The latest installment of The Ultimate Fighter 32 opens with a recap of featherweight Edwin Cooper Jr.’s drinking problems, with Bekhzod Usmonov, a teammate at Jackson-Wink MMA, stepping in to curb the issue. There’s a real big question as to why the UFC allows alcohol in the TUF house at all, unless they’re aiming for this kind of drama, but hey, they’re all adults, right?

In any case, Cooper’s teammates seem to think he’s cleaned up his act. Now, he has a fight with Brazilian Mairon Santos lined up. Cooper’s coach, Shevchecko, feels he has the edge in several areas, from experience to wrestling. In the meantime, Santos gives a glimpse into his life, starting with the “humble home” in which he was raised. Cooper, meanwhile, spotlights his grandfather, “a man of principle,” his girlfriend, and his parents, who never failed to provide for him.

Weigh-ins arrive and go off without a hitch, though Santos has to strip down to hit 146.

The Ultimate Fighter 32: Edwin Cooper Jr. vs Mairon Santos

Round 1:

Cooper opens with an early takedown attempt, which Santos scrambles back from. Santos then goes on the attack, slinging leather, before Cooper looks for the takedown once again, and this time lands it! Cooper has Santos trapped against the fence, and threatens to take the back. Santos is able to post up and eventually get back to his feet, but Cooper is all over him with a body lock. He gets a hook in, Santos wins up back on his knees, and Cooper peppers his opponent with punches. Dominant round by Cooper.

Round 2:

Santos opens the round strong, connecting flush with his jab and forcing Cooper to retreat, back to the cage. This is a much better start for Santos, who avoids the takedown and has Cooper on the outside, playing a defensive game, for much of the frame. Santos mixes in kicks, and Cooper’s corner hollers that he has to “make some choices.” They implore him to shoot for a takedown, instead, Santos rips a nasty outside leg kick that connects. Finally, with one minute left, Cooper shoots, but Santos easily stuffs the attempt. The highlight of the round, Santos landing a nasty knee on Cooper.

Round 3:

Not surprisingly, the judges had things one round apiece, necessitating a third round. With Cooper struggling to find the takedown, the defense of Santos might be the story of the round. He stuffs multiple attempts, and works his hands early, while Cooper’s team hollers at him to keep at it, leading to shot after shot, seconds apart, attempts sometimes strung together. With one minute remaining, Cooper grabs a leg – but still can not finish the attempt. Finally, 35 seconds or so left on the clock, Cooper lands a takedown. Santos practically drags himself to the fence, and soon enough the horn has sounded and we head to the judges.

Dana White calls it really close, adding “you really could have given the win to either one of these guys.” Only one man can win, however, and it’s Santos.

Official Result: Mairon Santos def. Edwin Cooper Jr. by split decision

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Due to unforeseen circumstances, our Ultimate Fighter 32 recap is a little late this week. Better late than never! We’re coming off an incredible performance featuring Bekhzod Usmonov and Zygimantas Ramaska, the best performance and arguably one of the best fights, if not the best, in the past several seasons of TUF.

The has Dana White giving both teams a break, setting it up so they can watch a Fight Night at the TUF house. Team Shevchenko’s Edwin Cooper Jr., however, is sipping an unknown substance from an athletic drink bottle, and is a constant chatterbox. It’s assumed to be booze, and later confirmed as such when Cooper offers another fighter a sip.

Cooper later addresses the camera, a producer suggesting that he did “hit it hard.”

“I didn’t hit it hard. That ain’t hard,” Cooper replied, later added “Nothing going on besides getting ready to train and prepare for my fight.”

Cooper is then seen training for his fight, and he ends up elbowing Ryan Loder, who is not happy, telling Cooper off repeatedly for firing an elbow without elbow pads. Valentina Shevchenko tries to get them back to training, but things break down again. Shevchenko takes Loder to task for blowing up on Cooper again, after Cooper had already apologized repeatedly.

“We see this all the time on The Ultimate Fighter. This thing is a pressure cooker,” says Dana White, noting that being away from their families often causes things to boil over for fighters in the TUF house.

