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 *

this week is just fantastic for the up and coming prospects. Its almost like its the theme for all promotions this week, even bellator and ufc is chock full of their best up and comers. This week, there are 5 promotions putting on shows with a phenomenal array of prospects; many of whom I think we will see in the ufc/bellator/pfl/one within 1-3 years (for many, this is their breakthrough fight that will get them signed somewhere). Unfortunately, a lot of the cards got beaten up with fight cancellations but luckily, the best prospects remain on all the cards 

Levels Fight League 4 - Sunday 

First, we have the pro debut of Cedric manhoef. Yes, that is indeed a relative of Melvin manhoef, his cousin in fact. Cedric is a kickboxer with a record of 53-10 and he was ranked in the top 10 for active middleweights when he still fought (hes been gone since 2019 likely prepping for mma). Unfortunately, LFL gave him a grappler with amateur experience (5-3) but, giving him the exact opposite fighting style will help give him experience. Will be interesting to see how he does. 

Anmari diedrick welcomes Rick Kuiper back to the cage for the first time since 2016. Diedrick is someone I had the pleasure of watching at ares fc 4 and he really impressed me beating a solid 2-0 dagi from the MMA factory. Hes young and was a former glory kickboxer with a record of 19-9; he went 1-2 in glory. He fights rick kuipers in what should be an easy fight for anmari. Kuipers hasn't fought since 2016 and is also a former Muay Thai fighter (cant find info on his fights sadly) from way back in the day, so he isn't going to wrestle anmari and will play into his fight style. This is a good fight to build anmari and I think he should pass with flying colors 

Next we have Felipe Micheletti who is making his mma debut. Felipe is a former kickboxer with a record of 16-9. its not very impressive but, he has been ranked in the HW top 10 since 2018 and before he left the sport, was ranked #6 in the world. He also held an amateur kickboxing record of 30-7. Again, the record may be ugly but hes only losing to elite guys like Alex pereira, Luis Tavares, Stephane Susperrigri, and Vladimir mine to name a few. He fights Virgil Augen who is a respectable 2-0 with imaaf experience. 

Now, we have Manuel Gaxja fighting for the LFL 155 strap. You may recognize the name as he was slated to be on dwcs last year, but couldn't compete because of visa issues. I honestly think that was a blessing in disguise because he has a horribly padded record so more epxirence will help him. he is 7-0 with 2 ko and 3 sub. Hes fighting his toughest test in 4-2 Akonne Wanliss (7-1 ammy record as well). Again, he has seriously can crushed, but from the tape ive seen hes actually quite impressive, just needs to fight someone with a pulse. He has fantastic kicks that he throws with tons of power and can also grapple. Id bet he goes to dwcs with a. win here. 

In the main event we have former ufc 185er, Tom Breese, defending his LFL 185 strap against Ahmed Sami. Breese was in the ufc from 2015-2021 until he was unfortunately (and unfairly) cut from the ufc. I mean, he was a pullout god but it still wasn't that justified considering his last fight in the ufc was a loss to a ranked opponent. Breese is a finisher and has really good grappling. Id assume a win here puts him in prime position to take a short notice fight to get back into the ufc, or at worst a look from bellator or pfl. I think he would fit perfectly into all 3 promotions. 

Fury FC 65 - Sunday 

sadly, this event had two of its best fights (lozoya fight and Shelton fight) fall through, but hopefully they can find replacements. With the cancellations this is still a pretty solid show, especially for fury fc, who usually has bums fighting. 

First, we have Isaiah Diggs making his pro debut. Diggs was a wrestler for CSU-pueblo, I sadly cannot find anything else about his wrestling background other then he wrestled there. I am interested in him because he had a great ammy career that included a fight in LFA. he went 6-0 with 3 Kos and his opponents had a combined record of 13-3. he fights the debuting Pena allamov 

In the co-main event we have themba gorimbo making in U.S. debut against Julio Rodrigues. Themba was a very unexpected signing imo but I like it a lot. Themba astarted out at 155, and after an unsuccessful title challenge, he moved up to 170 where he became the EFC champ. He then vacated the belt where he went to UAE warriors and lost to the very solid Handesson ferriera. Themba is a well rounded fighter and im a big fan of his jab and his 1-2. they are thrown without much wind up or telegraphing and they are very effective. He also has pretty impressive grappling, with slick back takes and a great triangle choke because of his long legs. One thing I dont like about him is his head movement is not great, and leads to him getting clipped occasionally. He fights a tough vet and if he gets the win, id expect him to be on dwcs. If he doesn't impress the UFC, Id expect him to fight for the fury fc 170 belt and then get a dwcs opportunity with a win

