Best Prospects of the Weekend (2/20-2/21)

After a slower week of regional MMA, we pick up in action this weekend in regional MMA scene. Here are quick notes on ten prospects to look out for this weekend:

1. Gable Stevenson (Heavyweight, United States, Mexico Fight League): There’s not a lot to breakdown about Gable Stevenson, one of the best heavyweight prospects in the history of the sport. The Olympic gold medalist in wrestling is a freak athlete with insane power and is learning quickly. He has obviously worked on his striking diligently, as he’s recently used it to score knockout wins in both MMA and “dirty boxing.” He takes on Hugo Lezama this weekend for a regional Mexican MMA promotion.
2. Radley da Silva (Featherweight, Canada, BFL): Radley da Silva was one of the few fighters to win on the Contender Series last year and not be offered a contract. Though not the most exciting bout, he scored a major win over George Mangos in that bout. He has an interesting striking style and some solid grappling, which makes him a well-rounded individual. He has a capoeira background, which explains that wanky style where he throws a lot of spinning attacks. He has Rander Junio on his plate this weekend, which could be another strong name on da Silva’s resume with a victory.
3. Adam Posener (Welterweight, Canada, BFL): On that same Battlefield Fight League card, 21-year-old Canadian Adam Posener is looking to continue his undefeated run as a professional, as he becomes one of the top prospects from his home country. Posener is a very good submission grappler who has finished all but one of his pro fights by tapout. His win over Zackery Powell really established him as a top prospect, as Powell was long respected as a top prospect in his own right. Posener meets Dany Mallette this weekend in what should be another solid test.
4. Jake Craig (Light Heavyweight, Canada, Unified MMA): Jake Craig is a bit old to be considered a prospect at 35 years old, but the light heavyweight division is always in need of bodies, as it’s a light-on-talent division. Craig is certainly a skilled fighter, possessing a strong boxing ability (he has pro boxing and bareknuckle boxing matches). He has good knockout power and technique on the feet. He’s coming off a knockout win over UFC vet Jared Vanderaa, which was the keystone win on his resume. On his plate now is fellow undefeated MMA fighter Mirza Hopovac, which could decide which of these two fighters gets a closer look from the UFC.
5. Hector Saenz (Lightweight, United States, Fury FC): An under-the-radar prospect to watch for is Fury FC Lightweight Champion Hector Saenz, which is crazy to think of because he’s the champion of a major regional organization. Saenz, who trains under UFC vet Daniel Pineda, is a grinder that looks to bang on the feet and can roll on the mat as well. He defends his Fury belt this weekend against Yehia Riles in a bout that could dictate if he makes the UFC or Contender Series soon or if he goes back to the drawing board.
6. Joel Faglier (Heavyweight, United States, Fury FC): There aren’t a lot of young heavyweight prospects in the sport right now, but Joel Faglier is one of the few and proud. The 265-pound striker has a solid Muay Thai skill set, though he can definitely score submissions on the mat. It’s hard to take a lot of strikes from Faglier, who has whipping low kicks and educated hands. He’s yet to see the judge’s scorecards as a pro, including his most recent fight where he finished Austin Green with low kicks and punches. He takes on UFC vet and 20-plus fight vet Cody East in the biggest fight of his career.
7. Eduardo Penha (Bantamweight, United States, Fury FC): The last fighter on the Fury card we will feature is Eduardo Penha, who is our under-the-radar prospect of the week. Penha is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace that is dominant on the mat with his submission grappling. All but one of his pro fights come by way of submission. He has UFC veteran that will be across the cage from him this weekend in Eric Shelton, which represents the biggest test of his career.
8. Dario Bellandi (Middleweight, Italy, Cage Warriors): Italy isn’t the biggest hotbed for MMA talent in the world, but it does have some very solid fighters including Dario Bellandi. The Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion has fought for and defended his title three times but gets his biggest test in TUF/Contender Series vet Paddy McCorry. If Bellandi can score a win here, I think the Contender Series or UFC will be next.
9. Solomon Simon (Featherweight, Nigeria/Ireland, Cage Warriors): Sticking in Cage Warriors, we next examine Nigerian-Irish fighter Solomon Simon. He has surged up the prospect rankings in recent times, showing off blistering striking and some solid submission prowess as well. He’s very athletic and explosive, which aid him in his movement and stopping ability. He defends his Cage Warriors Featherweight Championship for the first time since winning it against Nik Bagley.
10. Sebastian Przybysz (Bantamweight, Poland, KSW): We end this week’s list with KSW Bantamweight Champion Sebastian Przybysz, a legend in the promotion due to his quad of fights against now UFC competitor Jakub Wiklacz. Wiklacz’s departure from KSW opened up the division for Przybysz, who is now the alpha male of the promotion. He’s a good submission wrestler that doesn’t mind getting in a dog fight on the feet as well. He defends his title against Vitalii Yakhymenko, who will give him a solid challenge.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Adrian Lee got back into the win column with a TKO finish over Shozo Isojima at ONE.
2. Ben Tynan scored a submission win over Ryugo Takeuichi at ONE to also get back into the win column.
3. Gabi Fujimoto is no longer undefeated, as she was pounded out on the ground by Jihin Radzuan in at ONE.
4. Ronald Paradeiser got absolutely crushed by Kaik Brito, suffering a highlight reel spinning backfist loss at Oktagon.
5. Nikola Joksovic is no longer undefeated, falling via unanimous decision to Luciano Palhano at Brave CF
6. Miha Frlic destroyed Samuele di Guardo via TKO stoppage via elbows at Brave CF.
7. Ramazan Gitinov eeked out a split decision over Arthur Arutunyan at Brave CF.
8. Jovan Leka choked out Charlie Milner with an arm-triangle choke to keep his winning streak alive at Brave CF.
9. Nina Nikolija Milosevic kept her winning streak going, besting now-undefeated fighter Dina Osman at Brave CF.
10. Danylo Voievodkin lost his first fight since his hot post-Contender Series drug test, getting TKO’d by Georgian journeyman Genadi Jorjoliani.