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MMA Island and MMA DNA’s Marcel Dorff were among the first to report that Fitikefu will face Dalcha Lungiambula at UFC Fight Island 8 on January 20.

Australia’s Fitikefu (6-0) is undefeated as a pro, and captured the Eternal MMA middleweight championship in 2019. With four finishes among his six wins, the teammate of Robert Whittaker will return to familiar territory at UFC Fight Island 8. He made the trip to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi alongside Whittaker at UFC 254, and hit the scales as a back-up fighter for Magomed Ankalaev vs. Ion Cutelaba 2 — though ultimately his services were not required.

Dalcha Lungiambula (10-2) is 1-1 in his UFC career thus far. He debuted back at UFC on ESPN 3 in 2019, defeating Dequan Townsend to make a strong first impression with UFC fans. However, in his sophomore outing, he was paired up with Magomed Ankalaev, which turned out to be too much, too soon. Lungiambula was stopped via head kick in the third round of their bout at UFC Moscow.

Sitting out all of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic (two bouts with Karl Roberson were scrapped when Roberson tested positive for COVID-19), Lungiambula will look to get back to work, and in the win column, on January 20. The event is set to be headlined by Michael Chiesa taking on Neil Magny, following the postponement of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards.

The following fights are currently expected for the event:

Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. Lerone Murphy
Francisco Figueiredo vs. Jerome Rivera
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Viviane Araújo
Matt Schnell vs. Tyson Nam
Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny
Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown
Mike Jackson vs. Dean Barry
Vinicius Moreira vs. Isaac Villanueva
Pedro Munhoz vs. Jimmie Rivera
Victoria Leonardo vs. Manon Fiorot
Dalcha Lungiambula vs. Isi Fitikefu
Mason Jones vs. Mike Davis

The post Middleweight Isi Fitikefu to Debut at UFC Fight Island 8 Against Dalcha Lungiambula appeared first on Cageside Press.

Adesanya is set to face Jan Blachowicz for 205lb gold, from all appearances. Which could set up a potential super fight with Jon Jones. At least, should Jones opt to hold off on his move to heavyweight.

Hello, 185lb logjam. But maybe that’s not a bad thing. Divisions take time to mature, and middleweight feels as if it’s in something of a rebuilding phase, with Yoel Romero gone, and Robert Whittaker, Kelvin Gastelum, and Paulo Costa already defeated by the champion.

We’ve got 10 picks for additions the UFC could make to the weight class this year. But before we get started, here’s a look at last year’s list, featuring current UFC roster members Dricus Du Plessis, Dustin Stoltzfus, and Kyle Daukaus all signing with the UFC in 2020.

Abus Magomedov
Alex Pereira
Caio Borralho
Cezary Kesik
Dricus Du Plessis
Dustin Stoltzfus
Isi Fitikefu
Kyle Daukaus
Ramazan Kuramagomedov
Vladimir Mineev

Now, here’s our picks for 2021!

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

Due to some foolishness and bias, Mix doesn’t even have a Wikipedia entry. But never, ever let that cloud your judgement on the quality of a fighter. Mix has done nothing but impress in his career thus far, and he’ll look to graduate to star status should he claim the title so early on in his career (if we’re being honest, people tend to overlook his amateur experience).

At 8-0 and fighting Derek Campos, Keoni Diggs has the chance to make a name for himself on the very same card. There’s that, and a lot more action this week, so here’s our Weekly MMA Prospect Report.