The main event is a great fight, and in terms of fury FC, a fantastic fight. You have two dwcs vets fighting for the fury fc 135 belt in Joshua weems and mo miller. Mo is very obviously the guy they want to win but I think if either guy gets a win, they will get to the ufc; Im not sure if either would have to go through dwcs again tho. Weems is a solid regional guy with great grappling. However, he had a very unimpressive showing on dwcs, losing to the very bad fernie garcia in a first round ko. Since this, he fought and won the B2 135 title by first round sub. Mo is a top prospect for 135, having a very high level wrestling game. He had a dominant performance on dwcs but dana wasn't impressed. He was likely gonna get another dwcs shot with a win, but he lost his post dwcs fight in a huge submission upset to Jose johnson. He was winning the fight easily and then gassed himself out and got subbed. he has rebounded with a first round ko. Mo is quite good and hes also fighting a pretty chinny guy so barring a freak upset, I think we will see mo in the ufc quite soon. 

Cage Warriors 140 - Saturday 

First fight i have my eyes on is frederico pascuali vs harry hardwick. Pascuali is 7-0 with 4 ko and 2 sub. He carries a 10 fight win streak overall (3-0 ammy) and he has been looking great on the regional scene. He made his CW debut after a run in venator and destroyed paul mcbain as a big underdog. He fights harry hardwick, brother of 155 title challenger, george hardwick. Harry is 8-3 with 1 ko and 2 subs. He has experience in bellator and cw, where he holds a 2-0 record in the promotion. He is 5-1 in his last 6 with his only loss coming against tuf 27 vet, richie smullen. He isnt as exciting as his brother, but he is definitely above average. Im not sure who wins but the winner is setting themselves up nicely for a dwcs opportunity (espeically hardwick, as having two brothers on dwcs (pending his brother winning the title) is something the ufc likes to do). 

IN the co main event we have 2 undefeated prospects fighting one another in, Caolan Loughrane and Festus Ahorlu. Both guys are 5-0 and both have not fought great competition. Caolan in fact, has fought both reece street and will cairns, so just a tremendously padded record. His opponents record as a pro is 5-75… He did have a 7-2 ammy career fighting decent guys so that somewhat makes up for it. He did also look pretty solid in his last fight. Festus on the other hand, has fought far better comp, with his last two opponents being 8-1 and 6-2 respectively. He is making his CW debut and carries a 10 fight winstreak stemming from the ammys (holding a 7-1 record there). My pick is festus but i think we will have to keep our eyes out for the winner of this bout. Not sure any major org has their eyes on either guy, but with both being the co main and undefeated, i think this is a breakout fight for both. 

The main event for CW 140 is just fantastic. You have a former ufc vet in rhys mckee vs a dwcs vet in Justin Burlinson. Both guys have recovered nicely from their setbacks and are fighting for the 170 strap. I would say the winner goes straight up to the ufc but we will have to see. Rhys is 11-4-1 with 8 kos and 3 subs. He had quite the unfortunate ufc run, being fed to khamzat chimaev and then alex morono (who set a record for significant strikes in a three round fight). Rhys wasnt ready but that doesnt mean hes bad. He is a brawler and he does get hit a lot (but so does burlinson so thats okay) but he can take a punch to give a punch. He is fighting top prospect Justin Burlinson. Burlinson was highly regarded coming into dwcs, holding a 17-1 ammy record and a 6-0 pro record (at the time; now 7-1 with 2 ko and 5 sub). He fought yohan lainesse and got slept with a nasty left hook. Like rhys, burlinson is very hittable but man can he brawl. His fight against skibinski is one of my fav fights this year; they just went to war and burlinson started off cold, getting overwhelmed by skibinskis striking, but he started to work the body which eventually paid dividends and he gassed out skibinski and got a sub once he hurt him. He has a nasty ground game to go along with his hands. I really like burlinson but i wont be mad at whoever wins. 

UWC 35 - Friday 

Much like fury fc, UWC has good prospects, but low level of competition. However, this event is pretty stacked with some fighters i really like. 

