After a solid weekend of prospect action, we have another decent weekend in the regional MMA scene. Here are quick notes on ten prospects to look out for this weekend:
- Babuli Tsoloev (Welterweight, Russia, BetCity Fight Nights): We kick off the week in Russia with undefeated welterweight Babuli Tsoloev, who is interestingly nicknamed “Granny Hulk.” The grinding wrestler spends most of his fights with a pattern of close the distance, shoot a takedown, get top position, grind, throw ground-and-pound and simultaneously look for submissions. He’s a classic meat-and-potatoes Russian wrestler with nothing flashy about him. He’s recently stepped up his competition level and has been successful, showing he’s a truly solid prospect. He fights Bellator vet and 50+ fight vet Alexander Sarnavskiy.
- Tye Ruotolo (Welterweight, United States, ONE Championship): One of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylists in the world competes this week for ONE gold, although questionably on the undercard of the ONE Friday Fights card against Christian Lee. Ruotolo is only 2-0 in MMA, but he’s a traveled BJJ vet with a number of impressive wins, which is why he’s one of the best around. He has a major challenge here in Lee, who is a good striker and can grapple himself. Will Ruotolo be able to get him down and work his game? If he does, he has a good chance of winning, but if Lee can keep him upright, it could be a long (or short) night for Ruotolo. Luckily, he’s only 23 years old, so his MMA development can take its time given his excellent base.
- Magomed Magomedov (Welterweight, Russia, ONE Championship): Later that night, ONE will have a primetime card which will feature 15-0 Russian Magomed Magomedov, a fighter who steps in on late notice to fight Lucas Gabriel. Magomedov reps the KHK Fight Team in Bahrain, which is sneaky good given the number of brutal Russian fighters it has attracted. He hasn’t fought in over a year, but before his layoff, he was dominating solid fighters using his aggressive style and his standout submission wrestling. His ONE debut will not be easy against Gabriel, but he does seem to have a stylistic advantage even though Gabriel will be the only fighter with a full fight camp.
- Magdalena Czaban (Women’s Strawweight, Poland, ONE Championship): Finishing off the ONE cards we will look at Magdalena Czaban, a fighter who is a natural atomweight that has moved to 115 to fight for ONE. Czaban is a submission grappler who can throw a bit on the feet, but is most comfortable grabbing her opponent, getting her down and working from there. She has good, calculated ground-and-pound that she combines with an aggressive submission hunt. She makes her sophomore effort with ONE when she takes on Vick Souza, a fighter with over double the pro experience.
- Kazuki Aimoto (Lightweight, Japan, Rizin): Just 25 years old, top overall Japanese prospect Kazuki Aimoto is an impressive striker with immense power. Aimoto has blown through the competition in the Deep promotion, catching the eye of Rizin, where he now makes his debut. Eight of his ten wins come by way of knockout, as he has a dangerous kickboxing style. He fights Kaleo Meheula in his Rizin premiere.
- Nurkhan Zhumagazy (Lightweight, Kazakhstan, Rizin): Sticking in Rizin we check out Kazakh fighter Nurkhan Zhumagazy a submission wrestler that has a well-rounded mat game. He has been outwrestled in his only pro loss, but outside of that, he has dominated the mat game in his career. The 25-year-old grappler has good power in his hands as well, though he prefers to grapple. He fights Kyung Pyo Kim in his third Rizin appearance.
- Yrysbek Tilenov (Bantamweight, Kyrgyzstan, Rizin): The last Rizin fighter we feature this week is 22-year-old fighter Yrysbek Tilenov, a Kyrgyz fighter who has a similar style to many of the fighter we have talked about already sych as Zhumagazy, Magomedov and Tsoloev. This will be his sophomore effort with Rizin, taking on UFC veteran Naoki Inoue.
- Max Holzer (Featherweight, Germany, Oktagon): Moving over to Oktagon, one of Europe’s best featherweight prospects will be in action in the form of Germany’s Max Holzer. The 24-year-old powerhouse is a pretty well-rounded fighter with some sneaky good striking, solid wrestling and a strong overall ground game. Ten of his twelves wins come by finish with a nice mix of knockouts and submissions. He’s coming off a win over UFC veteran Khalid Taha, which was the biggest name on his resume. He challenges for the Oktagon Featherweight Championship against Igor Severino in the main event.
- Miljan Zdrakovic (Bantamweight, Serbia, FNC): Our under-the-radar prospect this week will be Serbia’s Miljan Zdrakovic, the 27-year-old FNC Bantamweight Champion. A rounded fighter, his striking is the most impressive to watch. Coming off a win over big-show vet Josh Hill, Zdrakovic is quickly emerging as a European prospect to watch. He fights Joaquin Vargas in the main event of FNC with his bantamweight title on the line.
- Vivian Nepomuceno (Women’s Flyweight, Brazil, Demo Fights): We end the weekend at the Demo Fights card on Sunday in Brazil with undefeated Vivian Nepomuceno. Just 22, Nepomuceno is 5-0 as a pro and has used her impressive Muay Thai skills in the cage to score that perfect record. She mixes his punches and kicks well, while mixing in knees and elbows as well. Her competition level has not been top notch yet, but she’s still young and developing. She takes on 10-fight pro Erika Sousa this weekend with the Demo Fights Flyweight Championship up for grabs.
LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS
- Faridun Odilov scored a win in the ACA main event over Artem Frolov.
- Alikhan Musaev scored a TKO finish over Jahongir Saidjamalov at the ACA event.
- Bakhtovar Yunusov scored the biggest win of his career at ACA, scoring a unanimous decision victory over UFC veteran Saidyokub Kakhramonov.
- Ansar Khamzaev scored a submission in in the LFA main event of Juliano Prescendo, keeping his perfect record intact and making a statement to the UFC that he’s ready.
- Shealor Ladd choked out Contender Series vet Matt Adams at the LFA event.
- Felix Klinkhammer withdrew from his fight at Oktagon and did not compete in their main event.
- Alena Agisheva kept her perfect record in beating Ksenya Rumyantseva at the MFP event.
- Tyrone Pfeifer was upended by Ronald Paradeiser, losing via unanimous decision at the Oktagon event.
- Aboubakar Younousov dominated Tyson Nam to a doctor stoppage at the Ares FC event.
- Renata Mascena dropped a split decision to Fernanda Barbosa at the SFT event.
