Invicta FC 41 | Thursday | US

Flyweight, Eric Blanchfield (5-1)

Blanchfield is very well-known in the jiu-jitsu world where she won the EBI 12 flyweight championship. Her sole MMA loss is to UFC fighter Tracy Cortez; many thought Blanchfield won that fight. She really impressed me in her last fight when she knocked out Victoria Leonardo who is a good prospect. Still, a lot of work needs to be done on the feet but at only 21-years-old the sky is the limit. She fights Brogan Walker-Sanchez (6-1) who is a good prospect in her own right.

ONE Championship | Friday | Thailand

Strawweight, Nong Stamp (4-0)

Nong Stamp (Stamp Fairtex) is a world kickboxing and Muay Thai champion, with a Muay Thai record of 63-15-5. She hasn’t shown a lot in her MMA career to date. That said, she’s shown her kickboxing and Muay Thai skills of course, and although she could throw more volume, she picks her shots well. Stamp in her second pro fight actually got two takedowns and secured the RNC finish. She fights Sunisa Srisan (3-0) who Stamp should cruise by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iBzCXqWbaA

Fight Nation Championship 3 | Friday | Croatia

Light heavyweight, Ivan Erslan (8-0)

Erslan is easily the best Croatian 205 pound fighter outside a big promotion. Lately he has fought decent fighters, at least decent enough to test his skills. On the feet he is dangerous with power in his hands, but he is more of a threat on the mat. His ground and pound is by far his best weapon — it’s a fight changer. He fights Jusuf Hajrović (13-11-1) which is a gimmie fight for Ivan.

UAE Warriors 12 | Friday | Abu Dhabi

Flyweight, Manon Fiorot (2-1)

Fiorot may only have a few MMA fights but before transitioning to MMA she spent time in boxing and karate. In fact, she was a two-time French kickboxing and Karate champion and was the IMMAF 2017 amateur world champion in 2017. Fiorot is the current EFC Worldwide Flyweight champion beating a solid fighter in Amanda Lino. Her karate style is immediately noticable with her sideways stance, throwing with a high velocity of kicks. She puts her strikes and kicks together perfectly and is always throwing first. Foirot has a diverse skillset, in addition to striking she will use wrestling and pound out her foes from there. She fights Corinne Laframboise (5-3) who is a good test.

Lightweight, Usman Nurmagomedov (9-0)

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 Jerry Kvarnstrom (15-14).

LFA 87 | Friday | US

Lightweight, Nick Browne (9-1)

Browne’s sole loss is to John Gunther, and while that looks not so good in hindsight, he does have a few good wins. He’s beat opponents like Sidney Outlaw, Troy Lamson, and Trey Ogden who are all good fighters. Browne doesn’t have much to offer on the feet but strikes well to close the distance to wrestle. He’s a strong grappler being a big submission threat with five submission wins. Especially taking the back and finishing with the RNC is what he’s best at. He fights Ben Egli (12-3) who is a good test.

Featherweight, Michael Stack (4-0)

Michael Stack is pretty well-rounded with an undefeated pro record and amateur career going 4-0. On the feet he does need to move his head more as he gets cracked coming in. Stack does has some good hands though, going high and low ripping the body and coming over the top. He’s a better wrestler having wrestled in high school and on top, he throws active ground and pound. He fights Kai Kamaka (6-2).

Featherweight, Kai Kamaka (6-2)

Speaking of Kamaka, he’s a wrestler first who has all the intentionsto just have a wrestle heavy gameplan. He doesn’t have that finishing instinct on the mat but has heavy top control. Usually when he gets the takedown he’s content to just lay on top. He may have the boring label but it’s what he’s good at. Kamaka doesn’t strike often but has shown glimpses of good hands. He fights Michael Stack (4-0).

