ONE on TNT 2 | Singapore | Wednesday

Lightweight, Christian Lee (14-3)

After a failed title shot in 2018, Lee rebounded and when he moved to welterweight (lightweight under the ONE weight system) he won a title. Lee is excellent on the feet, being quick and dynamic with outstanding footwork. His abilities on the mat are there when needed, holding four submission wins to date. At only 22, Lee is already a star for ONE Championship. Imagine where he’s going to be in, say, five years. He’s well-rounded, has solid cardio, and gets better in every fight. He fights Timofey Nastyukhin (14-4).

Bantamweight, Shuo Wang (11-4)

There isn’t a lot of footage on Wang but in his last fight, he impressed me a lot. He’s mainly a striker and of what’s seen his takedown defense is solid. Wang mixes it up well going to the head, body, and legs. He has good head movement that compliments his counter striking. He’s really good at slipping and returning. I still need to see more but Wang looks to be really talented. He fights Kyu Sung Kim (10-4).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQl_xI67VYo

Bellator 257 | Friday | US

Light heavyweight, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-5-1)

Yagshimuradov is well-rounded and is dangerous on the mat and on the feet. He shows a lot of athleticism on the feet with the ability to throw nice spinning heel kicks, but he also hits like a truck, picking up a few one-punch knockouts. Yet, believe it or not, Yagshimuradov is even better on the mat. He has good power wrestling, has solid jiu-jitsu and his ground and pound is a fight changer. He fights Corey Anderson (14-5).

Heavyweight, Steve Mowry (8-0)

Standing a 6’9″, Mowry has all the tools to be a dangerous guy at heavyweight. Training out of Hard Knocks 365 the 28-year-old has plenty of time to develop into a more complete fighter.  8-0 as a pro, Mowry went 7-0 as an amateur with six wins by submission. He has some things to work on including his striking, which is improving, but overall he does a good job and stays long. Still, he is more effective in the clinch with knees. He has solid wrestling, being at his best once on the mat. And once there he has good jiu-jitsu for a big guy. He fights Shaun Asher (13-3-1).

Featherweight, Jay Jay Wilson (7-0)

The Kiwi has displayed beautiful jiu-jitsu and showed once he gets the back he has a fantastic rear-naked choke. Still, there is a lot he needs to show but Wilson is someone to watch out for. His striking has also been looking very good in his last two fights. In his last fight, he scored a nice knockout. He fights Pedro Carvalho (11-4).

Light heavyweight, Julius Anglickas (9-1)

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 also throws good leg kicks and a good jab.  He’s got a solid work ethic and eventually breaks your will. He fights Gregory Milliard (12-6).

LFA 104 | US | Friday

Flyweight, Carlos Candelario (7-0)

The last time Candelario was in the cage was three and a half years on the Contender Series. He did win but didn’t get a contract and tore his ACL. Candelario retired from MMA, but is back. Back when he was active I believe he was one of the best prospects at 125. Candelario has a background in boxing and kickboxing but his grappling is just as good. On the feet his hands are serious. He has hand speed, accuracy, and power. You can tell the golden gloves boxing experience. He has solid wrestling but what sets him apart is his excellent ground and pound. Watch out for this guy because he’s ultra dangerous. He fights Yuma Horiuchi (7-3).

Heavyweight, Thomas Peterson (3-0)

Peterson is only 3-0 as a pro and as an amateur, he went 5-0. He’s a two-time Minnesota State high school state champion and an NJCAA champion at Iowa Central. Along with textbook wrestling in his last fight he showed he has power in his hands. So far he seems to be well-rounded and is only 24. Obviously, he has more to show. He fights Odell Pantin (1-1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2ScHfhJraI

Open Fighting Championship 3 | Russia | Saturday

Heavyweight, Aleksandr Maslov (6-1)

Maslov is a dangerous athletic striker who has a lot of pop behind his punches. He’s also very fast with his output and overall has good hands with a key uppercut he loves to throw. His takedown defense is a concern but age is on his side and he’s been fighting good solid fighters. Maslov hasn’t fought anyone with a losing record to date. He fights former UFC fighter Luis Henrique (13-6).

Heavyweight, Hugo Cunha (5-0)

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. Cunha on the feet throws a decent jab and puts cominations together but to close the distance and get takedowns is where he’s best. Where he’s actually the best in on the mat where he can show his BJJ black belt. He’s always working to better his position and working to finish. He fights Oleg Popov (10-1).

Heavyweight, Oleg Popov (10-1)

Popov is a wrestler who has some decent power in his hands. He’s an aggressive guy constantly shooting and what he lacks in size he makes up for with his strength. Not entirely someone who will blow you away on the mat but he has some heavy top control. Popov is getting better and better with each fight. He fights Hugo Cunha (5-0).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn_KkyjDj9I&t=1s

SHP 60 | US | Saturday

Featherweight, Cole Ferrell (10-0)

Cole Ferrell hasn’t been touched in his professional career and has rarely ever been in any kind of trouble. Ferrell has shown glimpses of power in his hands but is a good wrestler with a very solid ground game. He has shown that he has a tight grip when he gets the neck, hence why his eight submission wins have all come by way of a choke. If there is one knock on Cole Ferrell, it would be that he needs a step up in competition. He fights Tim Eschtruth (5-3).

Combat Night Pro 21 | US | Saturday

Featherweight, Ramon Taveras (4-0)

Taveras is only 4-0 but while scouting him months back he caught my attention. He has solid wrestling and a good ground game but it’s his striking that’s impressive. Taveras has excellent boxing throwing tight-knit combinations to the body and head. He’s a good counter striker and is good at switching up the angles when he’s throwing. He’s well-rounded and very skilled. Taveras fights Edward Massey (5-5).

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: ONE on TNT II, Bellator 257 and More 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

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