Best Prospects of the Week (Sept 4-6)

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

1. Adam Darby (Welterweight, Ireland, DWCS): Headlining the Contender Series this week will be Irish welterweight Adam Darby, a prospect I am not super high on but am intrigued nonetheless. Darby has made a name for himself in the Cage Warriors promotion where he’s wreaked havoc with a solid kickboxing game and an impressive submission arsenal. While his competition level has not been the highest, which limits where we can place his ceiling, he has shown a well-roundedness and obviously, the UFC would love to get more Irish fighters on their roster. Darby will take on 34-year-old journeyman Patrick Rivera in the main offering in an attempt to score that contract.
2. Modestino Rodrigues (Middleweight, Brazil, DWCS): If you are looking for a high-level kickboxer to grace your television Tuesday, Modestino Rodrigues is your guy. Rodrigues is a tall, rangy fighter with K-1 World Grand Prix experience. That is proven in the cage, as he has excellent technical striking and the ability to knock you out. Like Darby, he hasn’t fought the highest competition level, and what concerns me is that he did lose to an 0-2 fighter back in 2024 by way of TKO. He’s recovered since then, and the best thing he has going for him is Dana White loves fighters like him. He faces Contender Series vet Brandon Holmes with a UFC contract up for grabs.
3. Liam McCracken (Lightweight, England, DWCS): The next Contender Series fighter we will look at is unheralded English fighter Liam McCracken. The 25-year-old is like many English prospects in that he has really good hands and a solid submission grappling game. He’s a guy that likes to get in there and look for the early stoppage, as a good portion of his wins have come by way of knockout. While he did step up in his most recent bout, like the other two we’ve talked about earlier, most of his competition has been so-so. He will get a matchup against a fellow scrapper in Silvestre Sanchez here in what should be a dog fight.
4. Charlie Cleveland (Heavyweight, United States, DWCS): Heavyweight is often a wasteland for talent, seeing as the biggest, most athletic guys go to sports like football. Charlie Cleveland has mastered both, moving from the gridiron to the cage and looks to be an intriguing heavyweight that could make an impact. Cleveland is going to be a superior athlete to most guys he steps in the cage with. He has good speed and quickness for a heavyweight and it makes him very difficult to deal with. On top of that, he’s immensely strong and has brutal knockout power in his striking, which has led to most of his wins. He will fight another guy who will likely strike with him in Gabriel Lourenco.
5. Michael Dufort (Lightweight, Canada, Samourai MMA): Moving up north to Canada, Samourai MMA has consistently put out a great product and one of the key pieces at the top of their cards has been PFL veteran Michael Dufort. Dufort has a wealth of experience, and unlike the Contender Series guys we highlighted this week, his is against some real world-class talent. He is currently riding a four-fight win streak, which includes winning the Samourai MMA belt and defending it three times. He uses solid striking to score points, but he also uses it to set up his nasty ground game. He takes on a Canadian prospect in Antoine Chaput in the main event in an attempt to defend his belt for the fourth time.
6. Mehdi Zeidvand (Featherweight, Canada, Samourai MMA): The other Samourai MMA fighter to keep an eye on is Tristar MMA’s Mehdi Zeidvand. He’s a typical fighter from that gym in that he’s pretty well-versed in everything. He has solid striking, good takedowns and a controlled, measured approach on the mat. He’s coming off the biggest win of his career over Gustavo Erak, where Zeidvand earned an impressive TKO win. It’s been over a year since his last fight, so hopefully cage rust isn’t a factor, but he will fight Nonato Junior this weekend.
7. Andres Luna Martinetti (Flyweight, Ecuador, Budo Sento Championship): Heading south of the border, we go to Budo Sento Championship in Mexico where Andres Luna Martinetti, the brother UFC fighter Adrian, is set to compete. Luna competed in the 2022 Contender Series, but came up short and has been chasing the UFC since. He’s currently on a five-fight winning streak, including a win in his most recent fight against fellow Contender Series alum Rickson Zenidim. He has a very impressive ground and submission game, but is not afraid to bang it out on the feet. He fights Alexandro Bravo this weekend.
8. Tyler Veal (Welterweight, United States, CFFC): Our under-the-radar prospect of the week will come in form of Tyler Veal, who takes a high-profile with east coast regional staple CFFC. There’s nothing flashy or jump-off-the-page about Veal’s game, but he’s just a guy that takes his lunch pail to work and gets the job done. The knock on him is in his finishing rate as a 6-0 fighter: 6 wins, 6 decisions. That doesn’t bode well for attracting the UFC. However, the APFC veteran did win the AFP Championship in impressive fashion in his last outing, besting 7-1 Alonzo Turner to capture that gold. He has a chance here to add gold to that trophy case this weekend when he fights Egor Kostyuchenko.
9. Sayat Abduali (Lightweight, Kazakhstan, Octagon): Overseas, undefeated Kazakh Sayat Abduali is looking to keep his perfect record intact in another Octagon title fight. Abduali has been nothing short of impressive thus far in his career, showing off a great combination of precise power punching and submission wrestling that have led to his undefeated record. He has a very tough fight against another undefeated fighter in Asadbek Saidov in what will be a magnificent Octagon main event.
10. Qosim Sardarov (Middleweight, Tajikistan, Pancrase): Out last fighter of the week will cap things off on Sunday in Pancrase. That fighter is Qosim Sardarov, a 6-0 prospect that has shown some really good potential. Sardarov has a great submission wrestling game and solid striking which has carried him to dominance in his fights. His keystone win was by Scottish twister over in China, and since then, he has come to Pancrase and dominated. He won the Pancrase Middleweight Championship in his most recent bout and defends it for the first time against Genpei Hayashi.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Bella Mir was upended in a massive upset, falling via decision to Alex Apodaca at the Contender Series.
2. Sean Clancy Jr. dominated Gary Balletto Jr to a bloody TKO win, scoring a UFC contract on the Contender Series.
3. Ronald Humphrey violently choked out a bloodied Alexis Miranda at the Contender Series, scoring a UFC contract.
4. Nick Galanti quickly destroyed Carlos Petruzella with a one-punch knockout at the Contender Series, earning a UFC contract.
5. Anvarbek Daniyalbekov scored yet another win over tough opponent Sergey Martynov at BetCity Fight Nights.
6. Radley da Silva proved yet again to be one of the best prospects in the Canadian regional scene, choking out Lucas Corbage in the BFL main event.
7. George Mangos tapped out Ahejiang Ailinuer to score a spot in the Road to UFC finals vs. Dagisuren Chagnaadorj.
8. Bo Meng took a close split decision over Machi Fukuda, punching her ticket to the Road to UFC finals against Bo Hyun Park.
9. Joseph Larcinese took a TKO loss in the semifinals of the Road to UFC tournament, eating a body kick and punches from Takaya Suzuki.
10. Farida Abdueva fell in the semifinals of the Road to UFC tournament, falling to Bo Hyun Park via unanimous decision.