LXF is back for its third and final show of 2021 this Friday, December 10. LXF 7 is headlined by former UFC fighter Roosevelt Roberts (10-3-1), and he is taking on Darren Smith Jr. (20-11). The fight has some history behind it. The pair were supposed to fight back in 2018 in the California Xtreme Fighting finals; however, Roberts got a call from Bellator and then Dana White’s Contender Series.

Roberts would go on and fight in the UFC eight times, going 4-3-1 from 2018 to 2021. He was released earlier this year.

This time around, Roberts vs. Smith will be for the vacant welterweight title. Ahead of the event, LXF co-owner and NFL legend Shawne Merriman gave his thoughts on the match-up.

“You know, it’s funny, I wasn’t around when they were supposed to fight, back when it was California Xtreme Fighting. I got wind of the fight when it was being made, and then I learned about the reasons they didn’t fight and how much pent-up energy there was back then. I was like, yeah, we have to do this one and both of the guys jumped on board. They both have great followings; they sold a lot of tickets. It’s going to be a banger. I really can’t wait for that one,” Merriman told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview.

Merriman said it was very important for LXF to scoop up Roberts once he was released from the UFC. He understands that “The Predator” wants to return to the UFC, and he is more than happy to give him the LXF platform to fight on.

In the co-main event of the evening, Bellator and LFA veteran Ryan Lilley (10-7) fights Tim Riscen (7-3) in a bantamweight match-up.

Both fighters say that it will be the fight of the night, and Merriman agrees.

“I agree with that. I worked out with Ryan and Bas Rutten about a year or two ago. You get around these guys who just love to bang, right? Obviously, there is strategy and things they are going to work on, but when it comes to just wanting to throw and get after it, he is one of those guys. I think the co-main event is going to be the best fight of the night,” Merriman said.

The rest of the card has a bunch of LXF familiar faces and will feature several amateur fights.

Looking forward to next year, Merriman says he is planning to have an LXF event every single month and will keep building the brand.

Watch the rest of our interview with Shawne Merriman above. The event takes place Friday, December 10, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, and can be seen on fubosportsnetwork.com for free.

The LXF 7 card current looks like this, and the order is TBD.

• Roosevelt Roberts vs. Darren Smith Jr. – for the vacant welterweight championship
• Tim Riscen vs. Ryan Lilley
• Artur Arutyunyan vs. Carlos Morales
• Gilbert Nakatani vs. Mike Hansen
• Arnold Jimenez vs. William Elliot
• Maksim Manukyan vs. Alfredo Borrego
• A.J. Bryant vs. Georgiy Eyvas
• Niko Ruiz vs. Bryant Shell
• JJ Buckner vs. Adryen Spinks – amateur
• Edward Chan vs. Daniel Sanchez – amateur
• Jarred Fiorda vs. Angel Becerra – amateur
• Gevorg Matevosyan vs. Oswaldo Martinez – amateur
• Edrin Adjamian vs. Weston Quiroz – amateur

The post Shawne Merriman Previews Roosevelt Roberts’ First Fight Post-UFC At LXF 7 appeared first on Cageside Press.

This edition of the Weekly MMA Prospect Report, with that in mind, is quite frankly subject to change.

Fury FC 43 | Friday | US

Bantamweight: Leomana Martinez (6-1)

Despite a split-decision loss to Dulani Perry, Leomana Martinez has looked very good. He’s a technically sound kickboxer who has some slick hands as well. “Manaboi” fights behind his leg kicks throwing them often and very hard. He has ended a fight with leg kicks but will mix it up as he holds a head kick knockout as well. Martinez hasn’t spent much time on the mat in his pro career but has three arm-bar wins as an amateur. On the feet, though he’s just so good thanks to his speed, counter ability, power, and excellent accuracy and timing. He fights Peter Caballero (7-4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U724Otru1xU

Bantamweight: Adrian Yanez (10-3)