Fight Nights Global/GFC | Wednesday | Russia

Middleweight, Vladimir Mineev (14-1-1)

Mineev has several good wins, the most notable being against former UFC fighter Maiquel Falcão, who actually beat Mineev in an awful decision victory in the fight prior. There have been doubts in the past about his cardio, takedown defense, and head movement, but he has grown into a well-rounded martial artist. The Russian has a dynamic offensive striking attack with excellent output with his hands and kicks, and his wrestling is underrated as well. He fights Dauren Ermekov (15-4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQhGgmTl2zc&ab_channel=FIGHTNIGHTSGLOBALTV

Lightweight, Usman Nurmagomedov (10-0)

A cousin of UFC champ Khabib and brother of fellow prospect Umar, Usman Nurmagomedov on the feet is a kickboxer at heart. He doesn’t throw with much power but he’s flashy and diverse with his attacks. He will throw spinning kicks, roundhouse kicks, and question mark kicks. Usman stays unpredictable attacking with all limbs and throws combos with just his legs alone. His wrestling is good, as well as timing double legs and on top. Simply put, he is a big threat. He fights Svyatoslav Shabanov (18-9-1).

LFA 91 | Friday | US

Bantamweight, Hailey Cowan (5-1)

Cowan has an extensive background in gymnastics and was very accomplished at Baylor University. She won a few tumbling national titles and is a two-time All-American. After coming up short in her pro-MMA debut, she then went on to win her next four fights looking impressive in the process. She’s a big and strong 125er who is moving up to 135 for this fight. Cowan is well-rounded, holding a rear-naked choke and a highlight-reel head kick knockout. She fights Kelly Clayton (1-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oagmr_gLLWk&ab_channel=AXSTVFights

Light-heavyweight, Nick Maximov (4-0)

Maximov outside of MMA has put in some time in wrestling and jiu-jitsu. He won the American Nationals for Gi/No-Gi at purple belt, was a National Junior College All American (3rd) at Clackamas community college, and has won multiple regional/state titles for jiu-jitsu as well. Currently 4-0 as a pro, Maximov went 6-0 as an amateur. There isn’t much recent footage but he has the hype behind his name. He fights Johnny James (1-1).

Bellator 245 | Friday | US

Light-heavyweight, Alex Polizzi (6-0)

Polizzi has the recipe to be a big prospect in the 205lb weight class. Polizzi was a D1 wrestler at Northwestern University from 2010-2015 and was a state champion. Polizzi needs work on his stand-up but his wrestling and athleticism will take him far. His ground and pound have been his best weapon to date. He’s never gone the distance but his pressure and relentless style (a.k.a. his cardio) have held up just fine and that’s into championship rounds shown in his last fight. He fights Rafael Carvalho (16-4).

Bantamweight, Keith Lee (6-3)

Don’t be deceived by Lee’s record at only being .500. His losses are all to good fighters. Keith is the younger brother of UFC star and top contender, Kevin Lee. Keith is very excited and is extremely well-rounded with excellent cardio. On the feet, Lee has a nice jab and throws a lot of kicks. He’s an even better wrestler who actually out-wrestled an excellent wrestler in Shawn Bunch. He fights Vinicius Zani (11-6).

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Esteban Ribovics

Weighing in at 155 lbs
Standing at 5’10″
Hailing from Salta, Argentina
Training out of Nova União Argentina
A professional record of 8-0 with a 100% finish rate

The five things that stand out the most:

• Excellent kimura lock
• Submission threat
• Covers a lot of distance quickly
• Takes a lot of risks
• Utilizes trip takedowns well

Where does Ribovics excel?

Ribovics has finished fights both on the feet and on the mat. Starting off on the feet Ribovics is pretty slick when it comes to his footwork/movement. He does a good job moving laterally coming in with different patterns. Ribovics has a variety of striking techniques sometimes leading combinations with elbows and uppercuts. The way he throws from different angles is nice to see. Also, his right hand is money when he lands it flush.

As good as his striking is, he might be an even better grappler. His takedowns come from the clinch using trips and trapping his knee behind the leg, dumping his opponent down to the mat. Ribovics will then go for broke trying to get the finish or just a better position. No matter if he’s on top or bottom the grip on the kimura is enough for him to finish or get the sweep. Even when he’s about to be taken down he will use the kimura to create a scramble. Cardio wise he’s looked pretty good actively moving around and bouncing in and out.

Where does Ribovics need work?

