MMA news updates

Instead of spamming the boards everytime I see some cool news, I’ll post it here. I’ll also keep track of prospects I like, new signings to ufc/dwcs/Bellator/etc.

* Edited at 05.02.2022, 4:44 PM ET *

Bantamweight 

Jack cartwright - 10-0 3 ko 5 sub. Former cage Warriors BW champ. He would probably be in the ufc already (or dwcs opportunity) but his last fight had a very unfortunate ending where his opponent couldnt stop headbutting him, so he won by DQ. before that though, he very muched looked like a legit prospect and, being in cage warriors, had very tough matchmaking. He also went 4-0 as an amatuer bringing his overall winstreak to 14-0. Hes primarily a grappler but hes got good ko power too. I think hes got a good shot at having a successful ufc career. 135 is a shark tank but jack has been tested and very much looks the part of a ufc fighter. 

Farid Basharat - 8-0 1 ko 5 sub. Very excited to see farid getting his shot. You always have to be careful with MMA sibling duos because one sibling is always better than the other (and in most cases, one is very good and the other, pretty ******). That being said, the basharats are one of the more impressive sibling duos ive seen in a while. Javid proved me very wrong and appears to be an incredibly promising talent and his brother looks not too far behind. Funny enough, hes fought better comp on the regional scene than his brother and is also undefeated with a 12 fight winstreak stemming from his ammy career (4-0). He has a diverse skillset like his brother but does not fight like him, preferring to grapple more than strike. If hes anything like his brother, I think he is going to have an immediate impact in the ufc, but you do have to take into account that one sibling is not nearly as good as the other. Either way, im very excited to see what he can do in the ufc. 

Andres Luna Martinelli - 12-0 2 ko 6 sub. Reigning FFC FLW champ. Has a nice undefeated record but hasnt fought the best competition. He has some good wins but overall is fighting a mixed bag of fighters; some good, some bad, no one really notable. Very creative bjj game however. Good scrambles, good transitions, and picked up a huge win via rare calf slicer in his last outing. Granted, it was against a can but still cool to see. Very odd hes fighting another FLW at BW but good to see hes at least going to be on this season of dwcs. I want to see him face better competition but he looks like a solid prospect. 

Alessandro Costa - 10-2 2 ko 6 sub. Reigning LFL FLW champ. Much like his opponent on this season (luna martinelli) Nono is also a grappler. His favorite move is the armbar but he can also control you on the ground. His most recent loss was a split decision and since that loss he went on to dominate in Lux Fight League. Lux usually is hit or miss on the level of competition offered but he has been fighting people with winning records and has actually looked better and better each step up in competition he has faced.  

Dominique Wooding - 9-4 9 ko. Cage Warriors BW champ. I think wooding is one of the most deserving signees for dwcs as he perfectly fits the bill of what dana wants out of a signee: explosive, lots of highlight reel finishes, exciting, and has a good deal of hype on his name. He went 7-2 as an amatuer. He struggled with his first step up in competition going 0-2 in bellator but all of his losses are to solid competition (except andy young but that was early in his career). Hes rebounded nicely with 3 highlight reel kos and captured (and subsequently defended) the title in an absolute war. His last three wins have been solid but even if he wins, im not sure hes a super high level fighter. He is very exciting tho. 

Willian Souza - 11-1 9 ko 2 sub. Jungle fight double champ (145 and 135). Very impressed with willian. He is a career FW and if he wins he will likely go back to 145. Lost his debut to a guy with much more experience than him and hasnt lost since, going on an 11 fight win streak and finishing everybody. Pretty poor level of competition but JF usually fosters great prospects. 

Jose Johnson - 14-7 8 ko 2 sub. I was very very happy to see jose got a second shot at dwcs because i think he is very deserving. I dont think he is a very high level fighter but he has looked fantastic since losing to top prospect ronnie lawrence during his original dwcs run, with a massive upset win over highly touted prospect Mo miller, and following that up with a 12 second, one punch ko against dulani perry. Loads of amateur experience (24-14) and despite the ugly record, has fought very good competition. He has one punch ko power and is also massive for the division at 6”0. Im not sure he will win a contract, but im going to be rooting for him because i think hes the type of signee they would feed to high level competition like they do to thiago moises or rafael alves and hes just a fun fighter to watch.  

Featherweight 

Emilano Linares - 7-1 5 ko 1 sub. Reigning Budo Sento FW champ. Is supposed to fight this friday but i doubt thats happening as he is already signed to dwcs. Went 3-0 as an amateur too. Fought decent competition. The ecuadoreans are people to look out for, as we’ve seen the rise of guys like michael morales and chito vera. If he wins, we could see linares develop into a contender (or not, just speculating really lol). 

