BRAVE CF 49 | Bahrain | Thursday

Welterweight, Benoit Saint-Denis (6-0)

Saint-Denis is an undefeated fighter from France that has done quite well for himself in the Brave CF promotion. He’s more of a wrestler/grappler; while he does throw a lot on the feet he is just a little sluggish. Saint-Denis is a solid wrestler though and that’s his main go-to. One drawback, he’s a bit too comfortable going to his back. With that said he does a good job creating space and getting out from underneath. His grappling is arguably his best weapon. He can be a little over-aggressive but winning by four different submissions he’s always dangerous. He fights Luan Santiago (15-4) which is a tough fight.

Flyweight, Muhammad Mokaev (4-0)

Worldwide, Mokaev is one of the prospects with the most hype. Mokaev has an outstanding amateur career going 23-0 and was a four-time IMMAF gold medalist. The young 20-year-old has looked stellar and dominant. Mokaev has excellent wrestling and is very skilled on the mat. His positional grappling and ground and pound are very good. On the feet, he has a nice flow with his kicks and mixes in strikes and kicks together very well. Mokaev is extremely well-rounded and I see no flaws in him yet. He fights Abdul Hussein (7-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF_koymoV9M

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 Muhammad Mokaev (4-0).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb6FFQ1x-6E

Bantamweight, Bernardo Sopai (8-1)

Sopai is a product out of Allstars Gym Sweden which is a fantastic team. Crazy enough, Sopai is only 20-years-old and a complete fighter already. On the feet, he has a Muay Thai background. The Albanian is a solid striker with excellent kicks and slick short combinations. He doesn’t really have knockout power but does throw a lot of volume and gives a lot of different looks. I’ve been impressed with the wrestling from the setups, speed, and his ability to slam guys to the mat. Sopai has three wins by submission and overall his grappling could be where he’s best at. This kid is a major problem with a bright future. He fights Francesco Nuzzi (8-1).

Bantamweight, Francesco Nuzzi (8-1)

Nuzzi is an unknown prospect from Italy and is one of the country’s brightest up-and-comers. After his first five fights (as a pro and amateur) he was only 2-3. Now Nuzzi has won his last seven fights winning a regional title along the way. From a technical standpoint, his stance kind of resembles Stephen Thompson’s, keeping his opponent guessing what his next move will be and counter-striking with precision. Unlike “Wonderboy,” though, he’s not afraid to move forward, looking for an opening to put somebody to sleep. “The Berserker” is constantly improving on his wrestling while on the ground he’s getting close to being a polished product. He fights Bernardo Sopai (8-1).

Middleweight, Ikram Aliskerov (10-1)

Aliskerov is a two-time world combat sambo champion out of Makhachkala, Russia, along with other accomplishments. From what I’ve seen from Aliskerov, while he has the wrestling background, he likes to stand and trade with his opponents. He has a good jab along with some impressive accuracy and timing on both his strikes and level changes. A lot is still unknown about him, but with the power, speed, and accuracy he shows on the feet while being an accomplished wrestler, I like his future. He fights Miro Jurković (13-3).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdxE5bwIbzk

Venator FC 6 | Italy | Friday

Featherweight, Federico Pasquali (5-0)

There isn’t a lot of fight footage out there on Pasquali but on what’s available I’ve been personally impressed. He has a really good jab and a right he throws behind it. He does get hit a lot but has proved to have a good chin. Outside of being a dangerous striker he does have fair wrestling and knows what he’s doing on the mat. It seems as though he does need to work on his cardio, which is perhaps his biggest flaw. Still green but a lot of talent. He fights Luca Marzioni (2-1).

Babilon MMA 20 | Poland | Friday

Light heavyweight, Łukasz Sudolski (8-0)

There isn’t a lot of footage on Sudolski but there is some hype behind him. With an impressive record of 8-0 he’s got the fight done on the feet and on the mat. It seems like his grappling is his strong suit. He has some stopping power in his hands as well. Still, a lot needs to be seen here — but he seems solid. He fights former UFC fighter Joachim Christensen (15-8).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBo7vHGVLcw

Featherweight, Dawid Smielowski (7-0)

Smielowski is a highlight-reel fighter. He has a 100% finish rate with 5 KO/TKOs and two submissions. Among those wins, he has finished with a bulldog choke, a flying knee, and a head kick. Smielowski, being a tall, rangy fighter, is a solid kickboxer. And while he can be technical, he’s a showman, throwing caution to the wind always looking for the kill shot. His takedown defense does need work but even off his back he’s shown to be at least promising. Smielowski does have improved grappling and at only 24 he has a high ceiling. He fights Krzysztof Gutowski (8-0).

