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 16
10.15.2016 | 7:53 PM ET
LW/WW, Rhys McKee (4-0)
In terms of his striking, McKee is good. He has decent power in his strikes, he has good variation in the strikes he throws, gauges distance with the jab well, closes distance well, makes good use of feints, solid chin, has decent head and body movement, and makes good use of the clinch. One issue Rhys has is with his footwork, as while it is decent, he can leave his front leg planted and exposed for leg kicks. One case where this was somewhat present was in his fight with Alex Masuku, as McKee would leave his front leg exposed and wouldn't always check the kick.
In terms of his grappling, McKee is decent. He is solid at getting takedowns, good at scrambling and transitions, can lock up a submission well, and has decent ground and pound. Two notable holes in McKee's game, however, are his struggles with defending takedowns and leaving opportunities for his opponent to lock in submissions. Specifically with regards to the latter, McKee left his leg open to a leg lock in his fight against Thomas McCafferty and ended up getting put in the leg lock while trying to ground and pound. While McKee was able to KO McCafferty, as McCafferty was open to ground and pound from McKee, it is something a veteran could take advantage of if McKee isn't careful.
Overall, while he is still a raw talent, Rhys McKee shows a lot of promise and with some more time in promotions like BAMMA and possibly Cage Warriors, McKee could possibly be ready to get called up to the UFC within a year or two.
Here is a video of McKee's win over Alex Masuku:
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10.26.2016 | 9:41 PM ET
FTW/BW, Elias Boudegzdame (12-4)
In terms of striking, from what I have been able to watch, Boudegzdame is decent, but not great. He has decent variation in his striking, he has decent power, can put combos together, good blocking and makes good use of the clinch. However, Boudegzdame doesn't trade often enough on the feet. Furthermore, he can try to be too unorthodox sometimes with his striking as well as rush in, which leaves his chin exposed and as a result he can get rocked and rocked bad. In his fight with Dara Nhang, Boudegzdame got countered with a hard shot after he attempted to get a KO and ended up getting KOed himself.
In terms of his grappling, Boudegzdame is very good. He has great takedown skills, great at scrambling, controls position well, can lock up submissions with ease, passes guard well, has decent TDD, and has decent ground and pound.
Overall, Boudegzdame, while rough around the edges, has the potential to be a solid talent; although I think he needs to get some more fights in a bigger European promotion, as well as possibly change camps to help with his striking, before he goes to the UFC.
Here is a video of Boudegzdame's most recent victory over Krzysztof Klaczek:
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10.27.2016 | 7:40 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
10.27.2016 | 2:03 PM ET
"I bought a Bruno mars cd once - gunn4206"
10.27.2016 | 3:08 PM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
11.12.2016 | 6:35 PM ET
LW, Cleovoulos Loukaidis (5-0)
In terms of his striking and stand up game, Loukaidis is decent. He puts combos together well, has decent variation in his strikes, uses the jab to maintain distance well, counter punches well, has good footwork, and makes solid work of the clinch. One downside to Loukaidis' game is his power in his strikes, which is average. While he can do a lot of damage with his strikes and score the occasional knockdown, Loukaidis doesn't seem (at least from what I have watched) to be a power puncher that will get the KO every time and could get in trouble on the feet if he is forced to engage in a striking battle with a solid puncher like a Lando Vannata.
In terms of his grappling and ground game, Loukaidis is ridiculously good. He is amazing at scoring takedowns, has solid TDD, passes guard well, controls position well, scrambles well, fights off submissions well, has decent ground and pound and locks up submissions well. One problem Loukaidis can have sometimes is fighting off his opponent when they have a dominant position, as he usually tries to power out of the dominant position. This in turn causes him to burn a lot of stamina during grappling exchanges and, while it doesn't seem to have a major effect on the regional circuit, it would hurt him in a fight against a UFC vet.
Overall, I think Loukaidis has the talent to be a good UFC fighter, however he still needs to amass some more wins in higher level organizations in Europe before he gets the call up.
Here is a video of Loukaidis' win over Aggelos Christodoulidis:
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11.20.2016 | 10:21 PM ET
James "The Colossus" Thompson
Pavel Doroftei
michael "Venom" Page
Arunas Andriuskevicus
Jason "The Assassin" Radcliffe
"After all is said and done, more is said than done." Aesop
11.21.2016 | 6:06 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
11.26.2016 | 10:41 AM ET
watch out "Diaz Bros" ( registered trademark) here comes the "Kadyrov Kidz"
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
11.28.2016 | 3:46 AM ET
FTW, Rolando Dy (8-4)
In terms of striking and stand up, Dy is decent. He has solid KO power, has great variation in his strikes, counter punches well, utilizes the clinch well, can close the distance well, feints well, and he puts combos together well. One problem with Dy's game that I noticed was his lack of head and body movement, as well as footwork. Dy can also lower his hands and showboat when he is ahead. These two flaws could hurt him if and when he fights on the big stage and cause him to get clipped with a hard punch.
In terms of his grappling and ground game, Dy is solid. He is great at scoring takedowns, he scrambles well, locks submissions up well, passes guard well, controls position well, has good ground and pound, and has decent takedown defense.
Overall, Dy is a real diamond in the rough in the Southeast Asian MMA scene that the UFC should not overlook.
Here is a video of Dy's victory over Miguel Mosquera:
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11.28.2016 | 7:46 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."
12.13.2016 | 10:50 PM ET
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
12.13.2016 | 10:52 PM ET
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
12.13.2016 | 10:53 PM ET
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
12.13.2016 | 10:56 PM ET
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
12.13.2016 | 11:01 PM ET
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
12.13.2016 | 11:02 PM ET
,
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
12.13.2016 | 11:03 PM ET
"I am the greatest blonde man in the world. I am Tru Viking." - Alexander Gustaffsson / "The world must bow to my glory. I am a God amongst mortals. They must pay me tribute in wine and concubine for my deeds." - Jon Jones "
12.14.2016 | 6:59 AM ET
"The only thing predictable about MMA is that it is unpredictable."