The willingness of Ribovics to take risks is really a 50/50 position. Sometimes beside naturally fighting underhooks he will accept going down and relying on his kimura sweep. While it has worked out so far he has been succeeding against lower-tier guys. On the feet, he can be a bit too wild and crash in without much thought besides trying to land. Some defensive errors that a young guy can hopefully figure out soon.

Ceiling – High or Low

High. When first watching tape on the beginning of his career I wasn’t sold at all on Ribovics. With that said, in his last three fights, he’s a much-improved fighter. Now the opposition he’s been beating hasn’t been the greatest, but the last guy he defeated has a 21-6-1 record. I like his movement, striking, defensive grappling, jiu-jitsu, and his output — which should be enough to go far in his career.

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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.

Lightweight, Issac Hardman (9-0)

Issac Hardman hasn’t fought in MMA since October of 2017. Reason being because he is pursuing his boxing career. He’s doing very well as he’s currently 6-0 as a pro with five finishes. Whenever he makes his comeback to MMA, he’s going to be a force. Hardman is a killer with all seven of his finishes by TKO/KO. The power in his hands is ridiculous along with impeccable hand speed and accuracy. Hardman is predominantly a striker, but he has solid takedown defense and has showcased big ground-and-pound. He’s also the former XFC and Australian FC champion.

Welterweight, Jack Della Maddalena (8-2)

After starting off his career losing his first two fights, Jack Della Maddalena is now on a seven-fight win streak. He is also the defending Eternal MMA welterweight champion. On the feet, he hits hard with both his hands and kicks. He’s very technical as well mixing in kicks and punches into combos. Della is solid at attacking the body, going there often and effectively using his elbows. He’s probably a better wrestler who has finished both with ground and pound, and submissions. Della does need to work on his takedown defense, but thus far his exceptional jiu-jitsu has done well for him. He is easily the most proven talent outside the UFC and the chance of seeing him on the big stage is extremely high.

Lightweight, Blake Donnelly (4-0)

Fundamentals are crucial in a fighter and Blake Donnelly displays just that. The Aussie has a good jab, uses a lot of feints, has good cardio, and has already developed good fight IQ. All those qualities are great for such a young fighter to have. He’s already the Australian FC Vacant Lightweight Championship. There is some uncertainty around him due to the lack of competition he has faced outside of David Martinez. With that said, I’m confident 2020 will be a big year for him (what’s left of it that is).

Flyweight, Chelsea Hackett (3-0-1)

Chelsea Hackett comes from a Muay Thai background as she’s a two-time world Muay Thai champion. In her MMA career, the girls so far have tried mainly to put her on her back. However, Hackett has shown good takedown defense and is the one getting takedowns herself. She is much better on the feet, notably in the clinch, with good kickboxing, and combos from the outside. She’s the least experienced in MMA on this list but I’m positive she will go far.

Middleweight, Isi Fitikefu (6-0)

Isi Fitikefu could be the next big thing out of the Australia. Last October he beat a good fighter in Kitt Campbell for the Eternal MMA title. Fitikefu is a solid wrestler who has an aggressive and relentless pace with effective chain wrestling. He has one submission win on his resume, but he relies more on his ground and pound. On the feet, Fitikefu has big power in his hands and his right hand is a loaded gun that puts opponents to sleep. It seems like he can make the move down to 170 eventually, but overall he has all the tools to be a successful middleweight. I’m so high on Fitikefu that I had him on my list of fighters that the UFC should sign this year here.

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In this piece, we feature 25 prospects believed worthy of a spot on the Contender Series Season 4. Left out will be fighters that fought on the previous seasons, though some may return.

Hugo Cunha

Heavyweight | 25 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 5-0 | 3 KO/TKO, 2 Submissions

Hugo Cunha doesn’t have a lot of experience in MMA but is a Brazilian National Team wrestler and a BJJ black belt. You will notice his level of competition has been poor as he’s fought three opponents with an 0-0 record. Cunha has still looked dominant thus far in his career and that’s with a 100% finish rate. From Brazil, the ‘Silverback’ has fought in Florida for Titan FC so fighting in the States increases his stock even more.

