Future UFC Stars Who Aren't In UFC Yet

Lets hear about some good prospects...

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)    

Chamizo could be promising.  he will need some good striking , though.

 

There is one guy from my home town who I would have loved to have seen do MMA if he had trained for it.  he was in the NFL and a pretty good boxer.  I bet he woudl have been at least a good fighter if he crosstrained. He is now a firefighter in Chicago.  His name is Tom Zbilkowski.

One fighter that I am really stoked about is Ireland's Frans Mlambo.  The guy is a product of SBG Ireland, the same gym that has been producing UFC talents like Conor McGregor and Gunnar Nelson.  He lit up the amateur circuit at 145, ending his run an amazing amateur record of 9-1; as well as crushing all featherweight competition in the IMMAF World Amateur Championships and winning in the men's 145 tournament final, which took place during UFC's International Fight Week.   He's taken that momentum of his amateur success with him to the pros, as he has gone down to 135 and beat then-undefeated Irish bantamweight prospect Darren O'Gorman in his pro debut at BAMMA 22.


Here is a video of him winning the IMMAF 145 tournament final against Sweden's Joel Schondorf Moya.

Gunnar trains in Ireland?  I figured he was somewhere else since he is Iceish.  ;)  I do not know how good the grappling is in Ireland.

Ya he is one of the few non-Irish at Straight Blast Gym.

Where did he learn his grappling technique?

He's a black belt under Renzo Gracie.

EDIT:: Also, Gunni's official "fighting out of" camp is Mjölnir in Iceland. He usually splits his camps between there and SBG with the latter part usually being in Ireland. Conor usually does the same since Gunni is his main sparring partner ... at least when he's not McMansioning (something I seriously believe he needs to stop doing, I think there are way less distractions in Dublin and especially in Reykjavík).

* Edited at 10.03.2015, 2:46 AM ET *

That has to be one of the most badass names for an MMA camp.

* Edited at 10.03.2015, 3:21 AM ET *

One fighter that has potential to do good in the Women's Strawweight division of the UFC is "Dynamite" Danielle Taylor.  At 25 years old, the Californian native has a pro record of 5-1 (she went 4-1 as an amateur); with a majority of her pro wins coming by way of decision, and was the KOTC Women's Strawweight champion (although she just lost it recently).  From what I've seen of her, Taylor has an impressive wrestling base and has some good power punching up close; and although she is 5'2", she seems to have made mince meat out of fighters taller than her with that up close boxing.

Here is a compilation of her fights:

I would like to see Blagoi Ivanov in the UFC.

Kelly McGill, my bae. 






Also, the man who stole my bae Kelly McGill; Rolando Velasco.


Also, the future GOAT. THOR SILVA GOAT.

I still can't believe Ben Askren isn't in the UFC. I do think his mouth is a part of the reason, but that doesn't overshadow his skills and why he should be in the UFC. Good for OneFC, bad for UFC. 

I bet he gets there eventually.

CES 31, Friday.
-LW, Gil de Freitas(17-5): I couldn't find too much about him but a friend of mine really likes this guy he says he starts off slow throws a few leg kicks to set up his strikes and when he does he opens up and tries his all to finish the fight and he is also a experienced fighter so ill keep a watch on him. He fights Chip Moraza-Pollard;
-MW, Eric Spicely(7-0): We havent got to see to much of his striking but he dont have to show it he has top level wrestling which he uses very well and when he gets you to the mat most likely you are getting finished finishing 6 of his 7 wins he makes it look easy on the mat and plus he has done my favorite transition which is to having your opponents back and then switch to a armbar to me its beautiful and that makes me a fan of him. He fights Aaron Johnson 
-BW, Dinis Paiva(7-5): Excited for this guy cause he is my prospect, his record don't seem to good but 4 of his 7 wins are all in a row and all 4 won via ko/tko he is a pressure fighter with tons of power in his hands but he does need to work on his Submission defense. He is not the best prospect but he is a good learner and trains hard and has for sure got better in his career. He fights Kody Nordby 