Cooper’s teammates then question whether he’s emptied a number of bottles of booze; he says he’s just had part of it. Bekhzod Usmonov, a teammate at Jackson-Wink MMA, then addresses Cooper, urging him to lay off the bottle. “No more drinking,” says Usmonov. “A bit,” replies Cooper.

Despite all the focus on Cooper, it’s Sacramento’s Ryan Loder competing this week. He’s shown snowboarding; he also surfs, spearfishes, goes diving, basically lots of outdoor activities. Loder also speaks of his struggles at school, but despite that, aimed for college with the support of his mother and wrestling coach, after learning he was dyslexic. After college, Loder wound up coaching wrestlers himself, with Urijah Faber offering to let them train at Team Alpha MMA (Team Alpha Male). Loder ended up training there as well, and was “talked into an amateur MMA fight.” From there, he fell in love with the sport, and his career took off.

“I’m not smart, but I work really hard. And I’ll be the next ultimate fighter,” says Loder.

Opponent Thomas Theocharis originates from Stratford, Ontario but now resides in Toronto in Canada. He sports a tattoo of his girlfriend, who passed away in 2021 after hitting her head in a fall while on a trip to Greece. “Sam was certainly the love of my life, and she was taken away very tragically.”

Theocharis turned to the late Elias Theodoreu after his girlfriend’s passing, eventually moving in with the Ultimate Fighter winner. Then, in September of 2022, Thedoreu passed way. Theocharis is left reeling, suffering from depression and anxiety. While the depression has mostly passed, he says, he still battles anxiety daily.

It’s time for weigh-ins for the middleweight pair. Both hit the mark, and it’s off to the races. Or the fight anyway.

The Ultimate Fighter 32: Loder vs. Theocharis

Round 1:

Loder vs. Theocharis opens with an early takedown from Loder, who begins pounding away with left hands. Theocharis is trapped again the fence, and Loder is in mount. Grasso urges him to use the fence to get up, but that proves easier said than done. Loder switches from ground n’ pound to an arm-triangle, and Theocharis is soon forced to tap. A quick one, as Loder eliminates the Canadian from the show.

Official Result: Ryan Loder def. Thomas Theocharis by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1

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Featherweights

Edwin Cooper Jr.
6-1
Albuquerque, N.M.
Six-foot-one
31-years-old
Jackson Wink MMA
Combined opponent’s record (at the time they fought): 19-7-1

Boxing: C+
Kickboxing: C
Knockout power: D
Explosiveness: B
Footwork: C+
Clinch: B
Wrestling: A+
Grappling: B
Ground and Pound: A+
Submission threat: D
Striking defense: C-
Takedown defense: Unknown
Grappling defense: C+
Cardio: B
Fight IQ: A

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. From bell to bell his full intention is to wrestle. He’s super aggressive with his wrestling always putting everything into his takedowns. Cooper puts in a lot of energy and while he does slow it’s not as bad as you would expect watching him.

Along with high-level wrestling, Cooper actively rains down ground and pound. He has control but lacks jiu-jitsu. He hardly ever takes dominant positions as he just worries about inflicting damage. On the feet, he has a good jab but is stiff. He’ll struggle on the feet if he can’t get the takedown especially later in the fight. Not many guys will get that chance because Cooper is such a top-notch wrestler. His timing, speed, control, and drive on his takedowns are all hard to prepare for. His only loss is by an armbar which he didn’t even tap from. Cooper in just two-round exhibition fights is going to be a problem.

The post The Ultimate Fighter 32 Cast Breakdown appeared first on Cageside Press.

Who should the UFC bring in this year? Let’s find out.

Here’s a look at last year’s list, featuring current UFC roster member Joanderson Brito signing with the UFC in 2021:

Aliyar Sarkerov
Anzor Abdulkhozhaev
Diego Lopes
Joanderson Brito
Jonas Bilharinho
Jung Young Lee
Mochamed Machaev
Morgan Charriere
Rudy Gavida
Salahdine Parnasse

It’s worth noting that Diego Lopes did get a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series. So too did Jonas Bilharinho. Parnasse remains under contract with KSW, and is their 145lb champion.

