holding Eldarov back from UFC success are outside the cage, as I think he’d immediately be ready to challenge the top 15 if he were signed. He’s only fought once per year with Brave and didn’t fight at all during 2020 when the promotion stopped having events due to the pandemic. He’s able to fight so infrequently because he is the head coach for KHK MMA, a team sponsored directly by the rulers of Bahrain who also own Brave and have deeply entwined the promotion, country, and fight camp. I doubt they would want to see Eldarov go off to fight in the UFC, especially with the risk that he might lose and reduce some of his prestige as a coach, but if the UFC matchmakers can somehow make it happen it would be an incredible addition to an already deep 170lb division.

Makoto Takahashi: 16-1-1, Flyweight

I’ve got to give some credit to the UFC, as up until a few months ago this spot would
have been filled by one of the elite Kazakh flyweights Asu Almabaev or Azat Maksum, both of whom have been added to the roster recently. Takahashi is another elite prospect at 125lbs, and he’s the youngest of them at just 22 years old. He’s spent the majority of his career with long-running Japanese promotion DEEP after making his professional debut at just 15 years old. He quickly amassed a 6-0-1 record, with all of those fights going to a decision, before getting a title shot at just 17 years old against future ONE strawweight Tatsumitsu Wada. This turned out to be Takahashi’s only loss, again by decision, as he just wasn’t prepared to take on a 29-year-old in his physical prime who also had 4 times as many fights as him. He’s since put together a stellar 10-fight win streak including a title for DEEP in a second opportunity, a later defense of that title, a decision win for Bellator that was also one of the only times in his career that he’s missed weight, three wins for Rizin including one to start April 2023, and a dominant performance in November 2022 to claim the CFFC title and introduce himself to the USA audience. He’s fought some journeymen but most of his opponents during this run have been talented.

After getting a reputation for dull fights when his first twelve went to decisions, Takahashi has won four of his last 6 by submission as he’s grown into his adult strength and continued to improve his already excellent cardio. He’s shown creative and versatile BJJ with a particular knack for finishes from the front headlock by securing a guillotine, a ninja choke, a modified high-elbow guillotine set up by repeated horizontal rolls, and an arm triangle. He is a flexible and dynamic grappler who pushes a fast pace and can escape, sweep, and/or threaten submissions from anywhere on the mat. His striking is markedly improved every time he fights and he showcased some nasty GnP in his most recent fight, battering his opponent with grounded knees and slicing him with elbows to set up the round-one submission win. He’s always adding new elements to his game and at such a young age, the sky is the limit for Takahashi. I’ve heard rumors that he’s looking to set up big-name match-ups in Japan, but if he decides the UFC is where he wants to be, they’d be crazy not to give him a call. They might send him through DWCS because of his age, but I think Takahashi easily has the ability to be signed directly and join Tatsuro Taira in the new wave of exciting Japanese flyweight prospects.

The post MMA Prospect Roundtable 2023: Which Up-and-Comers Are UFC-Ready? appeared first on Cageside Press.

Missing weight is never a good look; missing weight for the Contender Series is almost certainly the death knell for any hopes of winning a UFC contract. While there’s nothing specifically that forbids Dana White from handing out a UFC deal to someone who has missed weight (after all, he’s awarded a contract to a losing fighter already this season), it means that a spectacular finish is pretty much a necessity.

This week, it was Joshua Weems missing weight for his bantamweight bout with Fernie Garcia. The fight is still on (unlike last week, which saw Manuel Gaxhja miss weight then have to pull out of his bout with Chris Duncan), moving forward at a 139lb catchweight.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5, Week 6 kicks off at 8PM ET, airing live on ESPN+ in the United States, and on UFC Fight Pass elsewhere. Full results from the card, at the UFC Apex, can be found below.

A weird start to Valdez vs. White saw Alaska’s Patrik White forget his protective cup prior to entering the cage. And his mouth guard. After stepping out to get his gear in place, White returned and blitzed off the opening bell. Valdez landed a takedown, but White was quickly back to his feet. Valdez would begin finding success on the feet, but opted to take the fight down again, only to be met with the same result — White was right back up. A third takedown saw White give up his back, allowing Valdez to lock on a choke, but White broke free.

Then came a slugfest. White got the upper hand, and Valdez looked like he was done, tagged over and over. White’s mouth piece went flying, but for the most part, he had the upper hand. That picked up again in the second, until Valdez knocked White’s mouth piece out once again. Valdez then landed a left-right combo, putting White down for the comeback TKO victory.

The middleweight bout between Joseph Holmes and Shonte Barnes was halted early due to an accidental headbutt, but both were okay to continue. Holmes won the positional battle along the fence, earning some control time before Barnes finally escaped out. Holmes went upstairs with a kick that was blocked; towards the end of the round, Barnes pursued a takedown but couldn’t land it.

Barnes worked the body in round two, and started the round stronger, but two minutes in, Holmes landed a takedown and took the back, getting both hooks in. That led to a body triangle, and he soon had the rear-naked choke in deep. Barnes was forced to tap, giving Holmes the second-round finish.