ACA 120 | Russia | Friday

Featherweight, Felipe Froes (20-4-1)

Froes is solid all around. In his stand-up, he throws a lot of kicks to keep distance but his hands are where it’s at. Froes has a very nice straight right hand that he lands more than anything but still throws with both. His wrestling is good as he can get the double leg or the trip in the clinch. On the mat, he has good ground and pound and is excellent at taking the back. He is always the one in control, the only thing he needs to work on is his takedown defense. He fights Magomedrasul Khasbulaev (32-8).

Featherweight, Bibert Tumenov (10-1)

Tumenov is a high-caliber striker/boxer. Tumenov is an in your face pressure fighter who throws nothing but fire in his hands. The left straight/hook, left hook to the body, left uppercut, and the jab is all money. He’s incredibly dangerous with both hands even though his left hand is his lead hand. Tumenov is never gun-shy; he is constantly letting his hands fly with combinations. He’s really good at cutting opponents off and landing strikes while headhunting. He’ll headhunt quite often but his bodywork and mid combinations do quite a number on his foes. Tumenov compliments his striking with wonderful head movement slipping and returning. As a striker Tumenov is high-level. He fights Islam Omarov (9-0).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H006h9Mk9iQ

Featherweight, Islam Omarov (9-0)

Omarov is an undefeated Russian that is all action from start to finish. He’s an excellent wrestler and he strikes well to wrestle. He’s always moving and always throwing to break his opponents down. Omarov has a solid gas tank and with the constant forward pressure, it’s very impressive. He fights Bibert Tumenov (10-1).

Light heavyweight, Muslim Magomedov (8-0)

Magomedov has only been competing in MMA for a few years but prior to that, he had experience in Combat Sambo. In his first fight as an amateur, he suffered his only defeat in MMA. That loss was to current UFC contender Magomed Ankalaev. Magomedov went on to have a successful amateur career winning the WMMAA 2018 European Championship. In only his fifth pro bout, he dominated former UFC fighter Chris Camozzi. Despite not offering much on the feet, Magomed is an excellent wrestler. His timing on his shots is fine and the way he shoots so low makes his execution near-perfect. The work he does on top is his best aspect. He has a good top position and his ground and pound is strong, active, and lands hard. He fights Leonardo Silva (17-4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-T497_Y4ZM

LFA | US | Friday

Bantamweight, Fernie Garcia (8-1)

Garcia is a product out of Fortis MMA, which has become a top camp. Garcia is primarily a wrestler whose stand up has improved, especially his boxing. He’s got solid wrestling and heavy top control. Once he gets the takedown with his heavy top control he can also easily takes the back. He holds three rear-naked choke victories in his career. Strong wrestling, good grappling, has a good pace, and improving striking. Garcia is someone to watch out for. He fights Isaiah Batin-Gonzalez (4-1).

Welterweight, Josh Quinlan (4-0)

Josh Quinlan only has four pro fights but did go 6-0 as an amateur. As an amateur, Quinlan was the Real MMA and the Tuff-N-Uff welterweight champion. Quinlan is a good striker throwing a lot of heat. He throws chopping leg kicks and has very clean hands. “The Renegade” is a prospect to watch for this year. He fights Dallas Jennings (3-1).

Nação Cyborg 8 | Brazil | Friday

Heavyweight, Andre Miranda (7-2)

Miranda started off his career at 0-2 but has hit his stride and won his next seven fights. Miranda utilizes a lot of feints/twitches to keep his opponents guessing. “Monstro” has solid hand speed, often firing right down the middle. He also throws some heavy kicks mixing it up well. He tends to get drawn into brawls and he’s just relentless with his hands. He fights José Rodrigo Guelke (22-19-1).

Oktagon 22 | Czech Republic | Saturday

Bantamweight, Javid Basharat (10-0)

Basharat is an excellent prospect to keep an eye on but the competition he has beat has been lackluster. Basharat is well-rounded as he has finished from both on the feet and off the mat. His footwork is quite advanced; the way he cuts angles and moves side to side is perfectly done and if I’m not mistaken he has a background in taekwondo. Basharat isn’t just a flashy striker he is also an excellent wrestler that has a strong submission game and does a great job at creating space and landing big ground and pound. He fights Luca Iovine (16-6).

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Still, between Titan FC, ONE Championship, KSW, and a number of regional promotions hosting shows this week, plenty of other prospects were ready to big up the slack.

Titan FC 66 | Thursday | US

Flyweight, Juan Puerta (20-6)

Puerta has had a lot of speed bumps in his career but has now hit his stride and is on a nine-fight win streak, the biggest of his career. On the feet, Puerta uses his range well with jabs and knees. He’s much better on the mat, though, using his length. Puerta is a big submission threat with nearly all his fights going that way. He shows how dangerous he is on the mat with his versatile submission attack holding five different types of submission wins. He fights Joe Penafiel (5-1).