Renan Ferreira

Heavyweight | 30 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6-2 | Win Streak: 1 | 5 KO/TKO, 1 Submission

Renan Ferreira’s loss early on in his career to Vinicius Moreira doesn’t look so good today. That was early in his career though and the truth is his ceiling is much higher. Like Cunha, Ferreira has recently fought in the U.S., with that bout being for top promotion LFA. He won his last fight against Jared Vanderaa and before that was on his way to probably beating Brett Martin only to be DQ’d due to punches to the back on the head. “Problema” is a giant standing at 6’10” who has a perfect finishing rate all inside two rounds. All those finishes have come by TKO mostly by ground-and-pound. On the feet, he does hit hard, has heavy leg kicks, and a good jab. Ferreira is a problem on the mat being such a big guy, and he does not let up with his heavy ground strikes.

Bruno Miranda

Lightweight | 29 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 13-3 | Win Streak: 4 | 8 KO/TKOs, 2 Submissions

Brazil’s Bruno Miranda lives in Phuket, Thailand as he trains out of Tiger Muay Thai with the likes of many top UFC athletes. Miranda has extensive experience in Muay Thai and it has shown throughout his MMA career. He’s a staple of South Korean promotion Road FC fighting for them nine times. He isn’t locked down in contract-wise and he has a fighting style that should draw the UFC in.

Al Matavao

Light heavyweight | 26 | Nu’uuli, Alaska | 8-2 | Win Streak: 4 | 5 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission

Alaska is a state that lacks higher level fighters but Al Matavao is someone that has potential. In his most recent fight he scored a 16-second knockout. With that alone it’s almost certain he will land on the Contender Series. His last loss was to Jake Heun but since then he has won his next four fights. Matavao is fun to watch and has a style that always produces exciting fights.

Jake Hadley

Flyweight | 23 | Birmingham, England | 5-0 | Win Streak: 7 | 1 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions

Jake 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. In his latest fight, he beat a very good Blaine O’Driscoll in his Bellator debut. He could very well go straight to the UFC and there would be no complaints.

Nikolas Motta

Lightweight | 26 | Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, Brazil | 11-3 | Win Streak: 2 | 8 KO/TKOs

In 2015, Nikolas Motta competed on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 4 and lost to the eventual winner, Glaico França. Since then, Motta is 5-2 with both losses to good fighters. Motta has a win over current UFC fighter Joe Solecki. Also, a win over Cesar Balmaceda who was on our list last year. From Brazil, he lives in the United States and is the current CFFC lightweight champion.

Christien Savoie

Welterweight | 27 | New Brunswick, Canada | 8-0 | Win Streak: 11 | 5 KO/TKOs

Christien Savoie has competed at both middleweight and welterweight. Elite 1 MMA is a promotion out of Canada and Savoie has won two titles for them at both of those weight classes. Last summer, Savoie was targeted for the Contender Series, which unfortunately didn’t pan out — in fact it hasn’t the past two seasons. This could be the year. Savoie is mainly a grinder who will push the pace in close quarters. He wants to take the fight to the mat where his ground and pound is excellent landing at a solid rate with good shots from a short amount of distance.

 Casey O’Neill

Strawweight | 22 | Queensland, Australia | 4-0 | Win Streak: 9 | 1 Submission

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. She’s the current Eternal MMA Strawweight Championship. She even moved up to 125 in her latest fight because it’s so hard for her to find strawweights willing to fight her. O’Neill also fights out of an excellent camp in Tiger Muay Thai.

Hailey Cowan

Flyweight | 27 | Waco, Texas, US | 5-1 | Win Streak: 5 | 2 KO TKOs, 1 Submission

Hailey Cowan has an extensive background in gymnastics and was very accomplished at Baylor University. She won a few tumbling national titles and is a two-time All-American. After coming up short in her pro-MMA debut, she then went on to win her next five fights looking impressive in the process. She’s a staple of top regional promotion LFA who always does a great job molding fighters.

