Topic: Prospect Watch
Future UFC Stars Who Aren't In UFC Yet
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02.03.2015 | 12:41 AM ET
I'll start with 2 I think could be contenders and maybe Champions in the UFC at 145 lbs and 155 lbs. One has had 4 pro fights and one has had 8 pro fights...but they both unbeaten and have big time talent. Another interesting thing is they are training partners.
1) Gregor Gillespie 155 lbs. (4-0....4 1st rd stoppages) Was a 4 Time All American and D1 National Champion wrestler. Interesting story and has a similar buzz of dominance like Chris Weidman had a few years ago when he was 4-0 as a Ring Of Combat fighter from Long Island before getting his UFC call. Gregor trains with Keith Trimble at Bellmore Kickoxing/MMA around guys like Costas Philippou, Ryan LaFlare, Dennis Burmudez, World Champion Boxer Chris Algieri and many others. Great talent, great coaching...I believe he could make a big noise sooner than later despite only having 4 fights.
2) One of the others Gillespie trains with is his training partner undefeated 145 lber Andre Harrison Former Ring Of Combat Champion now in Titan FC. Andre was 6-0 as an amateur and is currently 8-0 as a professional. He was a 2X All American D2 wrestler and is a physical specimen who is athletic, big and strong for that weight class. Andre is fighting 17-3 Cody Bollinger March 20th in Titan 33. Keep an eye on him and Gillespie. (Recent videos below)
Responses Page 14
05.05.2016 | 12:31 PM ET
"Tom Breese Future Champ"
05.18.2016 | 4:18 PM ET
BW/FW, Stephen Cervantes (6-0)
One proviso I will give with my criticisms of Cervantes, is that this is only based on the fight I saw of Cervantes fighting at Bantamweight. I say this because, besides the fact I wish I had more footage of his fights, Cervantes is a rather big for Bantamweight; as he stands at 5'8". So, I'm not sure how much the cut down has an affect on his stamina, among other things. Based on what I saw, I'm inclined to think it does.
Overall, while he is rough around the edges and probably needs to stay up at 145, Cervantes is a solid prospect.
Here is Cervantes' victory over Shawn Bunch:
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05.22.2016 | 8:44 PM ET
WBW, Ji-Yeon Kim (5-0-2)
Overall, I think that Kim is a good prospect that the UFC should look at signing in the future.
Here is a video of Kim's win over Hatice Ozyurt:
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05.23.2016 | 6:12 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
05.24.2016 | 7:15 PM ET
LW, Heydar Mamedaliyev (9-2)
In terms of the grappling and ground game, Mamedaliyev is decent. He has solid ground and pound, he scrambles well, he passes guard well, he can lock up a submission well enough, has decent submission defense, and he can control position well. One problem that Mamedaliyev has, however, is his takedown defense; as it is very hit or miss. A lot of this comes from the fact that Mamedaliyev lunges forward on strikes. Furthermore, when Mamedalyev does get taken down, it takes a lot of energy and time for him to get off of his back and into a dominant position. Two good examples of this is with Mamedaliyev's fights against Zalimkhan Yusubov and Bruno Amorim. In the Yusubov fight, while Mamedaliyev was able to scramble and get into dominant position at times in the fight, he had to exert a lot of energy to get that position. Most of the time, Yusubov was able to control position and get Mamedaliyev locked up into submissions. In the Amorim fight, Mamedaliyev was absolutely struggling to scramble, not able to gain a dominant position on Amorim often and was usually trying to hold on so he could force a stand up. This could be bad if Mamedaliyev gets matched up against a fighter with a solid ground game like a Gilbert Burns or a Ryan Hall in the UFC, as it could possibly cause him to tire out mid way through a fight and/or get tapped.
Overall, I think Mamedaliyev is a solid fighter that, with some more work on his ground game, could be a real contender in the UFC.