Before we get started, be sure to check out the other instalments in this series:

10 Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Light Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Middleweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Welterweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Lightweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022

The post 10 Featherweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Welterweight, Mohammad Alaqraa (2-0)

Alaqraa wasted no time getting in and out of this fight with no issues. Outside of a good leg kick on the feet, Alaqraa got the takedown quick. Right away he transitioned to the back and was locked on. Alaqraa landed good ground and pound before locking in the RNC for the tap. It would’ve been nice to see the fight go longer so he could show a lot more.
Grade: C+

Welterweight Wisem Hammami (6-0)

Outside of getting taken down twice this fight was all Hammami. Even though he was taken down he got right back up. Noting big really stood out but Hammami fought smart and tactically. Hammami fought outside the jab, landed the one-two, and chopped away at the lead leg. The leg kicks were his best weapon but fighting at his preferred range won him the fight.
Grade: B-

Strawweight, Julie Mezabarba (9-2-1)

Making her ONE Championship debut, Mezabarba was thrown right into stiff competition fighting the 33-fight veteran Mei Yamaguchi. Mezabarba never let Yamaguchi get going taking control of the entire fight. She fought on the outside well and every time Yamaguchi came forward she got caught. That sneaky counter-right uppercut landed a few times. Mezabarba landed a superman punch a few times to close the distance. When Yamaguchi got Mezabarba it was Mezabarba beating her up in the clinch.
Grade: B

Bantamweight, Kevin Cordero (12-2)

Cordero fought Bellator veteran Ricky Bandejas who is very talented. A large portion of the fight played on the outside in kickboxing range. I’d like to say Cordero was getting better of the exchanges landing better with his kicks and throwing more frequently. At the end of the round, Bandejas got the takedown twice. Cordero off his back locked in the triangle and put Bandejas out cold in round one.
Grade: A

Featherweight, Hae Jin Park (9-1)

Soo Chul Kim, a top prospect in 2017, made his return to the cage off a four-year layoff. He was welcomed back with a loss but it was fun while it lasted. Both guys took it to each other right away. In close in a phone booth, these guys were throwing down. Kim was leaving space in the clinch and it was allowing Park to land uppercuts and punches over the top. Park tried to grab hold of the leg to get the takedown but Kim had none of it. As they were exchanging in the clinch Park clocked Kim with a left hand dropping him. Park jumped in on a guillotine and it put Kim out cold. Park took a lot of damage and was failing at a lot of takedowns which takes away from his overall performance.
Grade: C+

Lightweight, Seung Mo Park (3-0)

It only took 25 seconds for Seung Mo Park to move to 3-0. He began light on his feet bouncing around. He missed with a wheel kick but followed up with a left hand that buckled his opponent. He then dropped him briefly with an uppercut and swarmed with punches, dropping him again and sending the ref in.
Grade: C

Bantamweight, Hyun Woo Kim (3-0)

Kim started with a frantic pace bringing it right to his opponent just letting his hands fly. Kim landed a body punch that visibly made his opponent uncomfortable. He let loose going body head rapidly along the fence. Everything was landed all adding up dropping his opponent to his knees where the ref saved him.
Grade: B-

Flyweight, Jung Hyun Lee (5-0)

Lee impressed me in September with an excellent performance. He walked his opponent down peppering him with multiple jabs and finding his range and picking his shots. While walking forward he battered the inside leg kicking it over and over. Lee landed a right hook-left hook on the chin flooring his opponent. The follow-up punches stiffened his opponent and the fight was stopped. Beautiful knockout.
Grade: B

Light heavyweight, Vitor Petrino (6-0)

The young 24-year-old had a huge test in front of him in the form of 27-fight veteran and former UFC fighter Gadzhimurad Antigulov. The Russian Antigulov took Petrino down twice but he got right back up. Early round one Petrino dropped Antigulov with a beautifully timed uppercut. Petrino threw everything at Antigulov tagging him multiple times on the feet. He was finding his strikes as Antigulov came forward. Petrino landed elbows, punches knees, landed a big flying knee at a point before finishing the fight. In round two he landed a nasty left uppercut dropping Antigulov and he put him away.
Grade: A