Anthony Ivy

Welterweight | 29 | San Antonio, Texas, US | 8-2 | Win Streak: 4 | 5 KO TKOs, 3 Submission

Anthony Ivy is on a nice five-fight win streak currently and is the Fury FC and the WXC welterweight champion. Ivy has some good qualities on the feet with good clinch work and an explosive head kick. He’s primarily wrestler who chains his takedowns together well to go along with good timing, setups, and executions. In the grappling realm, he has perfect control showing superb ability to get dominant positions. His work ethic and cardio set him apart from other welterweight prospects.

John Gotti III

Welterweight | 27 | Oyster Bay, New York, US | 5-0 | Win Streak: 9 | 4 KO TKOs

John Gotti III is best known as the grandson of the infamous John Gotti, the Italian-American gangster known as the “Teflon Don.” John Gotti the third is going down a different path, pursuing a career in MMA, and has looked really good so far. He’s a knockout artist who recently went the distance for the first time. That’s a plus, for him to get that in early in his career. He has a style Dana White would want on the Contender Series.

Jose Johnson

Bantamweight | 24 | Copperas Cove, Texas, US | 11-5 | Win Streak: 5 | 7 KO TKOs, 1 Submission

Jose Johnson, being only 24, has an amazing amount of experience. Not only is he 11-5 as a pro but he has an extensive amateur career going 68-12. At a point in his pro career, Jose was 5-4 but since late 2018 he’s looked much improved. He’s the current Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting bantamweight champ and recently fought for the top UFC feeder league LFA. Johnson has looked stellar as of late. He is now on a five-fight win streak, all finishes in the first round.

Emillio Trevino

Light-heavyweight | 24 | Boise, Idaho, US | 5-0 | Win Streak: 6 | 2 KO TKOs, 1 Submission

Emilio Trevino is still a bit unknown due to only fighting pro for three years, and his lack of a busy schedule. Without much experience, he’s still fought for both LFA and Bellator MMA. Trevino fights out of a karate stance and is a fighter who fights behind his kicks. He actively switches stances and throws from different angles as well. He’s still green but has the toolset to go far.

The post Scouting Prospects for the Contender Series Season 4: Part 1 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In need of fresh blood, the 185lb weight class could surely benefit by a number of fresh faces joining the fold. Here’s our pick for the top ten middleweights Dana White and company should ink to deals this year.

Before we get started, a look at last year’s list, featuring current UFC roster members Brendan Allen, Puna Soriano, Roman Kopylov, and Jun Yong Park signing with the UFC in 2019:

Brendan Allen
Cezary Kesik
Isi Fitikefu
Chibwikem Onyenegecha
Puna Soriano
Roman Kopylov
Gamzat Khiramagomedov
Vladimir Mineev
Jun Yong Park
Mike Shipman

Be sure to visit our other installments in this series (linked below):

10 Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2020
10 Light Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2020
10 Welterweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2020
10 Lightweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2020
10 Featherweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2020

The post 10 Middleweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2020 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The PFL was back in action, Bellator had a big weekend in Connecticut, and the regional scene was busy as always. Here’s a look at who stood out in October, as we’re back for another installment of the MMA Prospect Watch.

Featherweight, Brendan Loughnane (18-3)

Making his PFL debut, Loughnane dominated a credible guy in Team Alpha Male’s Matt Wagy. Loughnane started off tactical in round one just with his kicks, mainly some hard leg kicks. He started to pick it up more as the fight went on, using his hands more. He never let Wagy really find his range due to superior range control and footwork. The Englishman picked it up in round three forcing Wagy to curl up, with Loughnane finding home with his right hand.
Grade: B

Welterweight, Nikolay Aleksakhin (25-5)

An excellent performance from the Russian taking out a former UFC fighter and vet, Jesse Ronson, in the first. Both started off trading early and Ronson maybe was getting off the better strikes early. Aleksakhin was throwing a lot more how, up to combinations of two to four strikes. Aleksakhin with his rapid combos was just too fast for Ronson. The finish came as soon as the Russian got the thai clinch to land the knee on the jaw of Ronson. The end came shortly after when the ref saved Ronson.
Grade: B+