EMMA 16 | Friday | Ecuador

Welterweight, Michael Morales (8-0)

I will go on record to state that I’m not sold on Morales due to his poor level of competition. Morales is a tall welterweight at 6’3″ using his length well. He throws good leg kicks and long straight strikes. He does hold his hands low but he’s comfortable with his distance control. Morales doesn’t have the power but does have the output and volume. He fights Daniel Bastidas (2-0).

Brave CF 37 | Saturday | Sweden

Light heavyweight, Anton Turkalj (4-0)

Turkalj is a raw talent fighting out of Sweden. He’s a big guy standing at 6’4″ and is super athletic. On the feet, Turkalj fights long with a jab and kicks. He’s explosive throwing spinning kicks and flying knees as well. He puts together punches and knees well and can finish the fight in any moment. The Swede has an array of submissions dating back to his amateur career. He’s well-rounded and although he’s still raw he’s got the skillset to go far in his division. He fights Riccardo Nosiglia (8-2) who is his biggest challenge to date by far.

Welterweight, Henri Lintula (5-0)

Henri Lintula hasn’t fought as high a level of competition as some of his fellow prospects, but he has been nothing short of dominant. He has a 100% finish rate with four wins coming by submission. Lintula is primarily a grappler, with a BJJ black belt. His wrestling is getting better but on the other side it seems like he doesn’t mind getting taken down himself. As long as he’s on the mat he’s in his realm. Lintula doesn’t have much on the feet but you can imagine that with his time at Tiger Muay Thai and City Kickboxing, he will get better. Still, his jiu-jitsu is where he is dominant. He fights Louis Glismann (6-1).

Welterweight, Louis Glismann (6-1)

Glismann is a top-notch grappler out of Denmark. From the start of the fight, Glismann is very aggressive getting the fight to the mat right away. With a high work ethic in the jiu-jitsu department Glismann is constantly working to improve position. He’s a high-level grappler easily passing guard and flowing on top. He has good ground and pound and is a really dangerous submission threat. He fights Henri Lintula (5-0).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQJ90CTmyto

SFT | Saturday | Brazil

Light heavyweight, Acacio dos Santos (12-3)

Santos is an interesting prospect. A towering 6’4″ he previously fought at middleweight. The Brazilian is limited on the feet, and while he has heavy kicks his brawling style throws technique out the window. Santos does have raw strength and that has earned him these wins. If he gets taken down, he will just stand up and take top position, Derrick Lewis style. If he does get on top, then he’s most likely staying there due to his size and his best weapon, which is his ground-and-pound. He fights Cássio de Oliveira (19-9-1).

Lightweight, Brendo Bispo (17-4)

With already 21-fights at only 26-years-old, Bispo looks to be in his prime since moving up to lightweight. Bispo trains out of Chute Boxe with UFC fighter Charles Oliveira. Bispo is very explosive but needs to throw more leg kicks because his legs are huge. He needs to throw more but he hits hard. He does a good job striking his way into the clinch where he has solid Muay Thai and can prove his strength. Bispo has some good ground-and-pound and is a threat with submissions. He’s really improved and is a good prospect all-around. He fights Renato Gomes (26-12) who is a good test.

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: A Ton of Talent in Action This Week appeared first on Cageside Press.

Welterweight, Tyler Ray (6-1)

Tyler Ray fought a very tough fighter in Josh Streacker and he dominated on the way to a second-round finish. The key to victory for Ray was wrestling and control. On the feet, the wrestler did show glimpses of improvement. He throws a good one-two and showed good head movement but doesn’t look fully confident yet. Ray got the finish eventually on the back of Josh sinking in the RNC. Ray is reminiscent of a very raw Ian Heinisch.
Grade: C

Featherweight, Steve Garcia Jr (11-3)

This was a hell of a fight between Steve Garcia and Jose Mariscal. Garcia dropped Jose early in round one and all hell broke loose after that. Mariscal survived and threw like a wild man. As did Garcia but he stayed calmer and picked his spots with head kicks and his left hand. In round two both fighters were throwing a some crazy pace. Garcia eventually finished the fight after some ground and pound. It was a poor stoppage but still a good performance.
Grade: A