Welterweight, Ramazan Kuramagomedov (9-0)

This was a blowout performance from Kuramagomedov. He got the takedown right away in round two and dominated top control. His opponent got to his feet at one point but went right back down. Kuramagomedov stayed active with short punches and won every scramble his opponent tried to create. In round two right away he took it right back down with a good double leg takedown. Kuramagomedov stayed busy with ground and pound making it uncomfortable for the guy on the bottom. He eventually transitioned to the back and won with an RNC with seconds left. Pure dominance from Kuramagomedov.
Grade: A

Lightweight, Rahmads Stromanis (2-0)

This was a scrap between two young pros. Stromanis dropped his opponent early with a counter right off a blind kick. He did have to fight through two armbars and got taken down briefly. Round one was close but Stromanis came out even stronger in round two. He dropped his opponent with a left hook. He kept throwing head shots nearly landing every time. It was an awesome superman punch that landed clean for the impressive knockout.
Grade: C+

Strawweight, Josefine Lindgren Knutsson (2-0)

Knutsson continues to impress in MMA staying undefeated. Being a kickboxer her takedown defense was tested. She defended every takedown and landed three brief takedowns of her own. Knutsson did well on the outside but it was in the clinch where she battered her opponent. She was relentless with knees and that’s what she landed in round two to stop the fight. Knutsson put on a one-sided beating over a more experienced MMA fighter.
Grade: B

Welterweight, Roberto Soldić (19-3)

Not the best performance from Soldic but he still looked good nonetheless. Soldic fought veteran Patrik Kincl who is always a tough fight for anyone. He dropped Kincl in twice with a counter punch. He did get taken down in round two and spent a little time off his back. In round three Soldic landed a combination to the body dropping Kincl. From there he got into mount and landed punches until the ref stepped in.
Grade: B-

Flyweight, Paris Moran (5-1)

Moran didn’t do anything spectacular in this fight but he continues to build his resume. Moran fought Contender Series and LFA veteran Nate Smith which was by far his toughest test to date. Smith is a pure wrestler and Moran completely neutralized him. Moran only was taken down once which was briefly. He kept Smith on the outside with his jab and the right hand when he tried to close the gap. Moran fought technical and showed excellent takedown defense. He could’ve pulled the trigger more but he fought smart.
Grade: B-

Heavyweight, Sergey Belostenniy (8-2)

It only took Belostenniy right under a minute to finish tough Brazilian fighter Roggers Souza. Belostenniy started off throwing a lot of hard feints keeping Souza guessing. He tried a little flash landing a spinning kick to the body. Belostenniy let his hands go landing a right-left stunning Souza. He went back throwing and a left hook dropped Souza. Extra grounded punches sent the ref in.
Grade: B+

Flyweight, Alisson Murilo (3-0)

Murilo looked great in this fight, which happens to be the first time I’ve watched him. His striking looked really good throwing frequent combinations. He knocked his opponent down with a slick duck under right to the body and left to the chin. As his opponent got back to his feet Murilo landed a perfectly timed double leg takedown. He quickly transitioned into the mount, landed ground and pound, took the back, and secured the RNC. Superb performance.
Grade: A

Flyweight, Roybert Echeverria (6-0)

Just another easy fight for the Venezuelan Echeverria. He walked his opponent down throwing feints looking for the opening. He threw a good spinning kick up high that was blocked. After a little over a minute, with the first punch he committed to, he knocked his opponent out with the right hand. A really easy fight for Echeverria but fighting a guy that was 0-2 it was expected.
Grade: B-

Bantamweight, Ryan Kuse (5-0)

This was a squash match beating a guy that was 1-12. His opponent rushed forward from the start right into a takedown. Kuse took the back as the guy was getting up and Kuse landed a beautiful high-impact suplex. Kuse stayed on the back threatening the RNC but unloading on the ground and pound until the ref stepped in. A one-sided beating and a fight that shouldn’t have been made.
B+

Flyweight, Victor Dias (10-2)

