With so much MMA going on this week regionally, it’s hard to pinpoint which prospects you should be watching and which show they will be on. Well, have no fear – The Scrap has you covered with a list of the best MMA prospect in each division that you should be keeping a close eye on this week.
Read about the nine hungry, talented and young prospects competing over the next few days…
HEAVYWEIGHT – JESUS NAVARRETE
From Mexico
Standing at 6’2″
25-years-old
7-0
Accolades: UWC heavyweight champion
Fight this week: Budo Sento Championship, Mar. 4th
Navarrete is an underrated heavyweight prospect. Only being in the sport for not even five years, he’s already the reigning, defending UWC heavyweight champion. He’s only 24 as well. There are not very many Mexican heavyweights out there since Cain Velasquez was relevant.
Jesus is a chubbier heavyweight, but is talented enough to watch out for. He’s a technical striker with a good jab and a lot of output. Navarrete will march forward throwing his hands and kicks. He’s got that Mexican toughness marching forward taking shots to give some.
Potential: 68%
LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT – MUSLIM MAGOMEDOV
From Russia
Standing at 6′
27-years-old
10-0
Accolades: ACA light-heavyweight champion, Amateur WMMAA 2018 European Champion
Fight this week: ACA 137, Mar. 6th
Magomedov hasn’t been competing in MMA for too long, but prior to that he had experience in Combat Sambo as well. He also went 5-1 as an amateur. In only his fifth pro fight, he beat former UFC veteran Chris Camozzi. Last year he won the ACA title.
With improved striking, Magomed is an excellent wrestler. His timing on his shots is fine and the way he shoots so low, makes his execution near-perfect. The work he does on top is his best aspect. He has a good top position and his ground and pound is strong, active, and lands hard.
Potential: 75%
MIDDLEWEIGHT – DIEGO BANDU
From South Africa
Standing at 6’3″
26-years-old
2-0
Accolades: N/A
Fight this week: EFC 92, Mar. 5th
Middleweight is running thin this week, but Diego Bandu may be a hidden gem fighting this Saturday. There isn’t a ton of footage out there, and he’s only fought five times between amateur and pro. He has strong forward pressure that uses his long reach well. He uses a lot of good feints and can shut the lights out going forward or backward.
Of all the fighters on this list, Bandu is the one I’m least excited about. That’s just because he lacks tape and experience.
Potential: 47%
WELTERWEIGHT – SERIK RAZGALIEV
From Kazakhstan
Standing at 5’10”
28-years-old
7-1
Accolades: N/A
Fight this week: Naiza FC 37, Mar. 5th
Since taking his sole loss in 2019, Razgaliev hasn’t lost since winning five in a row. In his fight this week, he has his first chance of winning a MMA title. Razgaliev is a better grappler than anything. To complement his ground game, he wrestles very well. Once he gets it to the mat, he’s a proven finisher. Usually, it’s his ground and pound that open up the submission spots.
Razgaliev has finished with kimura’s, RNC’s, and anaconda chokes – so he’s well versed on the mat. Of a few talented welterweights fighting this week, I felt Razgaliev was more well-rounded and has more to offer.
Potential: 80%
LIGHTWEIGHT – LANDON QUINONES
From Sunrise, Florida, USA
Standing at 5’10”
26-years-old
5-1-1
Accolades: N/A
Fight this week: Titan FC 74, Mar. 4th
Quinones hasn’t fought in over two years as he’s been having trouble sticking fights and dealing with injuries. He was even supposed to fight on the Contender Series in 2020, but he was forced to pull out. Quinones is a good striker with a lot of good techniques. He throws a good straight left.
Landon mixes it up well using kicks going to the body and legs well. He’s shown solid takedown defense, which allows him to be more comfortable on the feet. Quinones is slightly underrated and if he can continue to get fights, more will know of him.
Potential: 58%
FEATHERWEIGHT – CONNOR MATTHEWS
From Brockton, Massachusetts, USA
Standing at 5’8″
29-years-old
4-0
Accolades: N/A
Fight this week: CES 66, Mar. 4th
Before fully pursuing MMA, Matthews joined the airforce and was a Combat Controller (USAF CCT). From Massachusetts, Matthews trains under UFC pioneer Joe Lauzon. In his first three pro fights, he finished in under a minute. The longest he’s fought has been a little over two minutes. Matthews doesn’t waste time taking the fight to his opponent. He has knockout power, good wrestling, heavy ground and pound, and a strong submission base.
Matthews still needs to prove a lot, fighting poor competition as his opponents have a combined record of 18-113. With that said, he did fight Jay Ellis who was 15-97. Matthews has a ton of potential and with another win or two, we may see him on the Contender Series next season.
Potential: 55%
BANTAMWEIGHT – JEAN MATSUMOTO
From Brazil
Standing at 5’6″
22-years-old
9-0
Accolades: SFT doubble-champ (bantamweight and flyweight)
Fight this week: FPC 1, Mar. 5th
Matsumoto is one of the brightest prospects out of Brazil and that’s saying something. Fighting previously at flyweight and now at bantamweight, he can make an impact in both divisions. The young man has only been fighting since 2018 and is already a must-sign talent for any big promotion. Matsumoto is primarily a grappler who doesn’t have too much going on the feet but it’s growing.
Jean only has three submissions, but is a big threat in that department, always looking for them. Especially the anaconda choke, which is one of his go-to’s. In short, a good grappler who is still developing.
Potential: 88%
FLYWEIGHT – VICTOR DIAS
From Brazil
Standing at 5’6″
31-years-old
10-2
Accolades: Titan FC Flyweight champ,
Fight this week: Titan FC 74, Mar. 4th
Brazil’s Victor Dias is the reigning Titan FC champion. It took a while before Dias hit his stride, winning by thin margins and losing close decision losses. It’s easy to tell that since training with American Top Team, he’s a more fearsome fighter. Dias is a black belt in BJJ and a national champion as well. His ground game is top-notch and he’s gonna continue to run through his opposition at Titan FC until he gets signed to a big-time promotion.
Potential: 88%
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT – EVELYN MARTINS
From Brazil
Standing at 5’8″
19-years-old
2-0
Accolades: N/A
Fight this week: PFL Challenger Series 3, Mar. 4th
Martins is from Brazil, but lives in Miami, Florida and trains at American Top Team. She grew up doing muay thai before coming over fully to MMA. She is only 2-0, but has beaten decent fighters including Melissa Croden who had some hype behind her. She’s well-rounded being solid on the mat, and her muay thai with those leg kicks on the feet are very well done.
The only problem this week for her is yes she is getting an opportunity for the PFL, but at lightweight where she’s easily a bantamweight. Martins is definitely the most talented among all the women fighting this week, but moving up two weight classes is rough…
Potential: 65%
Who will you be watching this weekend? Let us know in the comment section below!
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What happened to the rest of the women’s divisions?