One Championship | Friday | Singapore

Welterweight, Lowen Tynanes (10-0)

Tynanes is primarily a wrestler and a stellar one at that. Tynanes uses a lot of feints with his hands and level changes before powering forward with an explosive double-leg. If not able to get the takedown in the middle of the cage he’s good at pressing into the cage and getting the takedown from there. Once on the mat, he’s showed to be insanely strong with his top position. He puts a lot of pressure on the upper body of his foes nailing them down to the canvas while unloading ground and pound. Tynanes has glue-like grappling being all over every move his opponent makes. Just an overall dominant wrestler/grappler with solid cardio and a constant work ethic. He fights Marat Gafurov (17-3).

Featherweight, Troy Worthen (7-0)

Troy Worthen started wrestling in high school and competed in college as well. Worthen became an NCWA All-American and a Southeastern Conference Champion for Central Florida University. Despite being such a good wrestler, he’s shown a lot of good work on the feet with knockout power and good technique. He fights Yusup Saadulaev (19-5-1).

ACA 116 | Friday | Russia

Featherweight, Felipe Froes (19-4-1)

Froes is solid all around. In his stand-up, he throws a lot of kicks to keep distance but his hands are where it’s at. Froes has a very nice straight right hand that he lands more than anything but still throws with both. His wrestling is good as he can get the double leg or the trip in the clinch. On the mat, he has good ground and pound and is excellent at taking the back. He is always the one in control, the only thing he needs to work on is his takedown defense. He fights Marat Balaev (11-2) which is a good fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7uPcHCq4pk&ab_channel=ACAMMA

Heavyweight, Alikhan Vakhaev (10-2)

Vakhaev is a talented heavyweight at only 27-years-old. He a striker who understands distance management. He throws good long punches and kicks and does an excellent job coming in with strikes and knees in the clinch. He’s shown to be a well-equipped counter striker making guys pay when they rush in on him. Vakhaev stays calm and picks his shots while conserving his energy well. He fights Roggers Souza (10-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWg_4pXoKHk&ab_channel=ACAMMAACAMMAVerified

Megdan 8 | Friday | Serbia

Bantamweight, Stipe Brčić (8-1)

Fighting out of Croatia, Brčić is a tank of a fighter. Last February, Brcic won a one-night tournament to win the GMC title. To capture the belt he beat Luca Iovine who is a good fighter. Brcic is a physical guy bullying his way forward getting takedowns. On the feet, he’s mainly a head hunter with big power. He’s not as technical but his power makes up for it. He fights Mikhail Sirbu (14-7).

CFFC 91 | Friday | US

Welterweight, Solomon Renfro (6-0)

Renfro has bee someone that’s been on my radar for some time. The only thing holding him back was his lack of finishes. With that said, he secured his first finish in his last fight with a super impressive anaconda choke in round one. On the feet, Renfro is a pocket striker with nice hand speed and isn’t afraid to just sit in the pocket. I believe he’s an even better wrestler/grinder. He fights Mike Malott (5-1-1) which is his biggest test to date.

QFC 11 | Friday | Ecuador

Featherweight, Freddy Emiliano Linares (4-0)

Fighting out of Ecuador Linares hasn’t had the best level of competition but has still looked good. He’s a madman coming forward throwing a lot of big fight-ending strikes. Although he is extremely wild he’s still dangerous in the same sense. I’m even more impressed with ground game, particularly with his submission game. He’s got fluid hips and a real dangerous triangle. Linares reminds me of Bellator fighter Adam Borics. He fights Alberto Jarrin (5-1-1).

RCC 8 | Saturday | Russia

Heavyweight, Anton Vyazigin (15-3)

In three of his last four fights Vyazigin has beaten some good names in Gerônimo Dos Santos, Josh Copeland, and Wagner Prado. His only losses are to Klidson Abreu and Phil De Fries. He’s a veteran of M-1 Challenge and is now a free agent. Vyazigin doesn’t have the most attractive fighting style but his resume speaks for its self. The Russian isn’t the best on the feet as he’s just too ground oriented. He relies on his strength to get the takedowns and once there he’s at home. Vyazigin does enough on top and his relentless style breaks his foes. He fights Evgeny Goncharov (14-3) which should be a good test.

EFC 31 | Saturday | Russia

Heavyweight, Rizvan Kuniev (9-2-1)

Kuniev has some sort of background in Wushu Sanda which you can tell from watching his fights. On the feet, he doesn’t hold that heavyweight power but is agile and diverse, unlike most of the big guys. Kuniev is primarily a kickboxer who fights behind some flashy kicks from a lot of different angles. He’s well-rounded also being able to wrestle well, and he has a good top game. He fights Vladimir Dayneko (11-4).

