After a decent weekend of prospect action, we have a very good weekend in the regional MMA scene. Here are quick notes on ten prospects to look out for this weekend:
- Marsel Nurlanbek (Lightweight, Kyrgyzstan, Octagon): One of the most underrated prospects that doesn’t get enough attention is Marsel Nurlanbek. He is one of the busiest fighters in the sport, as he takes boxing and grappling matches on top of his MMA workload. That is a testimony to his overall skills, as he is a very good striker and a very good submission grappler. As a mixed martial artist, he’s 16-0 and has been dominant in the cage, securing 15 of those wins by knockout or submission. In 2026 alone, he’s 2-0 in boxing, 1-0 in grappling and 2-0 in MMA. He fights Myrzabek Abylai this weekend.
- Natalia Alves (Women’s Strawweight, Brazil, LFA): Fresh off her stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Natalia Alves looks to work her way back into the UFC this weekend in the LFA main event. Alves is a Fighting Nerds disciple who excels in the grappling arts, possessing a great submission arsenal. She is undefeated at 8-0, as the TUF loss to Valesca Machado is technically an exhibition bout. She was outstruck in that fight, as she was unable to get Machado down to grapple her. She will fight fellow prospect Raiane Vinuto this weekend.
- Laura Vasconcelos (Women’s Strawweight, Brazil, LFA): The second prospect on that LFA card we will look at is Laura Vasconcelos, a 5-0 fighter who has quickly moved up the prospect ladder with a couple of major wins in the regional scene. After she won the Jungle Fight Championship with a fifth-round TKO over Faelly Vitoria, she destroyed Laura Fountoura with a first-round head kick in her first title defense. She takes her well-rounded skillset into the LFA for her promotional debut against veteran Taynara Silva this weekend.
- Beatriz Consuli (Women’s Flyweight, Brazil, LFA): Coming off her first career loss, Beatriz Consuli now has to claw back into the win column to show everyone she’s still a top flyweight prospect in the world. That loss to Shannon Clark came against a high-level fighter, so it was the first real chink in the armor we have seen for Consuli. She’s primarily a ground fighter, though she does have improving striking that she has shown of in her most recent outings. In addition to her 6-1 pro record, she had an extensive and impressive amateur career where she was an ammy world champion. This weekend she fights Carol Araujo in her rebound fight.
- Patrick Habirora (Welterweight, Belgium, PFL): Undefeated Belgian Patrick Habirora is clearly a European fighter that the PFL is eager to make in their promotion given how quickly he has earned spots atop their cards. He’s an absolute headhunter, physical specimen and great athlete, which is a combination that has led to a 9-0 record with all but one of those wins coming by knockout. He’s a great kickboxer with a pleasing style to watch, which is why the PFL is trying to work him toward the top of their welterweight division. This weekend, he fights Omar el-Dafrawy.
- Khasan Magomedsharipov (Featherweight, Russia, PFL): The brother of retired UFC fighter Zabit Magomedsharipov, Khasan has been impressive in the cage himself. The relentless submission wrestler has a similar style to Zabit and is well-known for easily scoring takedowns and making quick work of his opponents. His Bellator and PFL tenure has not seen him take on the highest quality of talent, which is shocking given their roster. He gets that desired step up this weekend when he takes on Adam Borics.
- Alexei Pergande (Featherweight, United States, PFL): One of the young guns on the PFL roster, undefeated Alexei Pergande has looked very impressive since coming to the company. He’s a good submission grappler with some underrated striking who is big for the weight class. He’s tall and long, which makes him dangerous from a distance and has long limbs to use for chokes on the mat. He takes another solid step up in competition this weekend when he takes on submission wrestler Akhmed Magomedov.
- Connor Walsh (Flyweight, England, FCC): Our under-the-radar prospect of the week is Connor Walsh, a 7-0 flyweight who is looking to fast track to the major leagues. He’s a solid striker with good technique and power, the latter of which is really good for a 125er. The 23-year-old Englishman is a finisher, putting away five of his seven opponents before the final bell. He has average size but fights good at a distance due to this movement. He defends his FCC title against Doglas Cunha this weekend.
- Nik Bagley (Featherweight, England, Cage Warriors): Ukrainian-Englishman Nik Bagley defends his Cage Warriors belt this weekend, as he’s quickly become a top European prospect on the radar. He won the belt in February by handing Solomon Simon his first career loss. He then defended it by choking out Aiden Lee. He’s proven a good submission wrestler with great physicality and strength. He looks to defend against a UFC veteran this weekend in Bruno Souza.
- Jennah Creason (Women’s Bantamweight, United States, Tachi Palace Fights): We end the weekend with 20-year-old American prospect Jennah Creason, who is just 2-0 as a pro mixed martial artist, but has pro boxing experience and some solid wrestling experience. She’s one of the few true young prospects in the women’s bantamweight division and has looked strong so far. After scoring a sub-two minute knockout in her pro MMA debut, Creason scored an impressive unanimous decision over Claudia Villalobos in her follow up. Those fights were in May and September, so she’s quickly trying to accumulate experience and cage time in a straight run to the UFC. She fights Micaela Rampage this weekend.
LAST WEEK’S PROSPECT RESULTS
- Babuli Tsoloev took his first career loss, falling via knockout to veteran Alexander Sarnavskiy at BetCity Fight Nights.
- Tye Ruotolo submitted Christian Lee to win ONE Championship gold in just his third pro MMA fight.
- Magomed Magomedov took a split decision win over Lucas Gabriel at ONE Championship, a fight he took on late notice.
- Magdalena Czaban stayed undefeated in besting Vick Souza at ONE Championship.
- Max Holzer was quickly knocked out by UFC vet Igor Severino in the main event of Oktagon.
- Miljan Zdrakovic pushed his record to 11-0 with a submission over Joaquin Vargas at FNC.
- Kazuki Aimonto fought to a no contest at Rizin.
- Nurkhan Zhumagazy scored a TKO win over Kyung Pyo Kim at Rizin.
- Yrysbek Tilenov won a decision victory over UFC vet Naoki Inoue at Rizin.
- Vivian Nepomuceno scored a knockout in the Demo Fight main event over Erika Souza.