Adrian Yanez is a good young talent who has only lost to good fighters and is still only 26. His biggest weakness is his takedown defense. It’s not poor, it just takes him time to stuff shots. He only has two submissions but has some credible BJJ to give guys issues. On the feet is where he wants to be mainly; it’s where all of his finishes have come. Yanez has slick boxing that includes head movement, quick hands, going body-head, and excellent placement. I really like the future of this kid. He fights Ricky Turcios (10-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tEE0VZWFSQ

LXF 5 | Friday | US

Featherweight: Melsik Baghdasaryan (4-1)

Melsik Baghdasaryan doesn’t have a lot of MMA experience and his competition has been horrible but the potential is there. Baghdasaryan does have a lot of experience in other combat sports, mainly boxing, and kickboxing. He’s competed in the K-1 Grand Prix, is a former WLF World Kick Boxing Champion, and a 3-0 pro boxer. Losing his pro debut he has won his next four. He has got the job done early with a 7, 14, and 9-second finish. Of course, there is still so much we need to see of him though. He fights Ysidro Gutierrez (5-3).

Bellator 241 | Friday | US

Middleweight: Anatoly Tokov (29-3)

Anatoly Tokov is an excellent prospect out of Russia with an impressive record with plenty of experience. Tokov is 22-1 in his last 24 fights as his only loss is to UFC fighter Ramazan Emeev. He does have wins over solid competition including former champion Alexander Shlemenko. With a background in combat sambo, he is a great wrestler and the ground-and-pound he possesses on top is his best aspect. Tokov has heavy hands and is very aggressive with great cardio. Tokov is a major prospect and a possible future Bellator champion. He fights Fabio Aguiar (17-1).

Welterweight: Robson Gracie Jr. (3-0)

Every MMA fan is familiar with the legendary last name Gracie. More and more it seems like a new Gracie is making a slight name for themselves. Robson Gracie Jr. is, of course, most comfortable on the mat as his BJJ is his specialty. All three of his wins have come by submission and all three are a form of a different sub. The Gracia family is known for their jiu-jitsu and no so much on the feet and it looks like Robson doesn’t have a lot to offer standing. He does have excellent jiu-jitsu but does have a lot to show first. He fights Billy Goff (2-2).

Welterweight: Mark Lemminger (10-1)

Mark Lemminger is a wrestling based fighter, and he’s a high level one at that, excelling on the regional scene. He is a physical powerhouse once he gets control in the clinch. He ragdolls guys, making it look like a professional wrestling match the way he slings opponents around. He doesn’t just rely on strength, on his takedowns he uses solid technique as well including inside trip takedowns, outside trip takedowns, and sweeping the legs out on his opponents – all beautifully done. On top, he has fight-ending ground and pound, staying active and always throwing while keeping full control. On the feet, Lemminger doesn’t usually stay striking, as he usually initiates the clinch, but he is getting better and better. He does hit hard, wobbling and even dropping his opponents, but he needs a lot of refining. He fights Ion Pascu (18-10).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiN4pXqVW9Y

 Combate 57 | Friday | US

Flyweight: Juan Puerta (18-6)

Juan Puerta has had a lot of speed bumps in his career but has now hit his stride and is on a seven-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 submissions. He fights Ivan Lopez (14-4-1).

AFL 23 | Saturday | Spain

Strawweight: Pierangela Rodriguez Giunta (5-0)

Pierangela Rodriguez Giunta is an all-action type fighter who is a fun one to watch. She badly needs to work on her takedown defense as that is by far her weakest area. Rodriguez loves to just throw her hands. In her constant rapid attack, she does hit hard and is pretty accurate. Her aggressive style is one of the reasons she has a 100% finish rate. She fights Samantha Jean-Francois (3-6).

Caged Steel Contenders 2 | Saturday | UK

Bantamweight: Adam Bramhald (8-2)

Adam Bramhald has some experience in kickboxing going 4-0 in K1. Only losing to good fighters in Luke Shanks and Scott Malone, at just 25, he has a promising future. On the feet, he’s very technical and throws a lot of output. Bramhald is dynamic and does a great job throwing with his punches and kicks. Not the most powerful but has everything else. He fights Francisco Javier Asprilla Martinez (14-13-1).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: For Those Events Moving Forward, Here’s Who to Look Out For appeared first on Cageside Press.