KSW 57 | Poland | Saturday

Middleweight, Cezary Kesik (12-0)

Kesik is very underrated and is one of the best, if not the best, Polish prospects out there. Kesik is exciting, bringing an aggressive kickboxing style with a lot of power in his hands with six finishes by way of KO/TKO.  If needed, Kesik will take the fight down where he is really talented with positional control and transitions. Kesik is the current Thunderstrike Fight League middleweight champion, the same promotion UFC light heavyweight Michal Oleksiejczuk came from. He fights Abusupiyan Magomedov (23-4-1).

Middleweight, Abusupiyan Magomedov (23-4-1)

Magomedov has been forgotten since 2018. He competed in the 2018 PFL middleweight tournament and was a favorite to win. He got to the finals and lost to Louis Taylor. Abus has everything you look for in a fighter moving up in the ranks. He has that tall build fighting long using his jab and kicks perfectly at a distance. Magomedov is a combination striker always going to the body mixing that in with combinations. Impressive footwork exploding forward covering a lot of distance but getting back out when needed. For a plus the TDD is awesome and he has a sick guillotine he has hit many times. He fights Cezary Kesik (12-0).

Bantamweight, Bruno Santos (9-1)

Bruno Santos is a young Brazilian 22-year-old on a 4-fight-win streak. On the feet, he throws a good front kick and fights long well. His purpose is to get the fight down as his jiu-jitsu is his strong suit. Santos is smooth on the mat. At times his positioning is loose but he’s has a good back take. Santos has five submissions – four of those by rear-naked choke. He fights champion, Antun Račić (24-8-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwxhrrw6mLY&ab_channel=KSW

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In this feature, we take six journalists including our own Shawn Bitter, plus four hardcore MMA fans/Podcasters to get their take on who the UFC should sign by year’s end. So far this year, the UFC has signed major prospects like Jiri Prochazka, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Roman Bogatov, Umar Nurmagomedov, Jai Herbert, Manel Kape, Modestas Bukauskas, Nate Landwehr and more. Here, each member of our panel will give their picks on who they think the UFC should sign by the end of 2020.

The Journalists

Shawn Bitter

Middleweight, Roberto Soldic (17-3): Soldic has beaten some stiff competition in his career including Lewis Long (16-5), Borys Mańkowski (19-7-1), and Dricus Du Plessis (12-2), winning five titles including the KSW middleweight title. Soldic is easily one of the best welterweights on the global scene and the UFC would be very wise to try and pry him from KSW. Soldic is always coming forward and always looking for the finish in a controlled chaos manner. KSW has had talent that went to the UFC like Jan Błachowicz, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Aleksei Oleinik, and others.

Featherweight, Igeu Kabesa (12-1): Kabesa’s only loss is to UFC fighter Danny Henry, which was a rematch of their first meeting, which Kabesa won. Of the two, Kabesa has a much higher ceiling. “Smiley” is one of the two best prospects out of South Africa along with Demarte Pena. He is the current EFC Worldwide featherweight champion and on a four-fight win streak. Kabesa is a very decorated wrestler being a 10-time Wrestling Nationals Champion. He is young and solid everywhere. Kabesa has amazing wrestling and grappling, he can move well on the mat and can reach mount fairly easy. His striking is good too, moving in-and-out with explosive punches quickly and his slips and counters are solid.

Featherweight, Joanderson Brito (11-2-1): Brito has been on a roll since his last loss in 2015, going 10-0-1 in his last eleven fights. He’s fought for the likes of Future FC and Thunder Fight which are two top promotions out of Brazil. He’s also the former Fusion FC champ, a promotion based in Peru. In his most recent fight, he made his U.S. debut for LFA and beat a top prospect in Jose Mariscal. Brito is a bull walking his foes down and throwing huge looping hooks with big power. He’s a power striker on the feet but has some good wrestling and better top position to fall back on. He’s arguably the best prospect right now out of Brazil.

Featherweight, Salahdine Parnasse (14-0-1): Parnasse in my opinion is the best prospect worldwide. Parnasse didn’t really become noticeable until he signed with one of the biggest European organizations in KSW in late 2017.  In April of last year, Parnasse beat Roman Szymański to become the interim KSW featherweight champion. Last December he beat the well-known Ivan Buchinger to retain his interim title. Parnasse would prefer to keep the fight on the feet where he can use his effective movement and a good kickboxing base. This would be one of the biggest if not the biggest signing if somehow the UFC could snatch him up.

Strawweight, Melissa Martinez (7-0): Martinez is currently signed with Combate Americas and is their current 115-pound champion. Recently, Combate champion Gustavo Lopez was able to be released from his contract. Rafa Garcia who is also a champion there has vacated his contract to sign to another promotion. So there is hope for the UFC picking up Martinez. “Super Melly” has the ability to break an opponent down with her chopping leg kicks. She also displays a quick release with her dangerous head kick that she has won a couple of times with. She looks really promising at such a young age and so early in her career.

The post Prospects the UFC Should Sign by the End of 2020 appeared first on Cageside Press.