Anvar Boynazarov - 3-0 3 kos. I think this may be my favorite signing of the season. Anvar is pretty green and quite old for a prospect (33) but this is because he spent the majority of his career kickboxing, where he complied a record of 95-27-2. He holds notable wins over Fabio Pinca and a little known guy named Giga Chikadze. He hasnt fought anyone of note, but when he made his u.s. Debut, he absolutely flatlined his opponent in 21 seconds. He obviously has a very high level of striking and I get why the ufc wants him with so little experience. If he gets signed, you can bet your top dollar they will push him fast to try and get the giga rematch. I really hope he gets into the ufc but they matched him up with a grappler so not sure hes gonna be winning a contract. Also, hes training at tiger muay thai so he has a great camp around him. 

Erik Silva - 8-1 1 ko 4 sub. LFL FW champ. He comes in on a 7 fight winstreak and has finished his last four opponents by first round submission. Trains under the guidance of bigfoot silva. Hes got a tough test in front of him with anvar, but if he grapples he could find himself winning a contract. Wish i knew more about him but all ive see was his most recent fight where he easily won the belt. He could end up getting a very easy win, or could get brutally koed. 

Francis Marshall - 5-0 4 sub. Went 5-0 as an amateur as well bringing overall winstreak to 10. Trains under Kurt Pellegrino. Has been putting in the work on the long island regional scene and is a very good grappler. Striking needs some work but he has been dominant on the ground against his opponents. He was originally supposed to fight a step up in competition, but the ufc decided to just sign him instead. 

Kaleio Romero - 6-1 2 ko 3 sub. Went 5-0 as an amateur. He is a wrestler who trains out of Team Alpha Male. Im not sold on him winning a contract and even if he does, I dont think he will have much success in the ufc. He has mostly can crushed and has multiple fights under the gladiator challenge banner therefore I will be fading him. He also lost his biggest step up in competition, getting koed by Jonas Flok who is an above average fighter. He has fought for combate in his most recent fights but still hasnt fought anyone with a winning record, with the record of his wins being a combined 13-32.  

Connor Matthews - 5-0 1 ko 4 sub. Went 4-2 as an amateur also finishing everyone with 2 kos and 2 sub. I will be rooting for connor because he is from MA, but like Kaleio, I dont see him winning a contract nor having success in the ufc if he does win. He has never left the first round and has fought abysmal competition. I will say tho, he is very exciting as he comes out guns blazing (much like his teacher Joe Lauzon) and tries (and usually succeeds) in finishing you first round. Good power and I guess “good” bjj but he hasnt been tested whatsoever so im sure its not that good once he faces resistance. PLus, hes already been brutally koed twice before as an amateur. I dont expect much but at least he looks exciting. 

Lightweight (more will be added because lidio and rebecki are already matched up and no way two LAW fighters fight one another)

Charlie Campbell - 6-1 4 kos. Went 5-0 as an amateur with 4 kos and 1 sub. Pretty impressed with charlie. Hes young and trains out of a great camp in LAW mma. Fought in bellator and most recently cffc. Fought a good level of competition as he hasnt fought anyone with a losing record. Hes a pretty big 155’er standing 6 feet tall. Has some nasty leg kicks as he has finished 2 opponents as a pro via leg kick stoppages.  

Nazim Sadykhov - 6-1 4 ko 1 sub. Now the third LAW MMA product we have competing on this season of dwcs. Nazim is another guy i'm thoroughly impressed by, and i think he has potential to be very good. He hasnt fought the best level of competition, but hes fought guys with solid records and experience. He went 4-0 as an amateur and after losing his pro debut, hasnt lost since rattling off 6 straight wins. 

Rodrigo Lidio - 12-2 10 ko 2 sub. Another guy who is old for a prospect (32) but hes currently in his prime and is one hell of an exciting fighter. Originally supposed to fight for the LFA 155 belt, he pulled out once he got offered the dwcs contract. He is currently on a 4 fight winstreak as has been rattling off highlight after highlight. Lidio has serious power as shown by his 100 finishing rate and has good cardio too as he recently got a 5th round flying knee ko to become the Future MMA 155 champ. Unfortunately, he got matched up against a beast in Mateusz Rebecki. 

