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Flyweight, Luke Shanks (6-1)

Shanks is an aggressive fighter who is a wrestler first. On the feet, Shanks hits hard but everything he does is to close the distance. With strong wrestling, he has a strong top position. He has solid ground and pound and early in his pro career, he started 3-0 with three submission wins. Shanks has a deep gas tank and that is where his pressure has just broken opponents so far. He fights the champ, Samir Faiddine (11-6).

Flyweight, Jake Hadley (5-0)

Hadley is only 5-0 as a pro but in his amateur career, he was successful and was a 4x amateur British flyweight champion. When Hadley was only 3-0 as a pro he fought a top prospect in Nkazimulo Zulu. Hadley beat him for the EFC Worldwide Flyweight Championship. Hadley hasn’t really had much time on the feet, but it seems he knows what to do if he can’t get the fight to the mat. Hadley is a good wrestler but it’s his jiu-jitsu that is his best aspect. His transitions are smooth and his ability to take the back is superb. He’s a big submission threat with nine career submissions. He fights Shajidul Haque (10-4) who is a good test.

Lightweight, Oban Elliott (3-0)

Elliott is 3-0 as a pro, and he went 7-0 as an amateur as well. The story of Elliott for the main part has been him closing the distance, getting the fight down, and finishing the fight. On the feet, Elliott is a bit raw but does have solid wretling getting it down from upper bodylocks mainly, showing his physical strength. He has some excellent jiu-jitsu gliding on top and is continuesly looking for the finish. Some big ground and pound is also in his arsenal and that helps soften up the opponent to get the sub. A bright young prospect to watch for. He fights Michal Figlak (2-0).

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Flyweight, Abdul Hussein (7-1)

Hussein won the 2016 IMMAF world championship gold medal in the bantamweight division. He is well rounded being dangerous both on the feet and on the mat. On the feet, he will need to tuck his chin better and keep his hands up higher, mind you. He really picks his shots on the feet being very conservative with his energy but has good accuracy with everything he throws, mixing it up well. Hussein is a decent wrestler but his work on the mat is better as he has good jiu-jitsu and some brutal elbows in his ground and pound. He fights former UFC/Bellator veteran Zach Makovsky (21-9).

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Heavyweight, Chi Lewis-Parry (8-0-2)

Chi Lewis-Parry may be 37-years-old but at heavyweight, you can get away with being a bit older. Outside of MMA, Lewis-Parry has competed in kickboxing, most notably in Glory beating current UFC fighter Maurice Greene. He has a few ground and pound stoppages but obviously is more comfortable on the feet. Lewis-Parry is towering at 6’9″ which makes him a tough target to hit. He has a laser counter right hand which is his best weapon. He has a lot of holes like his takedown defense and cardio but has still yet to face defeat. Despite all the faults Chi has he’s still a dangerous guy. He fights Fábio Maldonado (26-14) who is past his prime but remains the toughest test for Parry to date.

Lightweight, Kyung Pyo Kim (9-2)

In the last four years, Kyung Pyo Kim has only lost one fight. That loss was to now current UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan. Now Kim is on a three-fight win streak, winning the Heat lightweight title is his last outing. His sole game plan is to get the fight to the mat and to do so he cuts off the cage well and executes some good wrestling. In the grappling department he is tactical using submissions to move to dominant positions. Kim is a good submission threat and has fight-ending ground and pound. He fights Islam Mamedov (18-1-1).

Lightweight, Islam Mamedov (18-1-1)

A top-level wrestler, Mamedov finds the takedown naturally, and on top, he is as good as it gets. He sticks like glue, he moves well and is even excellent at taking the back. His ground-and-pound is very solid — not heavy strikes but constant strikes. Once Mamedov gets the separation, he has a good submission game. On the feet, he is explosive, and he lunges forward with hooks and flying knees. He has power but his ground game is where he is best. He fights Kyung Pyo Kim (9-2).

Flyweight, Casey O’Neill (4-0)

When it comes to young up-and-comers, Casey O’Neill is one of the best. From Scottland, O’Neill has fought her entire pro and amateur career in Australia. In her latest fight, she won the Eternal MMA Strawweight Championship. O’Neill also fights out of an excellent camp in Tiger Muay Thai. O’Neill on the feet is a good striker from range throwing some powerful straights. She throws a lot of volume and is always trowing more than one strike. Her wrestling still needs work and her takedown defense is her biggest flaw. O’Neill is comfortable on the mat whether that’s on top or bottom. She has some really slick jiu-jitsu, probably being her best weapon. She fights Christina Stelliou (6-3).

Heavyweight, Chris Barnett (20-6)

Barnett may be looked down on considering his physique but he is one of the most agile big men seen. He’s had a few bad losses but has a few good wins including a win over currtent heavyweight contender Walt Harris. Barnett is a showman who will throw a variety of kicks. I would label him as a veteran but he still hasn’t had any big show experience. He’s not a great fighter but is super fun to watch. He fights vetertan Oli Thompson who beat Chris back in 2015.

Flyweight, Manon Fiorot (3-1)

Fiorot may only have a few MMA fights but before transitioning to MMA she spent time in boxing and karate. In fact, she was a two-time French kickboxing and Karate champion and was the IMMAF 2017 amateur world champion in 2017. Fiorot is the current EFC Worldwide Flyweight champion beating a solid fighter in Amanda Lino. Her karate style is immediately noticeable with her sideways stance, throwing with a high velocity of kicks. She puts her strikes and kicks together perfectly and is always throwing first. Foirot has a diverse skill set, in addition to striking she will use wrestling and pound out her foes from there. She fights Naomi Tataroglu (2-2).

