Best Prospects of Week (6/19-6/21)

After a slower weekend of regional MMA, we have a bit of a pick-up in pace this weekend in the regional MMA scene. Here are quick notes on ten prospects to look out for this weekend:

1. Anton Vyazigin (Heavyweight, Russia, ACA): We kick off the weekend in Russia with ACA, which will host a bevy of prospects. The first we will look at is Anton Vyazigin, a 6’5″ heavyweight with a good mix of kickboxing and offensive wrestling. He’s hit some speedbumps lately, losing three of his last five. However, two of those were against Evgeniy Goncharov, with one of those bouts for the ACA Heavyweight Championship. The other was to top Russian prospect Zumso Zuraev, showing that Vyazigin has not been taking easy fights. He has another very difficult fight against former ACA Champion Mukhamed Vakhaev this weekend.
2. Sulim Batalov (Light Heavyweight, Russia, ACA): The next ACA fighter we will look at is Sulim Batalov, a top light heavyweight prospect in a division that is always in need of talent. While he did lose two fights ago, Batalov has been impressive beyond that loss, showcasing some really brutal stopping power with his hands. He has a solid wrestling game that he combines with his nasty power striking. He takes on veteran Brazilian fighter Leonardo Silva, another strong test for Batalov.
3. Ruslan Shamilov (Welterweight, Russia, ACA): The last ACA fighter we will take a look at is Ruslan Shamilov, a physical specimen with a nasty submission wrestling game. He has a nasty choking game, as when he grabs his opponent’s neck, he tends to get the finish quickly and brutally. He has 14 finishes to his name, including eight knockouts, many of which are his strong ground-and-pound. He fights another Russian veteran in Dmitriy Aryshev this weekend in another important bout for Shamilov.
4. Hunter Lee (Middleweight, Canada, CFFC): It’s harder to find top Canadian prospects these days, as it seems they’ve had a bit of a backslide in terms of MMA talent. One of the guys to watch appears to be Hunter Lee, a wrestler by trade who made waves with a recent Twister victory over 50-plus fight vet Ricardo Chavez. Lee’s game plan is simple: get the fight down. Once he does, he overwhelms his opponents with his suffocating top control. He uses ground strikes and submission attempts to look for the finish. This weekend, he fights Jeffrey Craig under the CFFC banner.
5. Arkadiusz Wrzosek (Heavyweight, Poland, KSW): There was a great influx of Glory Kickboxers that left that world and came over to MMA. One of the best to do so is Arkadiusz Wrzosek, a heavy-hitting striker that is a treat to watch on the feet. Wrzosek has great classical kickboxing techniques that he combines with a strong Muay Thai style. He’s dangerous from distance or in close, he has does have a solid clinch and brutal knee strikes. Aside from his KSW title loss to Phil de Fries, Wrzosek has dominated his opponents, with most of his wins coming by first-round knockout. He fights Stefan Vojcak this weekend at KSW.
6. Adam Masaev (Lightweight, Russia/France, KSW): Also on the KSW card is Adam Masaev, a 10-0 fighter that somehow is flying under the radar. Masaev has been incredibly dominant since making his pro debut, finishing all but one of his opponents. He’s a submission wrestler with a wide variety of techniques, winning bouts with submissions such as the Buggy Choke, Ninja Choke and Triangle Choke. He makes his sophomore effort with KSW when he fights Konrad Rusinski this weekend.
7. Ieuan Davies (Lightweight, Wales, Cage Warriors): One of two Cage Warriors prospects we will look at on this list, Ieuan Davies is one of the best prospects coming from the UK right now. Davies is a gifted submission grappler that does a good job of getting the fight down quickly and getting to work. He has continually taken on tougher and tougher competition as he’s taken more fights, which is great experience for him and continues to showcase his immense talent. He headlines the Cage Warriors card this weekend against fellow prospect Omiel Brown.
8. George Staines (Lightweight, England, Cage Warriors): The other top UK prospect that ironically competes on the same Cage Warriors card is George Staines. Staines may be the more exciting prospect of the two between himself and Davies. He has a very strong kickboxing background and it’s a big part of his game in the cage. He throws crisp, powerful combos that land with great damage each time. He does have a solid submission game as well, so he’s not one-dimensional. He does tend to run more decisions than is optimal for getting signed to the UFC, so that’ll need to be a focus going forward. Staines fights Conor McCarthy this weekend.
9. Matej Penaz (Middleweight, Czech Republic, Oktagon): Over at Oktagon in Europe, Contender Series veteran Matej Penaz looks to continue building his resume as one of the top middleweight prospects in the world. A Glory Kickboxing veteran and Muay Thai stylist, Penaz is a terror on the feet who has finished all but one of his opponents by way of knockout. He mixes up his strikes very well, attacking the head, body and legs in unison, which really piles on the damage to his opponents. He has an incredibly nasty jab which sets the tone on the feet, but also does a great job digging to the body. This weekend, he takes on 34-fight veteran Alan Silva in looking to push his win streak to five.
10. Alina Dalaslan (Women’s Bantamweight, Germany, Oktagon): We end this week’s list with the lone female of the weekend in undefeated Alina Dalaslan. A student of UFC vet Peter Sobotta, Dalaslan is an impressive striker who combines stopping power and a full arsenal of striking techniques. Four of her five wins as a pro are by knockout and her lone decision win came over TUF veteran Katharina Lehner. She’s one of the few women’s bantamweight prospects that appears to be UFC ready. She takes on Djulia Ariana at Oktagon this weekend.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Shukurjon Abdurakhimov secured the ATF Championship with some nasty low kicks and follow-up punches of opponent Zhasulan Khassimov.
2. Norbert Novenyi Jr had his main event fight at Hexagone vs. Matthieu Duclos cancelled the week of the fight.
3. Paul Denis Navero slid into the Hexagone main event, but was absolutely decimated by Anzor Baybatyrov.
4. Mathilde Aschenbrenner did not fight at Hexagone, as her opponent, Noelle Grandjean, was not medically cleared to fight.
5. Kim Tran kept her undefeated record intact, destroying Alish Smith via brutal TKO at Eternal MMA in Australia.
6. Azamat Nuftillaev made opponent Aybek Ermetov quit in their Octagon bout, officially winning by TKO.
7. Omar Tugarev blasted through UFC veteran Alex Oliveira at the Beatz Fight Night card.
8. Patrick Ocheme scored one for the highlight reel, destroying Ayinda Octave via flying knee at the PFL Africa card.
9. Karim Henniene also hit the highlight reel with an anaconda choke of Thimna Mhlauli at PFL Africa.
10. Elisandra Ferreira scored another submission win via armbar over Juliet Ukah at PFL Africa.