And still. Titan FC flyweight champion Dias defended his title in what was a good fight. He and his opponent threw heavy shots on the feet including some good kicks from Dias. Dias was taken down but threatened with a guillotine and scrambled to his feet. As the fight went on he got stronger and was driving in on the legs getting the takedown. In round three Dias transitioned nicely to an armbar and after some fight he finally got it extended and the guy tapped.
Grade: B+

Lightweight, Eddy George (4-0)

George was all business in this fight taking care of his opponent with no issues. He came out firing letting his hands go while landing leg kicks. He knocked him down twice with the left hand. Every time he knocked him down he backed off wanting the fight back on the feet. George yet again knocked his opponent down with the left hand and the ref had enough and stepped in.
Grade: C+

Welterweight, Maurice Abévi (4-0)

In my first time watching Abevi, he beat a guy who was on my radar in Kennedy Rayomba. Rayomba was pressing forward the entire time but the footwork and head movement of Abevi were beautiful. Abevi found his range throwing a lot of punches from different angles. He kept throwing that lead uppercut which was coming close at times. Abevi started to mix it up as he got a takedown in round one. He got a takedown in round two right away. The Switzerland-based fighter landed a lot of ground and pound that had Rayomba get up with his neck exposed. Abevi locked in a guillotine and got the win. A really solid performance from Abevi who is now on my radar himself.
Grade: A-

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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).

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Featherweight, Lucas Brennan (5-0)

Brennan came into this fight as a known submission threat and an overall good jiu-jitsu fighter. That didn’t stop his opponent from shooting for a takedown on a level change early on. He did pay for it right away going right into a front choke. Brennan had a tight d’arce choke and although his opponent squirmed to get out of it he eventually tapped. 21-years-old and still an untouched record.
Grade: B

Featherweight, Aaron Pico (8-3)

This was a career performance from Aaron Pico, beating a tough guy in Aiden Lee. Pico put on a wrestling clinic between three rounds scoring nine takedowns. Pico was all over Lee and never let up with trying to finish him. Round one alone he had two d’arce chokes in and an armbar. He kept at it in round two and in round three he finally got the d’arce choke that tapped Lee. Pico looked outstanding.
Grade: A+

Lightweight, John Mitchell (3-0)

Mitchell dominated this fight from start to finish. Right away he took his opponent down. He took him down three times in round one and dominated with top control. Multiple times he worked his way into dominant positions. Mitchell didn’t land heavy ground and pound but kept active and landed slicing elbows creating a cut. The takedowns continued in round two and Mitchell fired constant punches while in mount and on the back. Thanks to all the damage, after the second round the doctor called a stop to the fight.
Grade: B

Welterweight, Daniel Skibiński (18-5)

At the beginning, I was impressed with Skibinski. Through the middle of the fight, I wasn’t. But at the end, he drew me back in with a spectacular finish. Skibiński fought a guy in Acoidan Duque who was 16-2 and hadn’t lost a fight in nine years. Skibinski in the first round dropped Duque with a beautiful uppercut. His opponent survived and Skibinski was just in cruise control throwing very little and riding out positions. At the start of round three, he landed a perfectly placed flying knee. While standing over Duque, Skibinski landed some nasty hammer fist as Duque just crumbled. The fight was stopped with Duque’s legs behind him.
Grade: C+

Bantamweight, Bakhtovar Yunusov (5-0)

Yunusov fought a game opponent in Artem Lukyanov and Yunusov put on a beatdown. Yunusov got the fight down early and while he almost finished with an arm triangle he didn’t complete it. He landed a barrage of ground and pound but Lukyanov escaped to round two. Yunusov got the takedown right away in round two. Lukyanov did get top position briefly but right away Yunuson used a triangle to get the top position back. Yunuson got into mount and continued raining down punches until the ref stepped in.
Grade: A

Light-heavyweight, Vadim Rolich (3-1)

I came in with little expectations of Rolich but came out impressed. Rolich fought a smart tactical fight on the outside showing his wushu sanda background. Rolich threw a lot of leg kicks and was landing combinations from the outside. He was drawling his opponent in and countering when he pressed forward. Rolich threw a spinning kick to the liver a few times and that’s what he finished within the second round. Off a missed spinning back fist Rolich followed up with that spinning kick to the body and it crumbled his opponent. Rolich was taken down quite easily twice and was slowing down so they’re concerns.
Grade: C+