Here is a video of Mamedaliyev's victory over Bruno Amorim:
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05.25.2016 | 12:50 AM ET
MW, Bruno "Blindado" Silva (15-5)
In terms of his striking and stand up, Silva is very good. He has amazing power in his strikes (both in his punches and his kicks), he has a great amount of variation in the strikes he throws, he utilizes feints well, he gauges and closes distance extremely well, he pressures his opponent well, has decent hand speed, blocks strikes well, makes decent use of the clinch, decent head and body movement, and counter strikes well. However, there are some notable flaws in his game. For starters, Silva can have a tendency to headhunt and go for the quick knockout, which can cause him to gas out fast. Additionally, Silva has a tendency to leave his hands low at points in the fight, which causes his chin to get tested more than it should. Silva can also get overpowered in the clinch by his opponent, causing him to get taken down. Not only that, Silva can stand rather flat footed, which is dangerous when coupled with the fact that he lowers his hands, as it makes him a stationary target.
In terms of his grappling and ground game, Blindado is average at best. While he is decent at scoring takedowns, decent at controlling position, and has solid ground and pound, there are some significant flaws in Bruno Silva's ground game. The most glaring of these flaws is his takedown defense, as he absolutely struggles to prevent his opponents from taking him to the ground. Not only that, when he gets taken down, Silva has a hard time trying to get up; as his opponents smother him with ease, so he usually resort to closing his guard and waiting for a stand up from the ref. Furthermore, he has sub par submission defense, as four of his five losses come from him getting submitted.
Overall, while he is one dimensional, Bruno Silva has amazing striking that could easily drop some of the tougher Middleweights in the UFC. If he can find away to improve his takedown defense and his ground game, I think he could be an unstoppable force in the UFC's 185 division.
Here is a video of Bruno Silva's victory over Fabio Aguiar:
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05.25.2016 | 7:37 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
07.15.2016 | 4:30 PM ET
LW, Vladimir Sikic (11-0-1)
Overall, Sikic is a solid fighter that, based on the fact he has already been on the UFC's radar before, could finally get a chance at fighting in the big time some time soon depending on how his fight goes with Parke.
Here is a video of Sikic's victory of Donovan Desmae:
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07.18.2016 | 10:42 AM ET
2.Andreas Michailidis
3.Alexis Savvidis(The biggest prospect in Greek MMA).
07.18.2016 | 11:20 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
07.19.2016 | 3:24 AM ET
Mateusz Gamrot (KSW lightweight champion) 11-0 and last wins against Mansour Barnaoui and Marif Piraev
great prospect for UFC, awesome wrestling, great cardio and a he never lost a round on judges decisions
"I hope it's worth it what's left behind me"
07.19.2016 | 7:57 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
07.19.2016 | 8:08 AM ET
Also to think about it, Bellator offered Will Brooks a 125k base salary per fight, the UFC offered him 25/25k....
"If I have a goal, then it is to escape from this literalism. I'll never achieve it; in the same way that I'll never manage to describe what really dwells within my character, although I keep on trying."
07.19.2016 | 5:22 PM ET
Nomad, I'm not sure if that thing with Brooks was true, at least he got paid 50K/50K in the end according to payouts.
I did a list of the top 10 prospects I thought UFC should sign for each division and put it up on a site: https://skeletonmma.wordpress.com/
I had certain rules for it you can see in the flyweight entry.
"When Conor fought Cowboy, he looked like a lion. When he fights stronger opponents, he looks like a scared chicken." - Khabib
07.20.2016 | 8:03 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
07.21.2016 | 11:44 AM ET
FTW/LW, Valentin Benishev (10-0)
In terms of striking, Benishev is good. He has solid power in his strikes, good variation in his strikes, and he maintains and closes distance well. Two notable flaws in Benishev's game, however, is his footwork and his lack of head and body movement. Beinshev can stand rather flat footed in his fights and doesn't have much in the way of head and body movement (from what I could see) to help slip past strikes; which could be a problem further down the road.
In terms of grappling and the ground game, Benishev is solid. He has good takedown defense, scores takedowns with ease, has solid ground and pound, can transition decently, can lock on a submission with ease, and controls position well.
Overall, I think Benishev is a good prospect that could do well in the UFC. However, I would like to see him take a few fights in an organization like Cage Warriors to see where he stacks up against some higher level competition in Europe before he makes the jump to the UFC.