Weems was active early in the opening round of his fight with Fernie Garcia, and kicked the legs out from under his opponent. He found success with an overhand, high kicks, but was clipped with a counter on the way in by a left hook. Fernie later dropped Weems with a couple of hooks, one from each side, then swarmed with ground n’ pound. That was all she wrote!

Flyweights Daniel Barez and Carlos Hernandez went the distance in a spirited 15 minute affair. Both men had their moments in a fight filled with knees, takedowns, and heavy punches, with Hernandez taking a split decision win on the scorecards.

Canada’s Mike Malott barely broke a sweat in the night’s featured fight, locking in a guillotine and forcing the tap from Shimon Smotritsky in less than a minute.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5 Week 6 Results

Welterweight: Mike Malott def. Shimon Smotritsky by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 0:39
Flyweight: Carlos Hernandez def. Daniel Barez by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Catchweight (139 lbs): Fernie Garcia def. Joshua Weems by TKO, Round 1, 2:10
Middleweight: Joseph Holmes def. Shonte Barnes by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:46
Lightweight: Genaro Valdéz def. Patrik White by TKO, Round 2, 0:44

Contract Winners: Genaro Valdez, Fernie Garcia, Carlos Hernandez, Mike Malott. Joseph Holmes did not receive a UFC deal but will compete on Dana White’s Looking for a Fight in November.

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 5 Week 6 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Originally, Fernie Garcia had been paired up with Paul Capaldo for a bantamweight bout, but with the latter pulling out, Joshua Weems stepped in.

Last week, only two contracts were handed out by Dana White. Would the show surpass that in week six? Here’s a look ahead.

Welterweight: Shimon Smotritsky Vs. Mike Malott

Tale of the Tape

Pros and Cons

Who has the advantage?

Striking: Malott
Speed: Even
Output/Volume: Malott
Knockout Power: Malott
Chin: Smotritsky
Kickboxing: Smotritsky
Footwork: Malott
Wrestling: Smotritsky
Grappling: Even
Submissions: Smotritsky
Cardio: Even

Prediction

This is a very good fight made by the matchmakers that is quietly flying under the radar. Smotritsky was someone I wasn’t familiar with but was impressed with his tape. Malott, I scouted years ago and was impressed. Beating a guy like Solomon Renfro in his last fight proves he’s who I thought he was back then.

On paper, Smotritsky looks to have the better grappling but it’s near even. Wrestling wise Smotritsky has a slight advantage but not by much. Both are talented strikers but Malott has more tools. So far in their careers, Malott has been touched up more and the hands of Smotritsky have improved with each fight. It’s close but I’m edging it to Malott. With Smotritsky I think he has to find the win from landing more output and setting finishing sequences up. Malott on the other hand can end it at any time and as the fight goes he’s likely to get stronger.

The post DWCS 2021 Week 6 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

Arguably, Comeback of the Year for 2020 could very well have been handed to the 125lb weight class as a whole. Deiveson Figueiredo emerged as a bonafide star, and by the end of the year, he and Brandon Moreno had put on what many consider to be the greatest flyweight title fight of all time.

That bodes well for the division’s future as we set off into 2021. But who should the UFC bring in? With the weight class red-hot, now is the perfect time to really commit to the flyweights and bolster the roster.

Here’s a look at last year’s list, featuring current UFC roster members Aleksander Doskalchuk, Brandon Royval, David Dvorak, Malcolm Gordon, and Tagir Ulanbekov.

David Dvorák
Brandon Royval
Tagir Ulanbekov
Malcolm Gordon
Jake Hadley
Juan Puerta
Aleksander Doskalchuk
Jean Matsumoto
Santo Curatolo
Gian Souza

Who should join the party in 2021? Read on!

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

Rough couple of weeks, right MMA fans? No UFC, a barely any major promotions in action at the end of November. A new month, and that all changes. The UFC is back, as is ONE Championship, Combate Americas, KSW, and more!

One Championship | Friday | Malaysia

Bantamweight: Gary Mangat (15-2)

A very solid all-around fighter, on the feet, Mangat is mainly a kickboxer. He chops at the legs, goes to the body, and connects to the head and at times it’s all set up at the end of combinations. Mangat is an excellent wrestler with nice timing on his level changes and on his double leg takedowns. The way Mangat is able to catch his opponent’s kick and take the fight down shows great awareness with wrestling ability. In top position, Mangat has very sound ground-and-pound, he is always landing no matter what position he is in. Mangat has shown he is a threat to take the back but his ground-and-pound may be his best weapon. He fights Reece McLaren (12-7) who is a good fighter in his own right.

Flyweight: Bokang Masunyane (6-0)

A former Commonwealth Games wrestler, the South African is a ball of energy standing at only 5’1″. On the feet, he has some power and is very explosive. Wanting to always close the distance he’s creative in the ways he does it throwing some “Showtime” type stuff. It’s easy for Masunyane to get low and when he does he will take you for a ride. Extremely strong, he shows that as soon as he gets his hands together. On the mat, he’s fluid in his movement and dominant with control. He fights Ryuto Sawada (12-4-1).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: Brave, Combate, KSW and a Bit More appeared first on Cageside Press.