Strawweight, Nong Stamp (4-0)

At the beginning of the fight, Stamp Fairtex (Nong Stamp) was way too flat-footed just standing in front of her opponent. Stamp was taken down but quickly got back to her feet and got the takedown herself. From there she did very well and the Muay Thai practitioner seemed at home on the mat. Stamp easily won positions getting the mount/the back and unloading punches until the ref stopped the fight.
Grade: C-

Flyweight, Ayaka Miura (10-2)

Although did get tagged a bit in round one, Ayaka Miura dominated the course of two rounds. She used the head and arm position to pull her opponent down in both rounds one and two. In round one, Miura threatened the whole time with an arm-triangle but couldn’t get the right position. The Americana has been her go-to submission and for the third straight occasion she finished with it, this time in the second round.
Grade: C+

Bantamweight, Shuo Wang (11-3)

This was my first time watching Shou Wang, and he had a really good fight with a decent opponent in Aydin Kodekov. Right away you could tell Wang is a talented fighter on the feet so Aydin tried to get the fight down. He had some success but Wang really showed some solid takedown defense. Wang did a nice job attacking the head, body, and legs up until the second-round finish. He attacked with leg kicks often even landing some nasty oblique kicks. Wang had some solid head movement slipping punches and countering. Both would sit in the pocket trading but Wang had more weapons throwing those kicks, knees, and short elbows.
Grade: A

Middleweight, Abusupyan Alikhanov (12-3)

Abusupyan Alikhanov dominated his opponent. The Russian quickly got the fight to the ground with a hard outside leg kick sweeping his opponent to the mat. Alikhanov would get into the crucifix position and he stuck there. He would land countless elbows and punches until the ref would finally step in. He fought a guy that was 9-4 but he fought like expected.
Grade: C+

Welterweight, Pedro Machado (3-0)

Pedro Machado opened up the fight with a body lock takedown. In half guard, Machado sliced right into mount. Soon after his opponent swept Machado to his back but Machado was still very much in control. He threw up a triangle but would lock in a heel hook to get the eventual tap. Machado showed some very slick jiu-jitsu.
Grade: C+

Lightweight, Mateusz Rębecki (11-1)

Mateusz Rebecki fought a really good Russian prospect in Magomed Magomedov and it was fairly one-sided. Rebecki was wild on the feet throwing looping shots including overhands. He did hit hard with thumping leg kicks and did drop Magomedov with an overhand left. He was at home on the mat winning scrambles and being in control. He almost secured a kimura in round two but instead got the finish with ground and pound. Rebecki in the crucifix position would land nasty elbows cutting up Magomedov s the ref stepped in.
Grade: B-

Middleweight, Phil Hawes (7-2)

Phil Hawes is finally living up to the potential he had when he started his career. In this fight, he displayed a technical game plan with heavy strikes. Hawes fought behind his straight left jab going up top and to the body. He threw the right hook continuously behind the jab landing every time dropping the Brazilian twice. Hawes had his foe hurt and as he fell to his back the third time Hawes forced the ref to come in after some heavy hammer fists.
Grade: C+ 

Light-heavyweight, Jakob Nedoh (3-1)

Jakob Nedoh, known as a submission specialist, got the job done solely with his striking. Every time Nedoh hit opponent Zarko Sedoglavic his head snapped back. The finishing sequence was when Nedoh landed two straight left hands and a right hook for the clean knockout victory.
Grade: B-

Featherweight, Jay-Jay Wilson (5-0)

Bellator MMA’s Jay-Jay Wilson fought Mario Navarro a BJJ black belt and easily out-classed him on the mat. Both round one and two Wilson got the quick takedown. He constantly worked to finish even almost getting his first ground and pound stoppage. Round two he went for a twister but lost position. Wilson was on his back but executed a beautiful sweep to get back on top. While controlling the back he set up an armbar and Navarro tapped. Just beautiful and stellar BJJ from Wilson.
Grade: A+