Here is a video of Benishev's victory over Giorgios Tsilidis:
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08.01.2016 | 7:40 PM ET
Also he already got a passing mention but Aiemann Zahabi really interests me, he's Firas Zahabi's brother and trains at Tristar. He hasn't faced any serious competition yet from what I know but he has finished all 6 of his pro fights in the first round(and finished his two amateur fights in the first and third). That's some impressive finishing power and killer instinct for a bantamweight
* Edited at 08.01.2016, 7:45 PM ET *
"When Conor fought Cowboy, he looked like a lion. When he fights stronger opponents, he looks like a scared chicken." - Khabib
08.07.2016 | 11:49 PM ET
BW, Byron Wilson (5-0)
In terms of his striking/stand up, Wilson is decent. He has solid KO power, has a great amount of variation in his strikes, puts combos together well, has a solid chin, and makes decent use of the clinch. Two flaws, however, that are noteworthy of Wilson's game is his lack of movement (both in footwork and body movement) and his technique. Wilson, at times (especially when he is tired), can stand rather flat footed in front of his opponent, which leaves him open to takedowns and getting hit. Furthermore, when Wilson tires out, his punching technique is not as crisp as it is when he starts the fight, as he can throw looping punches that can further expose his chin.
In terms of his grappling/ground game, Wilson is good. On the positive side, Wilson can lock up submissions while on top and on his back, has solid ground and pound, can control position well, is decent at scoring takedowns, and can pass guard well. However, there are significant flaws in Wilson's grappling skills that stand out. For starters, Wilson's takedown defense is bad, as he lets up takedowns relatively easily. Furthermore, when he does get taken down, he can struggle with scrambling to get in a dominant position. A prime example of this is his fight with Lester Perez, as Wilson was having to exert a lot of energy from the bottom to try and get the fight standing or trying to lock in a submission from the bottom. These flaws could work against Wilson if he is having to take on fighters with a solid wrestling base. One thing I will note, however, is that Wilson has made strides to improve this and did not have as much trouble with maintaining dominant position in his fight with Oscar Rivera.
One further thing I will note is with regards to Wilson's stamina. As I mentioned above, Wilson's stamina affects his performance dramatically, and one knock I have on him is his how he can gas himself out rather fast. This quick dump of his stamina comes from him going on a heavy focus on grappling and fighting to maintain dominant position. This could cost Wilson in a fight, as he may not have enough stamina in later rounds when he needs it the most.
Overall, Wilson has a lot of potential and is a solid prospect. However, I would like to see him get more experience and fight in the US a couple times with an org like RFA, as well as go to a camp that can help him with his stamina issues, before he fights for the UFC.
Here is a video of Wilson's most recent victory over Oscar Rivera to win the NFC Bantamweight Title:
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08.08.2016 | 12:42 AM ET
HW, Sergiu Spivac (5-0)
In terms of striking and stand up, Spivac is solid. He has amazing KO power, he has good hand speed, he has good variation in the strikes he throws, utilizes the clinch well, has a solid chin, and has some decent footwork for a heavyweight. One problem, however, I have noticed with Spivac is that he doesn't always utilizes his footwork to his advantage and can stand flat footed at times. He also doesn't have a whole lot in the way of head and body movement.
In terms of grappling and the ground game, Spivac is decent. He is decent at getting takedowns, controls position well, has solid ground and pound, can lock up a submission well, and has decent takedown defense.
The one thing I want to see with regards to Spivac is how he stacks up against some tougher competition in Europe. As of so far, Spivac has only fought a couple of guys that have really tested him in Dimitriy Mikutsa and Evgeniy Bova.
Overall, I think Spivac is a great prospect in the making and has a lot of potential to be a solid Heavyweight contender. However, Spivac needs to test himself and fight some of the better heavyweights in Europe before he signs with the UFC.
Here is a highlight video of Spivac's win over Dimitriy Mikutsa:
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08.08.2016 | 1:04 AM ET
Among the fighters I have listed in this thread (outside of the obvious ones in Hermansson, Dalby, and Tybura), the following have been signed by the UFC:
Alex Nicholson
Luan Chagas
Yoni Sherbatov (Fighting on TUF)
Alessio Di Chirico
Ion Cutelaba
Danielle Taylor
Adam Milstead
Katlyn Chookagian
Cristina Stanciu
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