Best Prospects of the Week (Sept 11-13)

After a great 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. Arlind Berisha (Light Heavyweight, Norway/Albania, DWCS): We head into the fifth week of the Contender Series and it has some very good prospects, including one of the best ones of the week in Arlind Berisha. Berisha is a first-round finishing machine, seeing finishes at 29 seconds, 31 seconds, 53 seconds, 72 seconds and 4:46. That’s a very impressive clip, as Berisha gets to work, gets aggressive and looks for the knockout or submission. It’s been extremely difficult to find quality opposition for him given his reputation, which is why he appears to be a can crusher. I can squash that notion, as Berisha is legit. The 6’6″ monster light heavyweight will fight fellow undefeated Quentin Pasley on the Contender Series.
2. Martin Kozak (Middleweight, Slovakia, DWCS): Another strong European prospect on the Contender Series this week is Martin Kozak. The Slovakian striker has a boxing background, which can be seen in his movement on the feet and the precision with his hands. He has added some great kicking to his arsenal as well, making him a tough all-around out on the feet. Like Berisha, he has finished every one of his fights, though only half of his are in the first round. He meets late-notice replacement Christian Echols in his bout in what should be a great showcase for the Slovakian.
3. Reginaldo Junior (Welterweight, Brazil, DWCS): The first of two Contender Series Brazilians we will examine is Reginaldo Junior. Junior represents the Fighting Nerds, a reputable gym that has been on a tear in recent years. Junior epitomizes their fight style, having a brutal striking game with stopping power and a strong submission grappling ability. His lone loss comes to TUF vet Richard Martins, but other than that, Junior has been dominant with the LFA and fighting in Brazil. His opponent is another top-notch prospect in Isaac Moreno in a fight at could really go either way.
4. Christian Natividad (Flyweight, United States, DWCS): On late notice, Christian Natividad steps into the Contender Series to fight Colton Loud, as Frank Silva had visa issues that prevented him from competing. Natividad isn’t going to blow anybody away with his style, as he’s a grinder that fights to decision frequently. That said, he’s a physically imposing fighter that doesn’t let his opponents breathe. With an opponent like Loud, he’s going to have to close the distance quickly and keep him from getting into an aggressive rhythm that keeps him on his back foot.
5. Razhabali Shaydullaev (Featherweight, Kyrgyzstan, Rizin): Moving away from the Contender Series we take a look at one of the best prospects outside the UFC in Razhabali Shaydullaev. Shaydullaev is just 25 years old and is 18-0 as a professional. The competition hasn’t even looked in the same league, even when coming to Rizin where he has mowed down the opposition en route to the featherweight championship. He has the biggest fight of his career coming up when he defends his belt for the fourth time against former Bellator Champion AJ McKee Jr.
6. Karshyha Dautbek (Featherweight, Kazakhstan, Rizin): Also on that Rizin card is another high-quality prospect in Karshyga Dautbek. Dautbek is a guy that could be Shaydullaev’s future should he win another bout or two. He has similarly been dominant in Japan, blowing through the competition with his devastating striking. His style is such a good matchup with Shaydullaev that I think that would be the best prospect fight anyone could make in many years. He takes on Ren Hiramoto this weekend.
7. Rafael Pereira (Bantamweight, Brazil, LFA): Moving over to the LFA, two of the best lighter weight prospects will be competing, with the first being Rafael Pereira. A student of Cristiano Marcello, Pereira has taken to his coach and added some great submission grappling to go with his nasty Muay Thai skills. Pereira has some great kicking abilities that he mixes with powerful punching. He’s been on a tear lately beating some stiff competition, including Lionel Abojer in his most recent outing. He has a massive matchup here in the main event when he takes on fellow top prospect Vinicius Pires.
8. Giovanni Garcia (Bantamweight, Brazil, LFA): The other top Brazilian prospect set to compete at LFA is Giovanni Garcia. Garcia is undefeated and only 23 years old, which makes him a true blue-chip prospect. He has a strong ground game which combines excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu that he mixes with ground striking. If he’s able to get his opponent to the ground, Garcia can generally make it a short night. He also has solidly developing striking, so he’s not afraid to get down on the feet. He takes on Igor Taylon this weekend.
9. Thalyta Silva (Women’s Bantamweight, Brazil, LFA): Our under-the-radar prospect of the week is Brazilian Thalyta Silva, another Fighting Nerds rep who has taken the pro ranks by storm. Silva is a highly ranked Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist that has grappled at the highest levels with great success. She’s been a world champion, which is the basis of her pedigree. She has one fight in 2017 and didn’t return to MMA until last year, where she’s gone 3-0 since. She has the toughest fight of her career next against Monica Fontes.
10. Dani Barbir (Middleweight, Croatia, FNC): The last prospect we will look at is Contender Series vet Dani Barbir. Barbir is a good-sized middleweight with length and power. While he was downed in brutal fashion in last year’s Contender Series by Mantas Kondratavicius, Barbir stormed back in his follow-up fight this year by submitting respected European Aleksander Ilic. That was a massive win that reminded the fans that Barbir is still a strong prospect to keep tabs on. He has power on the feet and a strong submission arsenal to back. He takes on another European veteran with name recognition in Piotr Strus this weekend.

LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS

1. Adam Darby dominated Patrick Rivera, scoring a doctor stoppage win at Dana White’s Contender Series.
2. Modestino Rodrigues mowed down Brandon Holmes quickly, earning a UFC contract at Dana White’s Contender Series.
3. Liam McCracken was dominated by Silvestre Sanchez, eventually falling by knockout at Dana White’s Contender Series.
4. Charlie Cleveland was brutally knocked out by Gabriel Lourenco at Dana White’s Contender Series.
5. Michael Dufort used a rarely seen hammerlock to submit Antoine Chaput in the main event of Samourai MMA.
6. Mehdi Zeidvand took a fight at lightweight and scored a knockout over Nonato Junior at Samourai MMA.
7. Andres Luna Martinetti scored a submission win at Budo Sento over Alexandro Bravo.
8. Tyler Veal came up short in the CFFC main event, losing via unanimous decision to Egor Kostyuchenko.
9. Sayat Abduali choked Asadbek Saidov to sleep in the Octagon main event to stay undefeated.
10. Qosim Sardarov scored a TKO in the Pancrase main event.