Mateusz Rebecki - 15-1 8 ko 4 sub. Rebecki is my pick for who is going to have the biggest impact in the ufc. Rebecki has long been one of the best unsigned talents in the ufc and I honestly dont even think he needs dwcs, hes that good. He is the long time FEN 155 champ, rattling off 8 title defenses! Hes currently on a 12 fight winstreak and has ran through everyone hes fought. Hes not fighting cans either, with his opponents having a combined record of 156-52-3. If thats not top level regional competition, I dont know what is. Hes fought notable guys too, like daguir imavov, magomed magomedov (not the one you were probably thinking of but still a decent fighter), and Marian Ziolkowski. Hes gone into championship round multiple times and can fight anywhere, on the feet or on the ground. I am incredibly impressed and it wouldnt shock me if they throw rebecki to the wolves right away. I genuinely think he could debut in the top 15 right now. 

Welterweight 

Billy goff - 7-2 5 ko. Another one of my favorite signings. I dont see billy goff being a world beater if he wins a contract but, my god, is he fun to watch. He is the CES MMA 170 and 185 champ (the 185 belt he claimed on short notice) and has serious ko power. He prefers to stand and bang but he can wrestle too if needs be. His best weapon is his elbows, as hes koed most of his opponents with elbows up against the fence. He also showed a great display of heart in his last fight, escaping from full mount and nearly being finished to finishing his opponent in the second. I will say, almost getting finished by justin sumter is not a good look, but goff is as tough and as game as they come 

Shimon Simotristky - 8-1 4 ko 1 sub. Shimon competed on last season of dwcs but unfortunately ran into mike malott and got guillotined in under a minute. Shimon is a lot better than his dwcs appearance and has a lot of experience despite only being 21. Usually, I do not rate israeli prospects as the israel regional scene is up there with china for one of the worst, but, shimon has been fighting out of russia recently where he is getting better matchmaking and tougher fights. He rebounded nicely from his contender series loss with a 2nd round ko of former tuf finalist and former ufc fighter william macario. 

* Edited at 05.17.2022, 12:11 PM ET *

Middleweight 

Matej Penaz - 6-0 5 ko. Very impressed with Matej. He is a former glory kickboxer who holds a record of 22-3 (12 kos) and was at one point the #5 ranked middleweight. He held a record of 3-1 in glory winning all three fights by ko. He is 6-0 as a pro but had 3 fights in okatgon’s tournament that are considered exhibition matches, so, he technically is 9-0. Penaz is another person I could see having a huge impact in the ufc. 185 is not a division filled with wrestlers, in fact, quite the opposite actually so if he wins, he should thrive in the divison. His standup is elite and he also trains with Jiri Prochazka on the daily so you know hes learning a lot. 

SD Dumas - 4 ko 1 sub. SD is really intriguing to me. I think he has all the potential in the world but I do think its a little early for him to be getting the call up (imo), especially because they pitted him against penaz. SD has impressed me in every area of mma. I thought he was just a striker but he actually used his grappling against his toughest opponent yet and won by that. I was a little surprised (and also a little unimpressed if im being honest) to see him take highbaugh to decision but it was good to see because it answered questions i had about skill level and gas tank. On the feet, SD is a very physically imposing 185’er standing at 6”3 and he has some beastly kickboxing skills. You may recognize the name from his viral headkick ko he got at ikon fc a few months ago. SD also went 8-1 as an amatuer. I wish SD didnt get matched up with penaz because i really dont want either guy to lose but win or lose, I think SD will find his way to the ufc sooner rather than later. Very bright future imo 

Claudio Ribiero - 9-2 8 kos. Reigning Future MMA and Thunder Fight 185 champ. Good ko power and showed that he has good cardio with a 5th round ko in his most recent fight. I will admit, Claudio is one of the few guys I havent heard about before seeing his name signed, but he looks solid from what ive seen. 

Ozzy Diaz - 7-1 5 ko 2 sub. Ozzy is also an impressive prospect in my eyes because he keeps proving me wrong. He has tons of experience (7-2 amatuer career) and has an insane finishing ability (finished everyone as a pro and all but one person as an amateur) seemingly wherever the fight goes; he has multiple submission and KO wins. He has a few fights for bellator and was the LFA and LXF MW champion. Hes very physically imposing at 6’4 and he picked up a huge win in his most recent outing against the very solid bruno assis (a guy who has only lost to legit fighters) so that was a pretty good indicator of his skill level. Definitely impressed and looking forward to what ozzy is gonna be able to do. 