First, we have alan martinez vs roberto luna. These guys are 3-1 and 4-0 respectively. This is a good fight to judge who is a good prospect as both guys have built solid records, but havent fought anyone (mostly 0-0 guys). Luna struggled as an amatuer, going 6-3 but he has built up a nice pro record. Martinez is 4-0 and also went 3-0 as an amatuer (one fight isnt reported). He hasnt fought anyone with a pulse either but is clearly skilled enough to win fights so this will be a good test. His nickname is super glue because he is very hard to get off once he takes you down 

The next fight im looking at is the return of daniel barez. Dani Barez is 13-5 with 5 kos and 5 subs. Barez was in a razor close fight (that i thought he won) against a guy i rate pretty highly in carlos hernandez. Barez is older for a prospect at 33 but he really impressed me on dwcs. He didnt land the greatest shots, but his grappling and tdd really impressed me. Hes being given yet another can (got fed one earlier this year) so this should be an easy win for him. I wish they would give him a tougher fight but maybe this is all he needs to get back to dwcs. I wouldnt be surprised if he gets a short notice call up either. 

The main event features the brother of dwcs competitor andres luna martinelli. His brother is Adrian Luna martinelli. He went 3-0 as an amatuer and is 9-1 as a pro with 1 ko and 3 subs. Hes not nearly as good as his brother, but he is the current uwc 135 champ. The reason he didnt get signed to compete is because he is just getting spoon fed cans. Like really bad cans (fighting another one this time around) so its hard to judge his skill level. Like his brother, he has very creative bjj and even picked up a gogoplata in his last fight. Hes making another title defense against a bum so with a win, i dont think hes gonna get a dwcs shot, but hopefully they give him a quality opponent next time, and then maybe we will see him on dwcs. Solid guy tho just need him to be tested 

Ares FC 7 - Saturday 

Now this is almost as good an event as the ufc card this week. Ares is a great promotion but this card is absolutely phenomenal. There are at least 5 people i can see fighting in the ufc on this card and they have so many great matchups and prospects fighting. 

First, we have melissa dixon. Now, i actually think her opponent is 1. The better fighter and 2. Winning the fight, but rizlen is old so i cant call her a prospect. If dixons beats her however, shes someone im gonna be looking out for then. Dixon is 3-0 with 2 kos, also holding a 5-4 ammy record with imaaf experience. This is a massive step up and she is taking it on short notice, but if she beats rizlen (who i think is a quality opponent), then she is someone to look out for 

Next, we have more women prospects, but this time they are actually promising + i know about them. Anastasia fedofanova vs ewelina wozniak. Wozniak is 6-1 2 ko and 2 sub. She held a 7-2 ammy record as well. She is coming off of a loss to maria silva in a fight where she got beat up. Now, i think silva is just really good but it does make me rethink ewelina’s skill level. She looks very promising, but is also not exactly being given a favorable matchup here. Fedofanova is a really intriguing prospect imo. Shes 8-1 with 4 kos and 2 subs. She has fought solid comp, with a record of 17-10 but her last two opponents have both been undefeated (one being yuila ostroverkova who i also rate as a solid prospect). Fedofanova is coming off of an insane reverse triangle choke and is looking to make another statement. I think the winner of this will get a dwcs opportunity; both are very solid and well rounded women. 

Next, we have amin Ayoub fighting damien lapilus. Ayoub is 16-5 with 2 ko and 8 subs. He is the former brave CF 155 champ and is making his ares fc debut. Im not as excited for this fight as the other ones because ayoub is still under brave contract (fights there next month too) but, hes still a solid prospect. He has a ton of experience and is a great grappler. Hs fighting damien laplius who isnt great, but he has a lot of experience and can push ayoub. I hope we see ayoub in a major rog eventually but he is currently with brave so im just gonna watch this one to enjoy it. 

The next fight is akhmed salamov vs jose galindo. Salamov is 4-1 with 4 subs and trains out of the mma factory. Much like his teammate, lazy king (more on him later), salamov has a crazy high level grappling game. He has a mix of dagestan wrestling mixed in with creative bjj. His last fight was a wild scrambling battle with tons of reversals and momentum switches, where he won by 3rd round kneebar. He fights the undefeated jose galindo. I dont know much about him, but i know he is a striker with a good record fighting in the peruvian regional scene. This is for the ares fc 185 belt and i think salamov will get signed to dwcs with a win here. He would be a good fit for 185 considering there arent many good grapplers in teh division 

The next fight im looking at is william gomis vs renan barao. Gomis is 9-2 with 5 kos and 1 sub. Gomis is one of my favorite oroispects because nobody knows him, yet he is tremendously skilled. He has beaten solid guys like tobias harila and his only two losses were in his first 3 fights and were against morgan charriere and salahdine parnasse. He is very good everywhere and has shown some great fight iq in the cage so far. He is getting a freebie win against the ghost of renan barao, so expect a highlight reel, dominant performance from him. Im pretty sure he will get outright signed to the ufc with a win here, if they value him as much as i do. He is very good. 

