Best Prospects of the Week (July 3-5)

After a strong weekend of regional MMA, we slow down for the 4th of July weekend in the regional MMA scene. Here are quick notes on ten prospects to look out for this weekend:

1. Gift Walker (Bantamweight, South Africa, EFC): We kick off the weekend in South Africa and the main event of EFC. Faeez Jacobs defends his title against an interesting prospect in Gift Walker. His record is 8-3, but that so-so record is a lot better than it suggests. Walker’s only losses come to top prospects, including now-UFC fighter Abdul Hussein, TUF vet Nkamizulo Zulu and top prospect Muhidin Abubaker. None of those losses should bring shame, as those are all talented fighters. Outside of those fights, Walker has been an absolute terror. Most of his wins come by way of submission, which he wishes to use in this bout to win EFC gold.
2. Jordan Zebo (Welterweight, France, Ares FC): Probably the best prospect of the weekend, French welterweight Jordan Zebo is continuing his reign of dominance with Ares FC when he fights hard-hitting UFC veteran Andre Fialho. Zebo is just 25 years old and a couple years removed from his lone MMA loss to kickboxing stud Cedric Doumbe. Zebo is an athletic striker with big power and excellent technique. He has taken on increasingly tough competition in his most recent fights, showing that he’s about ready to make the major leagues. This weekend, he defends his Ares FC belt for the second time.
3. Jade Jorand (Women’s Strawweight, France, Ares FC): At 5-3 in pro MMA, it’s hard to really call Jade Jorand a “prospect”, but between the slow weekend in MMA and the fact she’s just 25 with a ton of all-around martial arts experience, she’s more than welcome on this list. Jorand has been competing since she was a child, mostly in striking arts such as kickboxing, Muay Thai and karate. She’s a good technical striker with excellent kicking ability and solid hand combos. Her two big losses came as a result of “too much, too soon”, as she fought tough competition right out of the gate of her pro career. She’s basically righted that ship since, as she builds herself up further. She fights Radija Aquino this weekend at Ares FC, a bout that should be favorable for her.
4. Mobido Diakite (Featherweight, France, Ares FC): Our under-the-radar prospect of the week will be 4-0 Mobido Diakite, an intriguing young prospect that has a strong overall skill set. Diakite is a physical fighter with excellent athleticism and explosiveness. He has solid wrestling, as seen in his most recent fight that resulted in a brutal slam knockout. He also has good submission grappling to compliment that. On top of that, he’s not afraid to strike with opponents, though a lot of time it’s used to set up an entry to the ground. He fights fellow 4-0 fighter Zakaria Hamou this weekend in a major battle of French prospects.
5. Vladislav Kovalev (Middleweight, Belarus, RCC): With all the talent that comes out of the Russian regional scene, it’s hard to overlook good prospects such as Belarussian middleweight Vladislav Kovalev. He has quietly worked his way up the ladder, but has done so not only in MMA, but in bare knuckle boxing. He’s an absolute savage that doesn’t mind getting in an absolute dog fight on the feet, but also has a strong submission grappling game on the mat. He’s also tough as nails, making him a tough out. This weekend, he takes on fellow Russian prospect Mikhail Ragozin in the RCC main event.
6. Abdulmalik Mugidinov (Featherweight, Russia, RCC): Staying in the RCC, we look at featherweight Abdulmalik Mugidinov, who looks to add RCC gold to his trophy case. Unlike most Russian MMA fighters who are highly reliant on their wrestling, Mugidinov is a high-level striker with a good deal of kickboxing and Muay Thai experience. He mixes to the legs, body and head well and is very precise with his strikes. He has solid power as well, which allows him to really inflict damage on the feet. This weekend he fights Khabib Bulachov.
7. Yazmin Najera (Women’s Strawweight, Mexico, Budo Sento): Heading over to Mexico, Yazmin Najera will compete for Budo Sento in an attempt to keep her current winning streak alive. Najera does not really stand out in one facet of the game, but does have solid skills on the feet and the mat. Her current five-fight win streak has seen her compete in solid regional orgs against mid-to-low level talent, so a pick up in competition level would aid her in her quest to the big leagues. She takes on her toughest opponent to date since her loss to Valentina Escobar when she takes on Hanami Akita.
8. George Hardwick (Lightweight, England, Cage Warriors): With the weekend being slow on MMA action and the fact I was looking for fighters to highlight, we will go to a prospect who has lost some of his glimmer in George Hardwick. Hardwick, who headlines Cage Warriors this weekend, is never in a boring fight as he doesn’t know how to back up and he engages from bell to bell. Perhaps his time to go to the UFC has passed, given he’s 2-3 in his last five, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a guy to watch. He is a volume striker with good hands and great physical toughness. He fights Gavin Hughes this weekend in a big clash of experienced English lightweights.
9. Nell Ariano (Light Heavyweight, France, Cage Warriors): The light heavyweight division is always in need of talent, as the depth of the talent pool is just not very deep. An interesting prospect to watch out for is Nell Ariano, a long, 6’4″ fighter who uses his size and reach well on the feet. He’s a very strong kickboxer that has knockout power and excellent technique, which allows him to use his movement and size to be effective on the feet. As a pro, he’s undefeated, with four of his five wins coming by way of knockout. He makes his first fight of 2026 this weekend when he takes on Norbert Pietrzak.
10. Kazuki Aimoto (Lightweight, Japan, Deep): Japan has long been home to some very good strikers who are masters of technique and purveyors of power. Kazuki Aimoto epitomizes both technique and raw power. Most of his wins come by first-round KO, as he gets to work throwing his power shots early. He’s aggressive and swarms his opponents, not letting them breathe while landing absolute hammers. This weekend he fights Shoma Yamada.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Kevin Fernandez scored a victory over Kyle Estrada at LFA, his first fight since October of 2024.
2. Eduardo Torres had his main event fight at LFA cancelled when his opponent missed weight.
3. Chris Mecate had his fight at LFA cancelled and did not compete.
4. Marsel Nurlanbek secured a 50-second kneebar win over Azamat Tuzelov at the Octagon promotion in Kazakhstan.
5. Nik Bagley scored a rear-naked choke victory in the main event of the Cage Warriors event over Aiden Lee.
6. Abraham Bably took a step up in competition with the biggest fight of his career at PFL San Diego, but was unfortunately TKO’d by UFC vet Rob Wilkinson.
7. Khasan Magomedsharipov choked out Contender Series vet Joshua Weems at PFL San Diego.
8. Shannon Clark scored an impressive TKO win over veteran Ilara Joanne at PFL San Diego.
9. Cameron Sandoval stayed undefeated with a rear-naked choke of Bobby Seronio III at A1 Combat.
10. An Tuan Ho scored a unanimous decision victory over Namiki Kawahara at A1 Combat.