Prospect in the Spotlight (June 30-July 1): Mochamed Machaev

Introduction

Saturday, July 1st, Austrian featherweight prospect Mochamed Machaev will be in action for Matrix Fight Night, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Sanjeet Budhwar. He will be looking for another win, as Machaev looks to continue to his winning ways and eventually make his way to the UFC. He represents Gym 23, an underrated camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”

Strengths

Wrestling: A lot of Machaev’s game revolves around the wrestling. His shots are solid from the outside, though he likes to engage in the clinch and body lock opponents along the fence before dumping them on the mat. Once on the ground, he’s heavy on top. He likes to use ground-and-pound more, especially from half guard. He doesn’t fish for submissions as much, thought he obviously has a few chokes on his record.

Boxing: Machaev also has some solid offensive boxing that he uses when on the feet. He works well off the jab and has solid footwork. He doesn’t throw as many kicks, but he throws solid combos with the hands that land with some power. He also uses his boxing to transition to his wrestling, showing he can put it all together.

Needs Improvement

Striking Defense: In Machaev’s sole loss, he got reckless on the feet and his striking defense was exposed by Gamzat Magomedov. In under the minute, Machaev went from throwing some solid boxing combos to leaving his defenses open and eating big shots from Magomedov. He needs to return his hands to the defensive and not over-extend when striking, as his chin is exposed and makes him easier to hit. Taking on a fighter with wrestling chops that can strike would be a huge disadvantage for Machaev.

Outlook

Big League Prelim Fighter: Whether it’s the UFC, Bellator or PFL, I can see Machaev making it to one of these organizations. He’s just 23 years old, so he has a long career ahead of him and he’s already this good. He has taken some solid competition on, though he could be fighting more notable opponents. Give him a couple of years and I think he will be with a top promotion. Should he win the Martix Fight Night promotion title over the aforementioned Budhwar, that’s a good first step.