Next is a fight i originally thought Luis henrique was gonna win, but after hearing slim trabelsi was an olympic wrestler, not so much confidence anymore. Slim is 3-0 with 2 kos and as i mentioned, used to wrestle at the olympic level.I first caught wind of him in LFL 2, where he mauled solid prospect john winter. Slim is green, but his wrestling is high level and we know thats in short supply at 265 so that makes him a hot commodity. A win over a ufc vet is huge for the career too. Henrqiue was never good in the ufc, and he still isnt good, but he has been on a tour since leaving the ufc, fighting the top 265 prospects like kornilov (more on him later) and maslov, so he will provide a good test for slim. With a win, i think slim will be a shoe in for dwcs. 

The main event stars one of the top prospects worldwide in lazy king. This is his first defense of the ares 170 belt and he fights french mma legend, karl ammousou. Ammousou is the biggest name lazy king has fought and holds a record of 27-9 with loads of experience being the CW champ and former bellator fighter (where he challenged for a title). Lazy King is a phenomenal prospect. He has super high level grappling and has some of the most creative bjj set ups ive seen. He is so much fun to watch and with a win here, he is an instant shoe in for the ufc imo. I think he could easily debut in the ufc top 15 (and just might). He is also the former brave cf 170 champ.  

The fight i care about the most on this card (yes, more than the lazy king one) is shamil Gadzhiev vs Kirill Kornilov. This fight is sooooo good and the winner of this will be established as an elite 265 prospect. I mean these two guys are very very good and the winner will get signed to the ufc straight up as well. Gadzhiev is yet another 265er with high level wrestling. He is from dagestan so you lready know how he gets down. He is 7-0 with 5 kos and 2 subs. He also holds a 9-2 ammy record that includes winning gold at the 2019 immaf. His opponent, kirill kornilov is, imo, an elite fighter. He is 13-0-1 and is a former glory kickboxer with a record of 14-3. He mixes in the kickboxing beautifully into mma. He has some holes and his tdd is going to be tested here, but if he passes i have no doubt he could be ranked in the ufc. His jab is beautiful and he is nasty in the clinch. He really does have a high level striking game and is also gigantic for the division at 6’5. His level of competition is insane too, with a combined record of 132-56 and holds wins over 3 former ufc vets. Really excited for this one, and its my most anticipated regional fight this week

Here’s a mission for you @Ayyy,

Ryan Leininger is fighting a 19-4 former UFC vet at LFA 140. Who is the vet? I’m having a ***** of a time because Ryan has fought at welter, middle, LH, and Heavy in his pro career lol. But this one is for sure Welter or Middleweight.

Leo Kuntz?

@tieoken I do love a good challenge. Lemme see. Leo kuntz isn’t a bad guess tbh

And it’s at lfa 140 you say? 

Yeah LFA 140 August 26th, they haven’t announced the card yet though.

Actually, damn. Leo Kuntz might be it especially since he just fought in the Midwest and I know LFA 140 is gonna be in the Midwest.

Okay yeah it’s most likely leo kuntz then. My next question was gonna be is it in the Midwest lol

It is a great week indeed

Just found out too HW prospect oleg Popov is fighting this week too. Against Bigfoot Silva🤣🤣🤣🤣

How does Bigfoot keep getting sanctioned? Will this be his 10000th straight KO loss?

Idk I wish he’d stop fighting. I respect not taking easy fights but it can’t be fun getting smashed in 30 seconds each time

Any truth to Islam vs Charles OCT. 22nd UFC 281?

I mean no but that seems like the pretty obvious fight that’s happening next. If only seen full violence post about it and he’s as unreliable as they come, but, it’s definitely next

***… timur valiev just got cut

I’m gonna assume his contract ran out and they couldn’t reach an agreement. Pfl or Bellator here we comd

Timer Valiev could run PFL. Not sure if he could cut it against Stots though.

Would make sense too considering he came from wsof. I believe he’d have to fight at 145 but I think he runs through everyone there. Except maybe loughnane