The MMA world has a busy week this week, with Brave CF, ONE Championship, the UFC, and Bellator all in action. Not to mention the return of LFA, with a newly secured broadcast deal with UFC Fight Pass. That means it’s a busy time in prospect land, with plenty of names to keep an eye on.

Brave CF 29 | Wednesday | Bahrain

Lightweight, Guram Kutateladze (10-2)

The Swedish native Kutateladze is on a seven-fight win streak after losing two consecutive fights, one to former UFC fighter Oliver Enkamp. On the feet Kutateladze has a large variety of strikes and kicks mixing both together very well. He shows good athleticism, footwork and excellent head movement to complement his stand up. He’s even better on the mat with ground and pound and solid jiu-jitsu and also has solid cardio on top of everything. Guram is coming off an 11-month layoff against former UFC fighter Felipe Silva (9-2).

Light heavyweight, Azamat Murzakanov (7-0)

Russia’s Murzakanov has a background in judo, winning a handful of championships. He has solid wrestling, as he’s able to throw you to the mat or slam you down. His ground and pound is very good but his striking is excellent. He’s aggressive, always the one attacking looking for the knockout. He does have the one-punch power but is an excellent counter striker as well. Azamat is coming off a 2 1/2 year layoff due to his suspension from USADA resulting in him never fighting in the UFC. He fights former UFC fighter Guto Inocente (7-2) who hasn’t fought in four years.

Featherweight, Ilia Topuria (7-0)

A product out of Spain, Topuria is no doubt someone to watch. Topuria is a monster grappler and submission ace with all wins coming by submission. To get it to the mat he has solid wrestling, timing his shots perfectly. Glue-like on the mat he is great at sticking to the back and transitioning smoothly. Topuria is a tactical grappler with improving striking. He has good crisp hands but is still a bit green. Still a great prospect. He fights Steven Goncalves (6-2).

Bantamweight, Rany Saadeh (9-1)

At times Rany Saddeh does get hit a lot, mainly when he is willing to brawl. But when he is using his footwork he is excellent at picking his shots, moving side to side and in and out. Rany has shown power in his hands but volume is what he does best, including kicks and an effective jab. His grappling is very good, improving every fight. Rany has good control and is always working for better positions. He has good ground and pound as well and is very smart positionally, always putting his head in the right spot. He fights Dean Garnett (9-2-1) who is a talented prospect as well.

Magomedov has a background in freestyle wrestling and was the Russian National Jiu-Jitsu champion in 2017. The Russian only has six fights, but three finishes, getting it done on the mat with submissions and ground and pound. He’s a smart fighter and could be someone to watch for in the future. He fights Erick da Silva (22-6).

Bellator 234 | Thursday | Israel

Lightweight, Sidney Outlaw (13-3)

Outlaw is always pressing forward and once he gets his hands together, he is most likely getting the fight down. He is a powerful athlete and he also has very high grappling IQ, as he knows when to level-change to complete the takedown. Once on the mat, he excels as he is a veteran of regional jiu-jitsu contests. Outlaw is the former Ring of Combat and Titan FC champion and has fought stiff competition. He fights veteran Roger Huerta (24-11) at Bellator 234.

Welterweight, Austin Vanderford (8-0)

Vanderford is a really strong wrestler as he was a national amateur wrestling champion. He has excellent chain wrestling and once on top, he is very dominant. He doesn’t have much on the feet but he is growing and he does hold a lot of power in his hands. Vanderford is solid once he gets on top with heavy top control and heavy ground and pound. He fights Grachik Bozinyan (10-3). Be sure to check out our interview with him ahead of Bellator 234.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzY4dnfUk_c

Lightweight, Aviv Gozali (3-0)

The youngster Aviv Gozali fights out of Bat Yam, Israel and is only 18-years-old. The kid has looked fantastic in his short career though. All wins have come by submission in the first round. Gozali is an aggressive grappler who excels in the grappling department. His ability to chain submission attempts is fantastic. The wrestling looks good though he hasn’t shown it as much. He fights Zaka Fatullazade (14-8) who is a good test.

