Best Prospects of the Weekend (3/20-3/22)

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

1. Nicolas Leblond (Flyweight, France, Cage Warriors): We kick off the week in Cage Warriors, a promotion with a number of fights to watch for. The main offering will see a flyweight title fight featuring top French prospect Nicolas Leblond. Riding a seven-fight win streak into his fight with Jawany Scott, Leblond is now defending his belt for the first time since taking it by rear-naked choke from Shaj Haque. Leblond has knockout power in his hands to go with his strong grappling game. His one knock is he’s faltered in a few fights where he’s stepped up in competition, but he could have put that to bed with his title win over Haque.
2. Ollie Sarwa (Bantamweight, England, Cage Warriors): The other prospect we will focus on for that Cage Warriors card is in the co-main event, as Ollie Sarwa looks to keep his 8-0 record perfect. Sarwa has a strong Muay Thai background that has transitioned well to the cage, where he has dominated opponents on the feet. He’s technically sound, as well as a nasty knockout artist that can end the fight in an instant. He takes on veteran journeyman Weslley Maia, who has derailed some prospect trains in the past.
3. Jacinta Austin (Women’s Strawweight, Australia, PFL): The first prospect to watch for on the PFL card is Jacinta Austin, an Australian regional champion that is going to be given a hard test right out of the gate in the form of UFC veteran Victoria Dudakova. Austin is a solid overall fighter, though she has shown some holes in the defensive grappling and defensive striking department, which is something that Dudakova could take advantage of here. Nevertheless, she’s a skilled prospect with a solid resume that is going to face the biggest test of her career in his PFL debut.
4. Luciano Pereira (Bantamweight, Uruguay, PFL): The other prospect we will look out for at PFL is Luciano Pereira, who will have a tough test against another former top prospect Kevin Cordero. Pereira is impressive at 15-1, but even more impressive when you consider that one loss was from a DQ. At one point he was linked to the Contender Series a few years ago, but that fell through and he continued on his way dominating the regional circuit in Argentina. He has a style similar to that of John Lineker from years back and packs a big amount of power. That power leads to a large amount of knockout stoppages.
5. Pavel Andrusca (Featherweight, Moldova, Vendetta Fight Nights): Moldova hasn’t produced a ton of top-end MMA talent, but undefeated Pavel Andrusca seems to be scratching the surface as a must-watch European prospect. The 7-0 Moldovan has shown a vicious all-around game, possessing one-punch KO power to go with a dominating and violent wrestling top game on the mat. He throws absolute hammers from top position and can finish with that or a submission. He takes on UFC veteran Vinicius Salvador this weekend in a fight that could further push him onto the UFC’s radar.
6. Valentina Escobar (Women’s Strawweight, Chile, Open Fight): Our second female on the list this week is a woman who fought a competitive bout with the aforementioned Jacinta Austin and NARROWLY lost. That woman is Valentina Escobar, an intriguing striker and grappler from Chile whose stock actually went up in that loss and put her further on scout’s radars. She has an aggressive style, including with her striking and wrestling that is meant to make her opponent stay on their back foot. This weekend, she takes on Sthefanie Oliveira as she continues to rebuild since the Austin loss.
7. Lajuan Davis (Middleweight, United States, Peak Fighting): Heading over to the Peak Fighting promotion, Jackson-Winklejohn rep Lajuan Davis is going to main event that card and continue to show he’s a top American middleweight prospect. Davis has a strong jiu-jitsu background, though his hands have been the cause of a good portion of his MMA fights. His lone loss came to UFC fighter Ryan Loder, and this weekend, he takes on another UFC vet in Markus Perez, which could be an audition for the Contender Series later this year.
8. Albert Tadevosyan (Welterweight, Armenia/United States, UNF): Getting toward the older end of prospect status at 33 years old, Armenian-American Albert Tadevosyan had a late-notice UFC opportunity slip through his fingers last year, so he will continue to get another shot since that fell through. He’s riding a seven-fight win streak, using a solid boxing ability and strong grappling to score finishes in most of those fights. He’s a multi-regional promotional champion, which should attract the UFC in addition to his finishing rate. This weekend, he fights veteran journeyman Tommy Aaron, which would be another solid name on his win resume.
9. Christian Turner (Welterweight, United States, APFC): Currently surging up the prospect rankings with a seven-fight win streak, Christian Turner has turned a couple of early career losses that sent him back to the drawing board into a surging welterweight prospect in a crowded division. He’s a long, rangy fighter with solid striking. His counter-wrestling has been tested before, which he continues to work on. He’s just 24 and rapidly improving, so it’ll be interesting to see where he lands in a few years. This weekend, he meets Jalin Fuller, an experienced vet that will be another nice challenge for Turner.
10. Gabrielle McComb (Women’s Flyweight, United States, UWC): We end the weekend in Mexico with Gabrielle McComb, an experienced and accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist that is a menace on the mat. Her game plan is simple and not shocking whatsoever…get the takedown and dominate on the mat en route to a submission. She has done that in both of her pro MMA fights. She takes on Jessica Solis this weekend, who should be completely outmatched by McComb.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Sean Mora had his fight with CFFC cancelled and did not compete this past weekend.
2. Christian Natividad scored a unanimous decision victory over Adrian Garcia in the main event of LFA.
3. Amari Sengsavanh took his first loss of his career, falling via decision to Carlos Tardio at LFA.
4. Israel Galvan continued his winning streak at Tuff-n-Uff, scoring a submission over Jose Sandoval.
5. Omiel Brown knocked out Contender Series vet Samuel Silva to keep the Cage Warriors championship belt.
6. Ieuan Davies kept his perfect record intact, scoring a decision victory over Michael Pagani at Cage Warriors.
7. Adrian Bartosinski scored a title defense win over Madars Fleminas at KSW.
8. Sergiusz Zajac suffered a TKO loss to Damian Piwowarczyk at KSW.
9. Ewelina Wozniak loss via submission in a shocking upset to Eva Dourthe at KSW.
10. Anthony Wint made quick work of Jahmal Taum, scoring a TKO in the Fury FC main event.