Featherweight, Collin Anglin (7-1)

It took a bit for Collin Anglin to find his range, throwing a lot of wasted motion and not hitting the target. In the final seconds of the first round, Anglin did drop his opponent with a nice right uppercut. Round two he was much more comfortable as his opponent still seemed a bit rocked. Anglin used a lot of feints and was coming over with the right hook. The right hook is eventually what landed after a feint, putting his opponent out cold.
Grade: B-

Featherweight, Jamall Emmers (17-4)

This was a good fight between two top-notch prospects in Jamall Emers and Rafael Barbosa. Emmers displayed some good fundamentals. He had excellent head movement, used a lot of feints, employed good footwork, and showed understanding of his range. His striking was on point landing counters and hard lead leg kicks. Round three he stepped on the gas landing more. He got Barbosa to the mat and took his back. He went for the RNC but locked in the arm-triangle instead for the technical submission.
Grade: A+

Flyweight, Lito Adiwang (11-2)

Lito Adiwang went completely off in this fight starting off with a thudding head kick that landed on his opponent Pongsiri Mitsatit. After that Lito chased him with wide rights and lefts dropping Mitsatit. Misatit survived for the time being but Adiwang was still in finish mode. Mitsatit did get the back but Adiwang had thekimura grip and eventually separated it from the body and Pongsiri tapped.
Grade: A

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

While the first few weeks of 2020 are light on the MMA front (at least until UFC 246), ONE Championship has decided to get things going early with A New Tomorrow, going down Friday in Bangkok, Thailand. They’ve got plenty of prospects in action — here’s a look at the most promising!

ONE Championship | Friday | Thailand

Strawweight: Nong Stamp (3-0)

Nong Stamp (Stamp Fairtex) is a world kickboxing and Muay Thai champion, with a Muay Thai record of 63-15-5. She hasn’t shown a lot in her MMA career to date. That said, she’s shown her kickboxing and Muay Thai skills of course, and although she could throw more volume, she picks her shots well. Stamp in her second pro fight actually got two takedowns and secured the RNC finish. She fights Puja Tomar (4-3).

Featherweight: Thanh Le (10-1)

Thanh Le is a karate-based fighter and one of the most exciting known prospects out there. He has amazing power, kicks, and punches with lights out written on everything he throws. He has struggled with takedown defense in the past but has seemed to improve in that area doing better in his most recent bouts. Being 34-years old, Le is barely clinging to prospect status in terms of age, but he doesn’t have a lot of fight mileage. He tends to sit in the pocket and snipe his way in and right back out looking for the kill. He fights Ryogo Takahashi (13-3).

Lightweight: Joey Pierotti (12-1)

Joey Pierotti is primarily a wrestler but will strike when needed as he has power and accuracy. Still, in that area, he remains a bit green. Pierotti though is an excellent wrestler who times his shots well and is very heavy on top. He moves freely on top and can throw some heavy and damaging ground and pound from a short distance. He fights Raimond Magomedaliev (5-1).

Flyweight: Ayaka Miura (9-2, 1 NC)

Ayaka Miura is an excellent grappler who holds five submission wins. She utilizes good head-and-arm throws and executes double legs as well. On top, she is composed and fights really smart. Miura can go from submission to submission but specializes once in half-guard. Miura is excellent at finishing with the Americana and Scarfhold Armlock. She fights Maíra Mazar (6-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHSRt0HHlQ8

Rebel FC 10 | Saturday | Russia

Featherweight: Ali Magomedkhanov (7-0)

Fighting out of Russia, Ali Magomedkhanov has looked solid thus far, although the footage on him isn’t spectacular. Mainly a wrestler based on what is available, Magomedkhanov does a great job shooting low and completing big takedowns. He’s proved once on top he’s a problem who effortlessly passes into the mount. And once he gets the mount he likely finishes it with his ground and pound. He fights Ilya Gladkiy (3-2).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: ONE Championship Takes Center Stage appeared first on Cageside Press.

