“The problem is not who. It’s when and where,” Esperanca told Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“I’m not surprised. I can fight with anyone everywhere. Just send me a location.”

Esperanca (9-1) represents Angola in West Africa. With the PFL scheduled to make their Africa debut in 2025 Esperanca hopes that fighters from the continent will show the world what they can do.

“The next year a lot of fighters from Africa (will) make the real show, the real MMA, from Africa to the world,” he said through a translator.

“Representing Angola for me I’m the first and I hope (I won’t be) the only. I think that I’m the first, but because of me, a lot of fighters (will come after) me.”

The Angolan feels he can take on anyone and win.

“I’m a dangerous guy, I’m complete, all my life training,” said Esperanca.

“I’m good striking, I’m good at wrestling, I’m good with Jiu Jitsu. I’m black belt in Jiu Jitsu. I’m black belt in kickboxing. So I’m a very dangerous guy.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Shido Boris Esperanca above.

The post Shido Boris Esperanca Can Fight Anyone, “Just send me a location” appeared first on Cageside Press.

There will be a lot of countries that will be skipped because the talent just isn’t in every area, so take “every country” as meaning out of those with a viable pool of prospects. For the most part, we’ve tried to stay away from talent with every other major promotion (PFL/Bellator, ONE Championship) to be as realistic as possible.

Afghanistan

Right now in the UFC, we have the Basharat brothers who are representing Afghanistan, both of whom are set to become bright stars in the years to come. Years ago we had Siyar Bahadurzada, who went 4-4 in the UFC and was in the promotion for over seven years.

There were a few options to choose from as the best to represent Afghanistan but I decided to go with Milad Ahady (6-1). Not sure how Ahady went under my radar since he’s 3-0 in Cage Warriors. Ahady is a talented enough guy that the UFC could sign him right now. He’s a big featherweight at 5’11” who is a better striker but is well-rounded. Ahady is a skilled striker with accuracy especially from his left side. His left hand is his best weapon and once he mixes in his kicks he’s a problem. I believe the UFC should take a look at Ahady right this minute.

Albania

There has never been any UFC fighter from Albania to my knowledge but there are a few options the promotion could go with. The one that stands out to me is Vilson Ndregjoni (8-3). He may be close to the UFC but would be closer if he didn’t lose his CFFC title because he missed weight. Still, Ndregjoni was a fireball of explosion throwing with a lot of power. He dropped his opponent with a left hand in the first. As the guy came in blindly Ndregjoni landed a check right hand putting him on his face. Ndregjoni landed the follow-up hammer fist putting the guy out. Ndregjoni is starting to get a good run going currently, but just needs to get the weight under control if it is an issue.

Angola

The UFC is still in need of their first Angola-born fighter. There are a few options, mainly ones in the amateur ranks getting ready to go pro. The one that sticks out the most is somebody I’ve had my eyes on for a while; Shido Boris Soto Esperanca (8-1). Soto has competed in kickboxing, Muay Thai, and in many grappling tournaments such as the IBJJF. He is a BJJ and kickboxing blackbelt. Watching him what can be seen is strong slams, thunderous ground and pound, superb athleticism, and aggression. Soto has a huge problem with his cardio which would hold him back to winning the bigger fights. If he can fix that he would be a dangerous fighter.

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