Hex Fight Series 4, Saturday. 
-LW, Will Chope(28-8): Chope was in the UFC but for only 1 fight as Mr Dana White found out about his past where he assaulted his Ex wife even tho that was in the past it still caused him to lose his job but even Dana said he was a great kid and he believes all that is behind him now and with a win here maybe he : could get a second chance, He is a wild fighter he wings his striking but he does do it in a way where he uses his reach very well but I think he is better in the close distance where his knees in clinch are very good and if he gets the fight to the mat he has a huge advantage being taller then most opponents it makes it easy to go for submissions. He fights Nick Patterson.
KSW 32, Saturday.-WW, Borys Mankowski(17-5-1): Very good all around fighter hes fast with his hands and he can cover alot of distance with his strike he also has good leg kicks and the crazy thing is most of his wins are by submission and that is where he usually shows his strength. He fights Jesse Taylor 
-LW, Mateusz Gamrot(9-0): I would say he is more of a smart striker then a dynamic striker cause he is very good at throwing feints, he switched stances alot which is difficult for an opponent, he covers distance very good, and he keeps his hands up always which is great to see and his ground game is just as good where his ground n pound is just nasty just a top notch fighter all around. He fights Marif Piraev.
-LW, Marif Piraev(13-0-1): Also a good fighter he has very good wrestling he dont have the best fighting style but he is a grinder he likes to keep the pressure on and push the pace he does have power in his hands but dont use it as much as he should and kicks are also very good being only 23 years old hes just gonna get better.

CFFC 52, Saturday.
-BW, Ricky Bandejas(5-0): Of what I seen from this guy(which is very little) he seems like a beast he seemed to be super aggressive, great striking, good submissions and solid TDD im not gonna expect too much where he has fought weaker competition. He fights Nick Pace
-MW, Sam Oropeza(12-2): He is a very good fight and very well known from some mma fans, he has fought for both strikeforce and bellator and I wish the UFC would pick him up he has a 100% finish rate with only 3 of his fights going out of the first round. He fights Levon Maynard

One flyweight fighter I'm interested in is Czar Sklavos.  While he is older than some of the prospects on this list, the 33 year old flyweight from Idaho has a record of 12-4; with the majority of his wins coming by Submission.  Futhermore, Sklavos is very well traveled as he has fought in many different promotions, with a decent chunk of his fights happening in Japan.  Normally, I would say that a fighter of this age is past the point of being seen as a prospect.  However, considering how thin the Flyweight division is in the UFC, and the fact he is a very talented non-UFC fighter in 125 (which is becoming a chore for the UFC to find nowadays, since Mighty Mouse has been so dominant), I think he is a decent exception.

Here is a video of Sklavos' victory Ryuichi Miki in VTJ 5th:

I wonder if the Flyweight division will exist in a few years.

One amazing LHW prospect I have just come across is the Czech Republic's Jiri Prochazka.  With a record of 13-2-1, with 10 of his wins coming by KO, the 23 year old from Hosteradice is already ranked as the best Light Heavyweight fighter in the Czech Republic; as per the Tapology's regional rankings system, and could show some real promise at the next level in the UFC's 205 division.  From the fights that I have seen him fight in, Prochazka has great variation in his strikes and is very successful doing so.  He also is decent on the ground, which allows him to be confident enough to add that variation in his striking.

Here is a video of Prochazka's victory over Rokas Stambrauskas:

One women's bantamweight fighter that shows a lot of promise is Greece's Elina Kallionidu.  At 17 years of age, Kallionidu has amassed a record of 4-0 (2 wins by KO and 2 wins by decision) and has won the women's bantamweight championship in the Greek MMA promotion Cage Survivor.  One of the things I noticed with Kallionidu is that she is very proficient in her stand up, but she also can take some unnecessary risks which could be capitalized on by a more seasoned veteran at next level that could cause her to lose.

Here is a video of Kallionidou's most recent win over former Cage Survivor Women's Bantamweight Champion Foteini Kromida at Cage Survivor 4:

* Edited at 11.22.2015, 7:06 PM ET *

Speaking of bantamweight fighters, one amazing bantamweight prospect I would like to see in the UFC (or RIZIN) is ZST's Bantamweight Champion Go Kashiwazaki.  With a amazing record of 14-0-2 (11 wins by Submission and 2 by KO), Saitama's own Kashiwazaki has dominated the ranks of ZST's bantamweight division at the young age of 19 and, as a result, is the #7 ranked bantamweight fighter in Japan (as per Tapology's regional rankings).  From what I have seen of Kashiwazaki's fights, he has impeccable wrestling skills.  He gets takedowns at will and once he gets a hold of his opponent, it is impossible for them to escape. He is also a very active fighter once on the ground and in the clinch, as well as very good at defending takedowns. Furthermore, he has the ability to pull off submissions and strikes on the ground with ease.  One area of his game that's a bit in question, from what I saw, is his stand up striking as he seems to favor going for takedowns rather than trading shots on the feet.

Here is a video of Go Kashiwazaki defeating Keisuke Fujiwara at ZST 46 to become ZST Bantamweight Champion: 

Who has Go been beating, though?

* Edited at 11.23.2015, 3:35 PM ET *