Best Prospects of Week (6/26-6/28)

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

1. Eduardo Torres (Bantamweight, Peru, LFA): Headlining the LFA card this weekend is Contender Series vet Eduardo Torres, a fantastic striker with a wide range of techniques. He has many highlight reel finishes on the feet, which is why he has stayed in high regard to MMA scouts. He’s very good in the clinch as well, as he has nasty knees and elbows. He looks to get another highlight reel win against a guy who will try to wrestle him in Aziz Osorbek.
2. Chris Mecate (Featherweight, United States, LFA): Coming off a doctor stoppage loss in his most recent bout, Chris Mecate looks to get back into the win column to show he’s still a top featherweight prospect in the sport. At 33 years old, he’s not getting any younger, so the time is now to make the major leagues. He’s a wrestling-grappling heavy fighter that uses a solid ground-and-pound game in unison with his submission skills. Previous to his most recent loss, he had beaten now-UFC fighter Javier Reyes, so he’s obviously a UFC-caliber fighter. He takes on 10-1 Pepe Torres at LFA this weekend.
3. Kevin Fernandez (Flyweight, United States, LFA): The last LFA fighter to watch is unheralded flyweight Kevin Feranadez, a fighter I would love to see get more active. He’s not fought since 2024, which is a shame because he looked prime to make the UFC by now. I know it’s been hard to find fights for him, as he’s very well-rounded and tough as nails. He takes that rounded skillset into the LFA cage this weekend against 23-fight vet Kyle Estrada.
4. Cameron Sandoval (Bantamweight, United States, A1 Combat): A1 Combat Bantamweight Champion Cameron Sandoval will be in action this week, looking to keep his undefeated record intact. Sandoval is a very good submission grappler that has won most of his amateur and pro fights via tapout. To this point, most of his fights have been against lower-level regional competition, so a step up in competition would definitely help gauge his current talent level better. He defends his A1 title this weekend against Bellator vet Bobby Senorio III, which is the step up we want to see Sandoval take.
5. An Tuan Ho (Flyweight, Vietnam/United States, A1 Combat): A prospect familiar to many UFC fans is An Tuan Ho, a multiple-time Contender Series vet that has had to go back to the drawing board and build himself back up. Those Contender Series losses came in 2024 to Lone’er Kavanaugh and 2025 to Eduardo Henrique, showing Ho did not have easy tasks on that show. Ho is a spectacular striker with outstanding power and technique in unison. His kicks are nasty, accumulating damage quickly. He also has dynamite in his hands, which can put away an opponent with one touch. He looks to get back into the win column for the first time since that 2025 Contender Series loss when he takes on Namiki Kawahara.
6. Nik Bagley (Featherweight, England, Cage Warriors): Ukrainian-Brit Nik Bagley has quickly ascended up the Cage Warriors ladder and is now their featherweight champion, which is usually a precursor to getting signed to the UFC. Bagley is a physically dominant fighter with excellent wrestling and grappling skills. He used those skills to win the Cage Warriors title over fellow prospect Solomon Simon and will look to continue to do that against Aiden Lee.
7. Khasan Magomedsharipov (Featherweight, Russia, PFL): If not for his last four fights falling through, perhaps Khasan Magomedsharipov would be challenging for a PFL title. However, his inactivity has hurt his stock even if he is undefeated at 10-0. He’s like many of his countrymen in that he’s an aggressive striker that uses his hands to set up his outstanding wrestling and submission grappling. He meets Contender Series veteran Joshua Weems in his first PFL fight, as the rest of his bouts were under the Bellator banner.
8. Abraham Bably (Heavyweight, England, PFL): One of the few heavyweight prospects the PFL has is Abraham Bably, a homegrown talent that is one of the few that didn’t come from the UFC or the original Bellator. He’s a guy that loves throwing bombs on the feet and has big-time power when he lands on his opponent’s chin. He also has a solid top game on the mat, though he’s counter-wrestling has been tested before in his losses. His two pro losses came when he went against guys that wanted to wrestle him. This weekend, he takes on UFC veteran Rob Wilkinson in another high-stakes bout.
9. Shannon Clark (Women’s Flyweight, Canada, PFL): Shannon Clark is most known for her Contender Series loss a couple years ago, which isn’t fair seeing it’s the lone blemish on her record. That said, she’s been fairly dominant in her pro career. She’s a grinder with solid wrestling and control time in the cage. She enters the PFL on a two-fight win streak over Cheyanne Bowers, who she won the LFA title off of, and Beatriz Consuli, a top prospect in the division. She makes her LFA debut this weekend against Ilara Joanne, a veteran of the promotion.
10. Marsel Nurlanbek (Welterweight, Kyrgyzstan, Octagon): We end this week’s list with our under-the-radar prospect of the week, Marsel Nurlanbek. Nurlanbek is a very busy fighter, even if it is more than just MMA. He has pro boxing, grappling and bare-knuckle experience, which keeps him as busy as he is in combat sports. It means as experienced as he is at 14-0, he’s even more experienced than his record suggests. He is very well-rounded and a guy that is hard to believe is not on more scout’s prospect lists. He takes on 30-plus fight vet Bobur Abdulazimov this weekend.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Anton Vyagizin made Mukhamed Vakhaev quit in between rounds, which secured him the win at ACA 204.
2. Ruslan Shamilov scored a TKO win over Dmitriy Arishev at ACA 204.
3. Sulim Batalov crushed Leonardo Silva with a huge one-punch knockout at ACA 204.
4. Hunter Lee needed just 12 seconds to dispatch of Jeffrey Craig via knockout at CFFC.
5. Alina Dalaslan scored a doctor stoppage win over Djulia Ariana at Oktagon.
6. Matej Penaz kept his winning streak intact at Oktagon, scoring a TKO win over Alan Silva.
7. Arkadiusz Wrzosek was choked out by Stefan Wojcak at KSW.
8. Adam Masaev scored another impressive submission victory at KSW, this time over Konrad Rusinski.
9. Ieuan Davies manhandled Omiel Brown with a nasty rear-naked choke in the main event of Cage Warriors.
10. George Staines notched another highlight reel via standing rear-naked choke over Conor McCarthy at Cage Warriors.