Ivan Valenzuela - 8-1 4 ko 3 sub. LFL 185 Champ. He hasnt fought the greatest level of competition but LFL has decently tough matchmaking and he has shown a well rounded skillset, being able to finish wherever the fight goes. Hes matched up against a fellow guy who I also dont know a ton about in claudio ribiero so should be a good fight. 

Joe Pyfer - 8-2 5 ko 2 sub. 4-1 as an amatuer. Competed on dwcs in 2019 and lost to the not-so-great dustin stolzfus by an injury when he got slammed in a fight where he was already quite a big underdog. Rebounded nicely with a ko of an undefeated, yet poor fighter in CFFC. I must admit, im a little confused as to why they decided to give him another shot as he wasnt that impressive before and hasn’t done anything very impressive since then to make me think he could be a good addition to the ufc. Also, that loss to jhonaven pati has aged so poorly (so has the stoltzfus one too i suppose). 

Light Heavyweight 

Oumar Sy - 6-0 3 ko 2 sub. Oumar is a guy who could have a huuuuuuuge impact in the ufc, especially with 205 being so shallow. Oumar is a massive LHW, standing in at 6’5 with an 84 inch reach, almost jon jones esque in stature. With this size also comes a very well rounded skillset. I actually faded him the first time i saw him in ksw (god knows why) and oh boy, did he prove me wrong as he absolutely ran through his opponent. He then impressed me even more with his performance at Ares fc where he beat an undefeated mma factory product. Speaking of undefeated, his opponents have a combined record of 8-0, granted he has fought a few debutants but still good competition nonetheless. Skys the limit for this kid and i think hes got a bright future in the division

Rodolfo Bellato - 8-1 4 sub 4 ko. Started career off 5-0 and lost to his future dwcs opponent, vitor petrino. Hasnt lost since and most recently competed in LFA’s brazil cards where he has looked very dominant. Only fought one person with a losing record too and has looked better has he faces tougher competition.  

Vitor Petrino - 6-0 6 kos. I really like vitor as a prospect. Hes got insane ko power, finishing everyone hes fought as a pro and amateur (3-1 3 kos). He hasnt fought the greatest level of competition but did beat rodolfo bellato in his debut and most recently destroyed former ufc fighter gadzhimurad antigulov. Trains at CM system but has been spending time at sanford mma which is going to massively help him. 

Heavyweight 

Danilo Suzart - 9-1 6 kos. Ares FC HW champ. His only loss is by majority decision so could arguably be undefeated (although i havent seen the fight). Pretty poor level of competition but beat an undefeated HW with a weird style to become champ. Answered questions about his cardio and tdd but overall not sure about skill level because the person he was fighting is ultimately not that great + he hasnt fought great people in the regional scene. At least he has good cardio and tdd which is enough to get you far in the division. Idk where is ceiling is tho, although we have to assume any HW winner will be getting a contract this season. 

Waldo Cortes-Acosta - 6-0 3 ko 1 sub. LFA HW champion. Definitely the most impressive HW signed this season. Physical specimen, large frame for HW, and has pro boxing experience (6-4). He went 5-1 as an amateur and has fought a very high level of competition as a pro, with his opponents being a combined 43-20. He was supposed to move on to the semi-finals of the RUF: Road to ONE tournament but had to pull out and instead has fought for bellator and LFA in the meantime. He withstood early pressure from the very talented (and someone we will likely see in the ufc in the near future) thomas peterson and koed him. This was a very impressive win in my eyes because thomas carried a long unbeaten streak all the way from his amateur career and had ran through everyone he fought, until he fought Waldo. Waldo did show suspect fight iq when fighting MO Dereese in bellator (this was an interesting fight to say the least) but he still looks very promising, especially as far as HW prospects go. 

Eduardo Neves - 5-0 5 ko. ONly started mma 3 years ago but neves has been nothing short of impressive since getting into mma. I could be mixing it up with another heavyweight prospect but i believe neves had an extensive kickboxing background (albeit, never at the highest level but experience is experience), even if he hasnt, he has very much looked the aggressive and scary striker thus far in his career. He hasnt left the first round so his cardio is definitely in question, but he is fast, athletic, aggressive, and powerful and I think that could be enough to give him success in the big show. Oh, and hes only 22 which is so ridiculously young for HW, so he has a long career in front of him. 

Paulo Renato Jr. 10-1 6 ko 1 sub. Only 28 but paulo has been fighting professionally since 2013. He lost his second fight, and hasnt lost since now on a 9 fight winstreak. He stepped away from the sport in 2017 but came back in 2021, winning three fights in three months. His competition is very poor, and he hasnt fought in any major regional promotions so his skill level is questionable but he looks solid from tape. 