ONE Championship returns to the Philippines, while Bellator is back in Thackerville and KSW invades Croatia. There’s a lot of MMA to be found outside the UFC this weekend, and plenty of prospects in action.

One Championship | Friday | Philippines

Strawweight, Nong Stamp (2-0)

Nong Stamp (Stamp Fairtex) is a world kickboxing and Muay Thai champion, with a Muay Thai record of 63-15-5. She hasn’t shown a lot in her MMA career to date, but has finished both her fights pretty easily. She’s shown her kickboxing and Muay Thai skills of course, and although she could throw more volume, she picks her shots well. Stamp in her last fight actually got two takedowns and secured the RNC finish. She fights Bi Nguyen (5-4) this Friday at Masters of Fate.

Bellator 233 | Friday | Oklahoma

Middleweight, Costello van Steenis (12-1)

The 27-year-old is one of the brightest prospects out of the Netherlands, and is riding a six-fight win streak. Steenis has a background in grappling, winning tournaments in Rotterdam. On the feet, Steenis has a good lead jab and heavy leg kicks but is more so a wrestler. His grappling is his best aspect and while he has five submissions, his ground-and-pound is just as good. He fights veteran John Salter (16-4).

Heavyweight, Tyrell Fortune (7-0)

Fortune has an accomplished background in wrestling, as an NCAA Division II champion, and a multi-time high school state champion. His stand-up is improving; he has some power and is pretty good in the clinch, but is still pretty green. When Fortune does get the takedown, he’s shown he’s knowledgeable in the top position and possesses some very effective ground and pound, which is one of his best assets. He fights former UFC fighter Azunna Anyanwu (15-5) who is a good test.

Welterweight, Kyle Crutchmer (4-0)

Kyle Crutchmer has a background in wrestling with a very successful Division I career at Oklahoma State University. He was a two-time All-American and a two-time Big 12 champion. There isn’t much MMA footage on Kyle, but he has finished three of his four fights. Based on what’s out there on Kyle, he obviously has excellent wrestling. He’s also shown good and active ground-and-pound. He fights CS veteran Antonio Jones (7-3) who should be a solid test of where Crutchmer is at.

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

Light-heavyweight, Julius Anglickas (7-1)

The new Bellator signee will make his debut coming off getting snubbed of a UFC contract this Summer on the Contender Series. Anglickas has a strong wrestling base, that being his best weapon for sure. He can wrestle all fight as his cardio has proved to be very good. He also has a dangerous submission attack, holding four submission wins in his career. On the feet, Anglickas bull rushes opponents and beats them up in the clinch.  He’s got a solid work ethic and eventually breaks your will. He fights fellow prospect Jordan Young (11-0).

Light Heavyweight, Jordan Young (11-0)

Young at 6’4″ with a 76.5″ reach knows how to use his length on the feet and on the mat. On the feet, Young is still progressing as he has an excellent jab and starts to double up on his right hand, where he doesn’t have much power but is accurate. Young is dangerous off his back but he does need to tighten up his takedown defense as it’s been an issue before. He fights Julius Anglickas (7-1).

Flyweight, Douglas Felipe (11-1)

Not much shown on the feet, as Felipe is solely a grappler. All of Felipe’s eleven wins come by the way of submission. His wrestling is a work in progress but he has the aggression necessary to control fights and will to actively work for takedowns. Once he gets going he is on you like glue, giving you zero space to breathe. Felipe is always staying active and working for the submission. He fights Grant Neal (1-0).

Welterweight, Logan Storley (10-0)

KSW 51 | Saturday | Croatia

Middleweight, Cezary Kesik (9-0)

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 position control and transitions. He fights Aleksandar Ilic (12-2) who should put up a good fight.

