Best Prospects of the Weekend (2/27-2/28)

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

1. Tumelo Manyamala (Flyweight, South Africa, EFC Global): South African Tumelo Manyamala will kick off the week for the prospects on this list on Thursday at EFC Global against Ntando Zondi. Manyamala is best known for his time on TUF season 33, where he was eliminated in the first round. All things considered, Manyamala is a striker that does not like being put on his back on the ground. Both his TUF loss and only official pro loss saw him show weakness there, though he is a quick, powerful striker. He’s one of the best South Africa has to offer, which at this point is not a lot as the country’s MMA is still developing.
2. Jaden Ortega (Welterweight, United States, Combate Global): Just 23 years old, Jaden Ortega is a criminally underrated prospect that has accumulated quality cage time in just five pro fights. His five opponents had a combined 125 fights, which is a staggering amount of experience. Ortega is a finisher, owning four first-round knockouts by a variety of strikes including a flying knee, a head kick and a body kick (and follow-up punches). His nasty striking style and the fact that he trains his grappling with the Sikjitsu team in Washington means he’s an overall threat in the cage on the feet or the mat. He takes on uber-experienced Ricardo Chavez in his next fight, which could be another showcase for an eventual UFC mainstay.
3. Shuya Kamikubo (Bantamweight, Japan, LFA): One of the best prospects coming of Japan is LFA headliner Shuya Kamikubo, who made his first blip on the radar on the Road to UFC card. So, he’s already familiar with the UFC matchmakers. Kamikubo is a very good submission artist known best for his modified twister victory last year. He is very slick on the mat whether he’s on top or on defense. Fights Rafael do Nascimento in the LFA main event with a potential Contender Series or straight UFC roster spot on the line.
4. Theo Haig (Middleweight, United States, LFA): Speaking of Contender Series, a veteran of last season’s Contender Series will also be fighting on the LFA card in the form of Theo Haig. Although he failed in that opportunity, Haig is still a quality prospect with a strong wrestling background and strong training at American Kickboxing Academy. All but one of his wins came in the first round, which were done by submission or ground-and-pound. He takes on veteran Lance Wright in an attempt to get back in the good graces of the UFC matchmakers.
5. Zoe Nowicki (Women’s Flyweight, United States, LFA): 25-year-old Zoe Nowicki is our under-the-radar prospect of the week to watch. The Adrian College wrestling alum is a very good prospect that is developing her striking at a fast clip. She went 16-0 as an amateur and has yet to taste defeat as a pro. That comes as a result of her strong wrestling base and rapid overall game development in a short time. The Invicta veteran now fights under the LFA banner for her next fight, which is against Brazilian vet Mariana Piccolo.
6. Ramil Kamilov (Welterweight, Canada, Unified MMA): Kazakh-Canadian welterweight Ramil Kamilov is looking like one of the best fighters competing in the Canadian regional circuit right now. He has a good submission wrestling base and some underrated hands to boot. That well-roundedness is a reason why he’s considered a top guy in the region. His keynote win thus far was against Tom O’Connor, and since then, it’s been hard to find opponents for him. Up next for Kamilov is Romario Orozco, a fellow undefeated prospect that presents an interesting challenge to Kamilov.
7. Javad Mahjoub (Heavyweight, Iran/Canada, Unified MMA): Though he’s 33 years old, Javad Mahjoub is an interesting prospect because he’s an Olympic judoka from Iran with world-class grappling. He has taken some amateur kickboxing fights as well, showing that he’s been conscientious about rounding out his complete game. He’s 4-0 right now and has a couple of solid wins for the lack of pro MMA experience that he has, which is also impressive. He now faces Pietro O de Andrade this weekend, as he looks to quickly ascend to the UFC at some point.
8. Jasmine Favero (Women’s Bantamweight, Italy, Aura Fight Gala): Women’s bantamweight is a division that is very thin on talent. That’s why it would be smart to keep an eye on Jasmine Favero, an Italian vet who had a strong amateur career before running her current 4-0 pro record. She is a solid grappler that has scored finishes in all four of her pro bouts (2 knockouts, 2 submissions). She takes on journeyman Pole Marta Waliczek on an upstart European promotion, which could be another solid win on her resume.
9. Julieta Martinez (Women’s Strawweight, Mexico, Lux Fight League): 21-year-old Julieta Martinez is somebody I would have expected to be in the UFC already given her Contender Series win in 2024 and undefeated status. She hasn’t been the most active since that Contender Series win, but the well-rounded youngster is still adding tools to her toolbox. She is a good, athletic striker with a solid grappling acumen on top of that. She is a future contender given that she’s very young and has many good years ahead of her. She takes her first fight in almost a year when she fights Jessica Solis at the Lux Fight League event.
10. Machi Fukuda (Women’s Strawweight, Japan, Deep Jewels): Our last prospect of the week is Machi Fukuda, a 22-year-old Japanese fighter whose only two losses come by way of split decision. She has a solid grappling game, though her striking isn’t bad either. She’s fought a who’s-who of Japanese regional talent to great success. This weekend, she takes on Korean Dan Bi Kim, looking to push her winning streak to six.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Gable Stevenson continued his path of destruction in another stoppage victory, this time over Hugo Lezama at Mexico Fight League. Stevenson continues to be the best heavyweight prospect of the last ten years, if not longer.
2. Radley da Silva had his main event fight at BFL cancelled and did not compete.
3. Adam Posener kept his undefeated record intact at the same BFL event, scoring a submission win over Dany Mallette.
4. Jake Craig had his fight rescheduled until March 27th, so he did not compete at Unified MMA.
5. Hector Saenz retained his Fury FC Lightweight Championship, earning a unanimous decision victory over Yehia Riles.
6. Joel Faglier continued to show he’s a top heavyweight prospect, scoring a judge’s nod over Cody East at Fury FC.
7. Eduardo Penha dropped a close split decision loss to UFC vet Eric Shelton at Fury FC, the first loss of his career.
8. Dario Bellandi dropped the Cage Warriors Middleweight Championship, taking a TKO loss to Paddy McCorry.
9. Solomon Simon took his first pro loss, dropping a decision to Nik Bagley.
10. Sebastian Przybysz dropped his KSW title to Vitalii Yakhymenko via split decision.