Strawweight, Casey O’Neill (3-0)

O’Neill would make it 3-0 inside the Eternal cage and though the title was on the line (to reclaim) she did miss weight. In round two the biggest moment was when she dropped Motono with straight punches. The fight mainly took place on the mat and it usually started with O’Neill on her back. It was not the takedowns from Motono but the jiu-jitsu of O’Neill that set the pace. From her back, O’Neill used kimuras, triangles, and armbars to transition to the back. Once O’Neill got top position she stuck there with good control and active ground and pound. Only 3-0 so she’s still green but is talented.
Grade: C+

Welterweight, Jack Della Maddalena (7-2)

In October, Jack Della would defend his Eternal welterweight title for the second time. Della’s original opponent pulled out and Kevin Jousset would step in on short notice. Jousset would just become another casualty to Della and would become the fourth undefeated fighter he took out. Della made this a gritty fight using short strikes to the body and head in the clinch. He also mixed in some trip takedowns. Della in the second round would curl up Jousset with a left hook to the body and a right to the jaw. His ground and pound was his biggest weapon in the fight using slicing elbows. One of those elbows cut Jousset around the right eye and the doctor called the fight off after the second round.
Grade: B-

Middleweight, Isi Fitikefu (6-0)

What was more impressive than his performance was the fighter Isi Fitikefu beat in Kitt Campbell. Campbell was a top prospect and close to the UFC but Isi dominated him en route to a decision win. Nothing was spectacular about the performance but Isi dominated with top control. Fitikefu at the start of each round took Campbell down with the single leg. At no point did Isi come close to finishing but held position and stayed active enough.
Grade: C 

Flyweight, Rasul Albaskhanov (10-3)

Albaskhanov started off aggressive with a heavy kicking attack. He was taken down pretty early, that being his one downfall. His opponent was Jose Maria Tome, a veteran and former UFC fighter. Tome is very skilled on the mat but Albaskhanov was excellent off his back and kept Tome in his guard. Albaskhanov used a guillotine to reverse to get on top in a beautiful transition. Shortly after he tapped Tome to an arm triangle.
Grade: C+

Flyweight, Mariya Agapova (8-1)

A battle between two 2019 contender series fighters, Agapova easily beat Marilia Santos. Using her reach, Agapova used a lot of straight strikes and body kicks to keep the distance. Santos, once she got the clinch pulled guard and that was the beginning of the end. Agapova had to fight through an armbar and using her long length she landed some huge unanswered elbows until the ref stepped in.
Grade: B-

Middleweight, Anatoly Tokov (29-3)

Even though Darpinyan was four years the elder of the Russian, Tokov big-brothers him in this fight. Tokov was using foot sweeps and catching kicks to get the fight down where he was very dominant. He was constantly throwing leather in all positions on top as he was heavy but still floating on top. Tokov as soon as he passed to side control got the crucifix position as he had in rounds one and two. Once in that position in round two, Darpinyan was stuck and took a few elbows before the ref stepped in.
Grade: A-

Former ACB champ Anatoly Tokov (29-2) keeps pace in the MW title picture, outclassing Mousasi stablemate Hracho Darpinyan en route to a second-round, crucifix TKO. Fedor's protégé is 22-1 in his last 23 (5-0 in Bellator). He has stopped 23, 16 by knockout. #Bellator229 pic.twitter.com/O4kZYwb7XF

— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) October 5, 2019

Welterweight, Joey Davis (6-0)

Not much happened before the finish but the evolution of “Black Ice” has been awesome. Davis came into Bellator known as a wrestler but has three highlight-reel finishes on the feet. Being a wrestler his opponent expected him to shoot but it was a flying knee to the face knocking the dude out cold. It was his biggest test to date in a 16-fight veteran in Jeff Peterson but it’s time for some top competition.
Grade: A-

https://twitter.com/WhatsUp_MMA/status/1180330623900278784

The post MMA Prospect Watch: The Most Impressive Fighters from October appeared first on Cageside Press.