Best Prospects of Week (6/5-6/7)

After a high-quality weekend of regional MMA, we continue with another busy weekend in the regional MMA scene. Here are quick notes on ten prospects to look out for this weekend:

1. Smilla Sundell (Women’s Bantamweight, Sweden, Tuff-n-Uff): We kick off the weekend with a Muay Thai superstar in Smilla Sundell. The Swede will be making her second walk to the MMA cage after blasting through Miranda Barber in her pro MMA debut. As a Thai fighter, she was the ONE Championship title holder and bested some really good talent in that sport. This weekend, she has a tough test in Maya Stewart who will be a good indicator of where Sundell’s game is at right now.
2. Alan Martinez (Flyweight, United States, WFC): Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and undefeated MMA fighter Alan Martinez is set to fight this weekend for the first time since February of 2025. Martinez is a tenacious ground fighter with a vast arsenal of submissions and a solid ground-and-pound attack. He has good physical strength to match his technique, making him a real tough out on the mat. His return to the cage comes under the WFC banner against Contender Series veteran Mo Miller.
3. Clayton Pye (Welterweight, Canada, BTC): Heading up to Canada at the BTC event, undefeated welterweight Clayton Pye will fight for a title against Ljae Simminz. Pye is a member of the solid Niagara Top Team and brings with him a solid all-around game. He is a physically strong fighter with great strength and ragdoll ability. He has strong wrestling and has blistering stopping power in his hands. He has yet to really step up in competition, but Pye is a very intriguing prospect in a country that the UFC is looking for talent.
4. Khotam Boynazarov (Welterweight, Uzbekistan, Mangu PL): A top prospect in the welterweight division, Uzbek fighter Khotam Boynazarov has been dominant as a pro, which is a symbol of the prospects coming out of Central Asia. Boynazarov is a suffocating wrestler with excellent submission grappling skills. He’s undefeated at 13-0 and has rareley looked in trouble in his fights. He also effectively uses ground-and-pound to both get finishes and open up submission opportunities. This weekend, he fights Rangel da Sa in the main event at Mangu Professional League.
5. Pavel Dailidko (Heavyweight, Lithuania, Brave CF): The oldest prospect featured this week and hitting the prospect cut-off age of 35, Pavel Dailidko is a heavy-hitting big man and current Brave CF Heavyweight Champion. Dailidko is a nasty boxer and overall striker with immense physical strength. The 6’4″ powerhouse hunts for the knockout early and often, with all eleven of his wins coming by knockout and many of those coming in the first round. He has a tough title defense here against fellow undefeated prospect Miha Frlic, who will give Dailidko all he can handle.
6. Magomed-Giri Umarkhadziev (Lightweight, France, Ares FC): There has been an influx of Russo-French fighters that have come out of France in recent years and they have proven to be some really tough prospects. The undefeated Magomed-Giri Umarkhadziev is just another that has come out of the Ares FC and looks to have a bright future. Umarkhadziev is a flashy striker with some highlight-reel knockouts by flying knee and spinning wheel kick. However, it’s not just his striking that is to be feared. He has a strong wrestling game and good submissions on top of that. He fights for the Ares FC lightweight belt this weekend against fellow undefeated Walid Masmoudi.
7. Alvi Dasuyev (Welterweight, Belgium, Ares FC): Speaking of ethnically Russian fighters who transplanted to Western Europe, Belgian welterweight Alvi Dasuyev will compete for the Ares FC Welterweight Championship against Mohamed Soumah. Dasuyev is similar to the previously profiled Umarkhadziev in that he’s a good, flashy striker known for flying knee knockouts, wild power, solid wrestling and submission skills. He’s a really good talent that will attract a lot of attention going forward.
8. Nikola Gradinac (Middleweight, Serbia, ARMMADA): Serbia has been underrated in terms of talent production in the recent years, and one of their prospects who has been turning heads is Nikola Gradinac. The nasty striker has crazy power in his hands and has blasted through all five of his opponents by brutal knockout. All but one of those knockouts came in the first round. Gradinac looks to continue his path of destruction at ARMMADA when he takes on journeyman Taffarel Brasil.
9. Abdelrahman Essam (Featherweight, Canada, FLA): A disciple of UFC veteran Gavin Tucker, Abdelrahman Essam has quietly become a strong prospect coming out of Canada. The primary grappler is known for his takedowns and his tenacious top game, as most of his wins come by way of ground-and-pound and submissions. He has added some decent striking on the feet as well, though his best bet comes on the ground. He main events the FLA card opposite Allan Ruiz this weekend.
10. Hannah Taylor (Women’s Flyweight, Canada, FLA): We finish with our under-the-radar prospect of the week in Canada’s Hannah Taylor, who has just one pro fight to her name. The 28-year-old is a high-level amateur wrestler with high accolades, scoring medals in both the Pan-Am and Commonwealth Games. She has now taken to MMA where she’s 1-0, with that pro win coming in March. She’s going to continue her development fighting as a pro, which can be advantageous but could also prove challenging. She fights at the FLA card this weekend against pro debutant Maria Eduarda.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. George Mangos scored a huge knockout win in the Road to UFC featherweight tournament over Yuito Yanagawa.
2. Kasib Murdoch took a submission win over Yonosuke Manami in the Road to UFC bantamweight tournament.
3. Joseph Larcinese had a nail biter split decision over Ryoga Arimoto in the Road to UFC flyweight tournament.
4. Arisa Matsuda had the toughest matchup in the women’s strawweight Road to UFC tournament and came up short against former ONE title challenger Bo Meng.
5. Farida Abdueva took a knockout victory over Xiaocan Feng that was originally ruled a no contest in the Road to UFC strawweight tournament.
6. Lucas Fernando scored an impressive knockout win in the LFA main event, downing Leon Soares with a low kick and some follow-up punches.
7. Jefferson Nascimento folded Gian Maurante with a nasty body kick TKO to stay undefeated in the LFA.
8. Reginaldo Junior had his fight at LFA cancelled due to sickness.
9. Dias Erengaipov kept his winning streak alive at Brave CF, scoring a decision win over Ismail Khan.
10. Alan Salamov scored another big win under the Fury FC banner, as he scored a TKO over Bellator vet Derek Campos.