 

LFA 78 | Friday | US

Bantamweight, Adrian Yanez (9-3)

Yanez is a good young talent who has only lost to good fighters and is still only 25. His biggest weakness is his takedown defense. It’s not poor, it just takes him time to stuff shots. He only has two submissions but has some credible BJJ to give guys issues. On the feet is where he wants to be where mainly; all of his finishes have come by. Yanez has slick boxing that includes head movement, quick hands, going body-head, and excellent placement. I really like the future of this kid. He fights Kyle Estrada (10-2).

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

Flyweight, Hailey Cowan (4-1)

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 well-rounded, holding a rear-naked choke and a highlight-reel head kick knockout. She fights Lisa Mauldin (3-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Qiikr-0nw

Bantamweight, Jose Johnson (10-5)

For someone that has half as many losses as he has wins, Johnson has looked stellar as of late. He is now on a 4-fight win streak with all finishes in the first round. He will struggle with takedown defense but is good off his back with solid jiu-jitsu. On the feet is where he excels and is a very dangerous fighter. Johnson is good at range with long strikes and an effective teep kick. He’s lethal in the clinch with excellent muay thai bringing in deadly elbows and knees. Such an athletic guy and only 24, you have to like where he is heading. He fights Rafael Costa (11-2).

LXF 4 | Friday | US

Featherweight, Melsik Baghdasaryan (4-1)

Baghdasaryan doesn’t have a lot of MMA experience and his competition has been horrible but the potential is there. Baghdasaryan does have a lot of experience in other combat sports, mainly boxing, and kickboxing. He’s competed in the K-1 Grand Prix, is a former WLF World Kick Boxing Champion, and a 3-0 pro boxer. Losing his pro debut he has won his next four. He has got the job done early with a 7, 14, and 9-second finish. Of course, there is still so much we need to see of him though. He fights Fard Muhammad (6-14) who has lost his last seven fights.

  Total Warrior Combat | Friday | US

Welterweight, Adrian Hadribeaj (9-1)

Hadribeaj fights at a Karate stance which helps keep distance, and uses an array of striking attacks as he is a National Karate Champion. He is fast with his hands and is reminiscent of Sage Northcutt with his stand-up. He can drop you with anything and while his leg kicks are more dangerous, he usually finishes with his hands. Going five rounds five times says a lot and is a big plus. Hadribeaj has a win against current UFC fighter Kyle Nelson. He fights Sinatra Pool (2-4).

RCC Intro 6 | Saturday | Russia

Lightweight, Pavel Gordeev (14-1)

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 veteran Luiz Firmino (20-10).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU3bxkc4s4M

 

CFFC 79 | Saturday | US

Lightweight, Pat Sabatini (11-2)

Sabatini has only two losses in his career to top prospects in Jose Mariscal and Robert Watley. Sabatini does have a background in grappling, competing in several competitions, and has a background in combat sambo. Sabatini is clearly dangerous on the mat with nine finishes all coming by submission. He is very improved with solid trip takedowns, good ground-and-pound, improved stand up and excellent cardio. He fights Mauro Chaulet (14-6).

*Also, watch for flyweight prospect Santos Curatolo who is 3-0. He looks solid of what I’ve seen but footage lacks.

La Batalla del Puente 6 | Saturday | Argentina

Bantamweight, Mauro Mastromarini (9-0)

One of the better prospects out of Argentina, Mastromarini still needs some work. He can stand a bit flat-footed and his TDD needs to be better. He makes up for that with huge explosive ability. Mastromarini usually throws one strike at a time, and he’s a good counter striker. He’s even better when he explodes forward with strikes and some sniper head kicks at the end of combos. He fights Ariel Ibarra (8-2-1).

 

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: A Very Stacked Week appeared first on Cageside Press.