Strawweight, Anastasia Feofanova (8-1)

Feofanova started the fight off marching across the canvas with straight punches to close the distance. She got the takedown early and beat her opponent up in the crucifix position. After some shots landed she threw up her leg and set up an inverted triangle. She rolled to her back and the crank had her opponent tap out.
Grade: C+

Bantamweight, Abdul Karim Badakhsh (5-0)

Badakhsh was an unknown fighter at the time and fought a highly touted prospect in Aydemir Kazbekov. Kazbekov took Badakhsh which was expected. Badakhsh was moving well off his back and as soon as he controlled a wrist he locked in a tight triangle so fast. Kazbekov tried to escape but it wasn’t long until he was put to sleep and was handed his first loss.
Grade: B

Welterweight, Denis Maher (8-0)

Maher fought another undefeated fighter in Rinat Sagyntay handing him his first loss. He fought real smart and was picking his shots. It was a tactical fight, as it was a chess match at the very beginning. Out of nowhere, Maher landed a beautiful uppercut that dropped and finished Sagyntay. Nicely set up and perfectly executed.
Grade: B-

Lightweight, Nic Ouellet (1-0)

Quellet is a jiu-jitsu ace so he wanted this fight down as soon as possible. From an attempted throw he ended up on his back. Quickly he used a heel hook to get top position. He went right after submissions. Quellet had a kimura locked in briefly and then later went to a guillotine. With the guillotine in Quellet locked in a tight triangle. While still having the triangle locked in he locked in a nasty kimura forcing his opponent to tap. Excellent chain-submissions.
Grade: B+

Bantamweight, Gerico Platon (2-0)

Platon put on a frantic pace from the start of the fight. He opened up with combinations coming from his hands and outside leg kicks. It was a left hook coming off a leg kick that dropped his opponent. His opponent got back to his feet and attempted to take down Platon. While defending against the cage Platon sunk in an RNC and then got the hooks and his opponent tapped.
Grade: C+

Welterweight, Preston Parsons (9-2)

Parsons is usually a wrestler/jiu-jitsu guy but his striking was on full display here. While it was competitive at first on the feet Parsons took over pretty quick. Parsons put on a striking clinic landing volume while using some good head movement. It was it the clinch where he shined,  landing excellent combinations to the body and head while landing damaging elbows as well. He did all that while mixing in a few takedowns. Parsons was taken down in the second round but locked in an armbar to get the win.
Grade: A

Bantamweight, Justin Wetzell (7-1)

This was a career performance taking out Askar Askar who was on UFC’s radar. Wetzell was aggressive right away and in every exchange on the feet, Wetzell was beating Askar to the punch. In every exchange, Wetzell was never getting fazed. Askar did get a takedown in round one but Wetzell set up a beautiful triangle and if there was more time in the round he would’ve finished. Wetzell got a single leg takedown in round two and Askar was spent. Wetzell landed a lot of unanswered punches and the ref stepped in.
Grade: B+

Featherweight, Edwin Cooper Jr (4-1)

Robson Junior had some hype coming into this fight. He was 3-0 with three first-round finishes. Cooper wasted no time showing the young man that he’s on a different level. Cooper got a single-leg takedown right away in the fight. Even though he had to fight through a few armbars Cooper was composed. Cooper dominated top position and landed active ground and pound. Junior opened up round two with a takedown and Cooper defended and got top position. Cooper continued to land punches until the ref stepped in. Such a dominant one-sided fight.
Grade: A+

Bantamweight, Steve Erceg (7-1)

This was an awesome scrap between Ecreg and another good prospect in Cody Haddon. It was also a very close fight where Ecreg won in just seconds of two rounds. Haddon was getting the best of Ecreg on the feet. Ecreg did land some good shots on the feet but his wrestling kept him in the fight. He was timing his shots and showing some excellent chain wrestling between three rounds. Round one Ecreg got the back and had an RNC in at the bell. Round three Ecreg closed out the fight with a takedown and got to mount and that won on the scorecards.
Grade: B+

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