Michael Parkin 4-0 4 ko. 6-0-1 as an amateur with 5 ko and 1 sub. Being on the uk regional scene, parkin has can crushed for the most part, but he has a lot of fights under his belt and clearly is ready for a step up in competition. Hes only left the first round twice and is 1-0-1 in those two fights so that tells me his cardio isnt the best, but thats to be expected at HW. I have a hard time judging skill level of uk prospects, especially those who dont fight in CW because their regional scene has some cans in it, but parkin looks solid. Skill level overall and ceiling is unknown. 

Caio Machado - 6-1-1 4 ko 1 sub. BFL HW champ. His only loss is to former dwcs fighter and current ONE HW, dustin Joyson, and he hasnt lost since. However, im relatively unimpressed with caio. The canadian regional scene is quite poor and caio has not fought quality opponents whatsoever. In fact, he has two wins over the same guy, lee mein who holds a record of 11-16. Caio should also be fighting at LHW, as he weighs 236 lbs, so hes going to be undersized against all the other HWs. While he is a grappler, which is a rare fighting style for 265, I dont think he will fare well and doesnt look ufc level imo. 

sorry for the spam btw but I wrote so much tapology wouldn't let me post it all LOL

no worries mate, interesting read as always.

@ayyLmao any idea when they release the matchups for DWCS this szn? Doesn't it start July?

* Edited at 05.17.2022, 12:58 PM ET *

Ya july 26. There are many matchups already scheduled but they don’t have the full cards yet.

10 weeks, 10 episodes 

current matchups are : 

Souza vs basharat 
Diaz vs pyfer 
Luna martinelli vs costa (weird that its at 135 because both are 125ers) 
Suzart vs cortes acosta 
Ross vs TBD (was supposed to be Charles johnson but hes in the ufc now) 
Matthews vs Marshall 
Lidio vs Rebecki 
Machado vs Renato Jr. 
Wójcik vs Lavado 
Cowan vs Leite 
Valenzuela vs Ribiera 
Dudakova vs Silva
Dumas vs Penaz 
Petrino vs Bellato II (rematch from regional scene, cool on the ufc's part) 
Bleda vs maia 
Neves vs Parkin 
Silva vs Boynazarov 
Erceg vs carpenter

Gotcha, I appreciate it.

Anytime

Breaking News ! Found the longest reach in MMA! (2073 cm.)


https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/13492-jay-viola

* Edited at 05.17.2022, 1:29 PM ET *

Lol ******* jay🤣🤣🤣I can’t believe he’s almost 50 and still fighting 

Just found out one of my favorite prospects, josh wang-Kim is fighting this weekend. Had a very weird last fight where he lost by dq from illegal elbows, but then his opponent attacked him after the bell, which should have been a dq win for Kim, but frank trigg ****** it up so now it’s a loss. Either way, total **** show but I still highly rate JWK. He is all action and I highly recommend watching his previous fights in cage warriors if you are interested. We will see him in the big show before long; also has a twin brother who also carried an impressive amateur and undefeated pro record

Obviously, I have a very long list of favorite prospects but josh wang-kim is easily at the top of that list; he’s so exciting. He fights in a karate stance on the feet, with a diverse arsenal of kicks and on the ground he constantly chains submissions together

Shannon ross has gotten his opponent. He will be fighting Vinicius Salvador. 

Vinicius is 13-4 with 12 ko’s and 1 sub. Vinicius trains with Amanda Ribas and was supposed to compete on last season of dwcs, but was unable to compete because of visa issues. He has vicious finishing power but it all comes against low level competition

Bless you good sir, truly doing the work of the gods by delivering information like that 

@danas burner of course man! I have as much fun doing research as you guys do reading it lol

@ayy u truly know ur **** man 

you have to either  be passionate as **** or not have a life at all to bring and learn that much information, that for sure is something valuable for this site, if there was a comment section it would ve much better, couz you woukd get pure info in the thread, not people like me typing nonsense like this post

* Edited at 05.17.2022, 5:02 PM ET *

@adrnc despite my frequent activity on the site, I do indeed have a life🤣🤣. Yes, this is carried by my passion for the sport. It also helps that I’m home for summer and my job hasn’t kicked into full effect yet because it’s not prime season (middle of the summer) therefore, I have a lot of downtime and studying mma is fun for me

* Edited at 05.17.2022, 5:05 PM ET *

@ayy I like that I do cuz I’m super busy got a job and go college from Monday to Thursday so reading ur post keeps me up to date lol