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Lightweight, Maciej Kazieczko (6-1)

Maciej Kazieczko fought a veteran of seventeen fights in Michael Dubois. The technical kickboxer in Kazieczko got it done quickly with his hands in under a minute. He landed a counter overhand right knocking Dubois out cold. Kazieczko moves to 5-1 in the KSW cage and is now on a three-fight win streak.
Grade: C+

Bantamweight, Bartosz Wojcikiewicz (6-0)

Bartosz Wojcikiewicz looked good here, with this being the first time I’ve sat down and watched him fight. Wojcikiewicz was a bit dynamic on the feet but it was the takedowns he was precise on. On the mat is where he did all the damage, eventually getting the stoppage. Wojcikiewicz was really dominant on top and landed some big cutting elbows. The elbows caused a cut in round two and at the end, in between rounds the doctor called the fight off.
Grade: B-

Lightweight, Shamil Musaev (14-0)

Russian Shamil Musaev took out a tough opponent in Grzegorz Szulakowski, a former KSW title challenger, and made it look easy. Musaev started off early with his kicks taking out the legs and going to the body. Later, it looked like Musaev was throwing a spinning kick but came with a back fist instead, and it landed flush. That stunned Szulakowski and the extra punches sent the ref in. Flawless performance and now 2-0 for KSW.
Grade: A

Featherweight, Salahdine Parnasse (14-0-1)

Salahdine Parnasse took on his biggest challenge in the well-known veteran Ivan Buchinger. Parnasse passed the test with flying colors and kept the interim KSW title. For five rounds he battered Buchinger putting him in danger many times, having him on skates for a majority of this fight. Parnasse showed excellent defense stuffing all takedown attempts. His head movement was slick slipping punches and finding home with his left hand many times. His speed was just too much of a difference and he used his speed to pick Ivan apart.
Grade: A+

Lightweight, Blake Donnelly (4-0)

Fundamentals are important in a fighter and Blake Donnelly displayed nothing but that in this fight. His jab was crisp and on point landing countless times. Donnelly doubled up on the jab and really made a mess of his opponent’s face swelling up his eye. Donnelly used plenty of feints and landed a lot of lead leg kicks. As the fight went on he got better and better and always had control with his striking. In round three the doctor called a stop to the fight. This is also his first title win beating a tough guy in David Martinez winning the Australian FC title.
Grade: B-

Bantamweight, Daniel Marcos (12-0)

Arguably the best prospect out of Peru, Daniel Marcos continued his undefeated run in December. He did a fine job cutting off the cage and landing significant shots against Gaston Gomez Manzur. Marcos put together leg kicks and strikes up until the finish. While mixing it up he landed a big knee in the clinch stunning his opponent. Off the clinch, Marcos landed a textbook uppercut scoring the knockdown. The extra strikes being hammer fists put the man out cold. It would be nice to see him be a bit more technical as he gets a bit wild at times.
Grade: C

Strawweight, Denice Zamboanga (6-0)

This was a very good fight between Denice Zamboanga and Jihin Radzuan. This was also the first time Zamboanga fought someone with a win, and she looked just as good. The fight spent a large amount of time on the mat. With some brief exchanges on the feet, Zamboanga was really getting the best of Jihin busting her nose up. She probably could have found the finish if it stayed standing as she was landing her left hand with ease. It was Jihin getting the takedowns but Zamboanga quickly hitting nice sweeps. Lots of back and forth on the mat with position and submissions but Zamboanga had more control. Very good fight and two good prospects.
Grade: B-

Lightweight, Chang Min Yoon (4-0)

At the begging of the fight, it was back and forth with some leg kicks. While his opponent landed more, Chang Min Yoon was landing heavier kicks. The second half of the first round, Yoon got the fight down and controlled with position and ground and pound.  Second round Yoon was very much in his groove landing heavy leg kicks. He landed a jumping knee into a tight ninja choke for the submission win.
Grade: B-

Bantamweight, Matheus Mendonça (5-0)

This was a scrap all the way up until the finish. Matheus Mendonca fought through some adversity getting tagged on the feet. He recovered very quickly and took the fight right back to the mat. Mendonca secured three solid takedowns and displayed some good BJJ. In the brief exchanges on the feet he was a bit behind but very much held his own. On the mat, he looked good in scrambles and mainly dominated there. Mendonca finished the fight getting into the mount and transitioning into an armbar. He switched to a triangle and finished with the straight armbar.
Grade: B+

Featherweight, TJ Laramie (11-3)

Going the full five rounds TJ Laramie dominated his entire fight against Andrew Cruz winning the vacant PFC Featherweight Championship. This time Laramie only used his wrestling lightly and instead got some work on the feet. He fought behind his left jab which was his most active and proficient weapon. Laramie coming off the jab found a home with his right-cross multiple times. He also chewed up the body with the lead left leg to the liver and digging the left hook in there as well. He looked good the entire fight always throwing while showing solid takedown defense. Laramie went for the guillotine many times which allowed him to win every scramble.
Grade: A-

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