Oktagon 15 | Saturday | Czech Republic

Flyweight, David Dvorak (17-3)

Dvorak has been dominating the last couple of years as he is currently on a 13-fight win streak. On the feet, he’s dangerous at range with the angles he cuts, always using a large arsenal of attacks with the teep kick being highlighted. He does a great job keeping range with his kicks and footwork but he also cuts his opponents off and explodes in when need be. In the clinch, he is lethal with his knees and elbows. He hasn’t shown much wrestling but has shown solid takedown defense and is a threat if he ends up on top where he has fight-stopping ground-and-pound. He fights Kayck Alencar (10-1) who is a big test of his abilities.

Fury FC 39 | Saturday | Texas

Bantamweight, Leomana Martinez (5-1)

Despite a split-decision loss to Dulani Perry, 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 David Rivera (3-0).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: ONE, Bellator, KSW Lead the Pack appeared first on Cageside Press.

With plenty of MMA prospects in action for August, we take a look back at those who really stood out last month. With rising talent from ONE Championship, Bellator and beyond, here’s who to keep an eye on moving forward.

Flyweight, Ayaka Miura (9-2, 1 NC)

Making her second consecutive appearance for ONE Championship, Miura made easy work of the Brazilian Samara Santos (11-6-1). In the opening seconds of the fight, Miura hit the head and arm throw. Being on top the entire round she did sit in an inverted triangle for a while. Miura showed excellent composure however, and was never in any real danger. Opening on the second round, Miura executed a much better double leg takedown. From there she quickly locked in a nasty Americana forcing Santos to tap.

Grade: B+

Flyweight, Litao Miao (5-1)

Making his fourth consecutive outing for ONE Championship, Miao moves to 4-0 in the promotion. His opponent Pongsiri Mitsatit was a solid prospect in 2017 but Miao really dominated him. Miao grounded the Muay Thai expert the entirety of three rounds. Miao would show good wrestling and as soon as they cliched he would land some beautiful hip tosses/judo throws. Never in any danger, the Chinese fighter stayed in control for the main portion of the fight. He never got close to finishing the bout but did stay active and moved into dominant positions a few times.

Grade: B

https://twitter.com/Brandon_Nocaute/status/1157235129967886342

Bantamweight, Chase Boutwell (4-0)

Boutwell made his professional debut on the biggest stage so far in his career for the Island Fights promotion. He boasts an amateur record of 10-1 coming up just short in 2017 IMMAF World Championships. Boutwell made quick and easy work of his opponent, Dejuan Robinson who also made his pro debut. He quickly got the body lock takedown and as soon as  Robinson rolled to his knees, Boutwell took the back and finished with the RNC. He trains out of American Top Team and at only 20-years old he may have some potential.

Grade: B+

https://twitter.com/ImShannonTho/status/1157445692073414656

Featherweight, Austin Lingo (7-0)

In the main event of LFA 73, Austin Lingo made a huge statement with his fifth first-round finish. Lingo is known for his “Lights Out” power, and this time put out another victim in his toughest foe to date in Solo Hatley Jr. It only took 0:25 seconds for Lingo to find the finish. Lingo quickly landed a right hook dropping Hatley followed by another right as Hatley was getting back to his feet, putting him away.

Grade: A

Flyweight, Hailey Cowan (4-1)

Becoming a Legacy Fighting Alliance staple fighting her entire pro career for the promotion, Cowan moved her win streak to four last month. In this latest fight, she got her biggest win against Bellator veteran Jessica Middleton. This was the first time Cowan had gone the distance and she showed a lot. It was a dominant performance from Cowan taking place against the cage and mostly on the mat. Cowan’s overwhelming offense showed good wrestling, top control, and solid ground and pound.

Grade: B+

https://twitter.com/ImShannonTho/status/1157491997437026304

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