Best Prospects of the Week (July 24-26)

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

1. Asaf Chopurov (Bantamweight, Azerbaijan, UAE Warriors): Kicking things off will be probably the best prospect outside the UFC in Asaf Chopurov. How he’s not on the UFC roster right now is shocking, especially considering they were just in Azerbaijan. There’s also been openings on their Middle East cards. Regardless, Chopurov is immensely well-rounded having a good striking ability and nasty submission wrestling. He has beat a number of veterans and experienced fighters in the regional circuit, showing that Chopurov is ready for the big time. This weekend, he defends his UAE Warriors belt against veteran Reece McLaren.
2. Shamidkhan Magomedov (Welterweight, Russia, UAE Warriors): TUF veteran Shamidkhan Magomedov continues to be one of the best prospects at 170 pounds, even if he failed in his bid to win the UFC contract on TUF. Magomedov has the benefit of being both a good striker and wrestler, which is why he’s been dominant in his fights. He has a high finish rate on top of that, as well as the fact that he’s beat some very credible opponents. The former LFA Champion takes on another respected veteran in Sergey Morozov this weekend at UAE Warriors.
3. Pavel Andrusca (Bantamweight, Moldova, UAE Warriors): Next up on the UAE Warriors card is Moldovan Pavel Andrusca, a highly underrated European prospect that is climbing the ladder quickly with each fight. Just 24 years old, Andrusca has been highly impressive with his power game, including his ability to end the fight in one punch or destroy guys on the mat with his wrestling. He came into UAE Warriors as the Vendetta Fight Nights Champion and is coming off a win over Road to UFC vet Daermisi Zhawupasi in his UAE Warriors debut. He takes on 15-fight Chinese vet Ge Xipengchu this weekend in another pivotal bout for the Moldovan.
4. Oceane Samson (Women’s Strawweight, France, UAE Warriors): The last UAE Warriors fighter we will examine is undefeated female Oceane Samson, a decorated amateur who has been impressive thus far as a pro. Samson is just 3-0 as a pro, but is immensely experienced due to her long amateur career, so she shouldn’t be treated as a rookie. She has a suffocating, deadly ground game where she combines ground-and-pound and submission skills to score finishes as a high rate. She’s yet to take on a high-level opponent as a pro, but she gets a chance this weekend to take on a fellow undefeated 3-0 fighter in Elene Loladze in a high-stakes prospect bout.
5. Macksom Lee (Bantamweight, Brazil, LFA): Heading over to the LFA, we take a look at main event fighter Macksom Lee, a Contender Series veteran who is looking to get back into the forefront of UFC scouts. Lee was dominated by Hecher Sosa on the Contender Series, but that should not be seen too negatively, as Sosa is a stud prospect that looks like he could be a contender on the UFC roster in the near future. Lee is extremely tall and long for the weight class, which gives him a distance advantage. He uses that on the feet, where he lands powerfully at the end of his strikes. He also has a good submission arsenal, rounding out his game. He headlines LFA opposite Carlos Tardio this weekend.
6. James Martin (Welterweight, United States, LFA): Welterweight is a shark tank of talent for prospects and veterans alike, so it’s easy for talented guys to go unnoticed. One of those fighters is undefeated American James Martin. Martin is 5-0 and has won every fight by finish, with four of those coming in the first round. He is mostly known for his submission wrestling, though he does have solid striking as well…we just don’t see it as much. He takes on Contender Series vet Joey Hart this weekend at the LFA card.
7. Ezayah Gomez (Heavyweight, United States, LFA): Our under-the-radar prospect of the week is Ezayah Gomez, who takes this spot on the list after RJ Harris accepted a late-notice UFC bout. Gomez has a wrestling background and is a solid-sized heavyweight at 6’1″, 250 pounds. He’s only 25 years old, but is 3-0 as a pro and undefeated as an amateur. He takes on another lesser-experienced-but-undefeated heavyweight prospect in Luther Egerson in an intriguing bout that could provide a young heavyweight for pro scouts to focus on.
8. Tiago Pereira (Bantamweight, Brazil, Jungle Fight): One of the top bantamweight prospects will be in action in Tiago Pereira, an undefeated Brazilian who I figured would be on the Contender Series this year. He is a physical specimen at 135 pounds and uses that brute force in his striking with his big one-punch power, as well as his grappling where he can dominate. The Jungle Fight Bantamweight Champion looks to defend his belt for the fourth time this weekend against undefeated Jonathan Frazao.
9. Ernesto Rodriguez (Welterweight, Cuba/United States, PFL): The Cuba-to-United States pipeline for combat athletes has been coming on stronger lately, with one of the best leading the way being Ernesto Rodriguez. Rodriguez has a fantastic wrestling acumen and rounds it off with skilled striking, which is why he’s such a dangerous adversary. He has looked sharp recently, which means he could be hitting his prime, which is why PFL may be putting him in such a high-profile bout. He has the hardest fight of his life when he takes on Russian stud Magomed Umalatov.
10. Rasul Magomedov (Light Heavyweight, Russia, PFL): The PFL has been inking some of the top Russian prospects that the UFC has been taking a pass on (for some reason), with one being light heavyweight Rasul Magomedov. A decorated amateur, Magomedov has not lost as a pro or ammy, showing dominance in most of those bouts. He has good striking fundamentals and a strong submission wrestling game, which combine to make him a tough out in the cage. He looks to continue his undefeated ways this weekend when he takes on wrestling standout Sullivan Cauley.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Muslim Magomedov stayed undefeated and kept his ACA title with a split decision win over fellow top 205-pound prospect Elmar Gasanov.
2. Salamu Abdurakhimov added a knockout win over Caio Bittencourt to his resume at ACA this weekend.
3. Mehdi Baidulaev scored a nasty standing face crank submission win over Gadzhimurad Aliev at ACA.
4. Sanzhar Zakirov took his first career loss via decision to Ruslan Satiev at ONE Championship.
5. Karshyga Dautbek continued his campaign of destruction over in Rizin, scoring another knockout win, this time over Kyohei Hagiwara.
6. Andrew Valdina scored a unanimous decision victory over Jordi Maya at Cage Titans.
7. Lewis McGrillen took a loss to late replacement Rafael do Nascimento at PFL.
8. Aleksandra Savicheva scored another win over Andrea Vazquez at the PFL card.
9. Luciano Pereira had his fight at the PFL get cancelled.
10. Alivia Bierley scored another win at Fury FC, this time over Nikola Kacperska before calling out Bella Mir for this year’s Contender Series.