Prospects to watch this week (Patreon)

Middleweight, Zagid Gaidarov (5-1) - BFC 77
I don't know how I've missed Gaidarov but I'm taking notice now. Gaidarov is billed more of a wrestler but he is well-rounded. On the feet, he has power in both his hands and kicks. He can get a little loose at times using spinning kicks. Gaidarov is best when he can use his wrestling and dominate on top. He's real good at landing big ground and pound to lead to a TKO stoppage or submission. Ever since losing his pro debut, he's won five in a row. He took three years off and has dominated since.

Welterweight, Egor Kostyuchenko (4-0) - XFC
Kostyuchenko is based out of Ukraine but lives in the US and is a main sparring partner for UFC's Sean Brady. Kostyuchenko is a legit wrestler with excellent positional grappling. Although he hasn't fought anyone good you can see the level he fights at. His stand-up is still unknown but the wrestling and ground game look to be top notch. You can see the time spent training with the likes of Sean Brady who is a phenomenal wrestler and grappler.

Featherweight, Kei Maezono (6-0) - DEEP
I usually only scout undefeated prospects from Japan because that area can't be trusted. Maezono has been dominant but there are big concerns. I'm not entirely sure about his cardio and he is one-dimensional. He's aggressive to close the distance and his wrestling has looked strong. He's really good at getting the body lock and planting his foes. Maezono can get those elevated slams and chain together his wrestling on the legs. The jiu-jitsu has checked out but I'm not sold on his decision making. I'm not sold on Maezono but if he can build around his wrestling he'll be a threat.

Lightweight, Salah Eddine Hamli (5-0) - LBS
Hamil is someone I've heard a lot about lately. From watching his fights he's a strong wrestling with a mauling ground game. I don't know about striking but wrestling looks good. More importantly, Hamli is a guy you don't want on top of you. Hamli could turn out to be nothing but has the hype from the people around him including Topuria. I've heard with a win he could get some kind of UFC opportunity.

Light-heavyweight, Julius Walker (3-0) - Synergy FC 13:
With Walker, he is 3-0 as a pro and he went 7-3 as an amateur. He's also come from playing basketball so he's a big guy that's in shape. To top it off he's a primary wrestler which is a tool because most heavyweights can't wrestle. Now, his striking is suspect but his wrestling is solid and so is his GNP and grappling. He's moving down to 205 for this fight which is a much better weightclass for him. Walker is fighting Nyle Bartling who was a top prospect two years ago so this is a big fight for Walker.

Featherweight, Austin Bashi (11-0) - LOC 16:
Bashi has performed near-perfect in his career outside of being a little one-dimensional. His wrestling and ground game as a whole is legit. I did have concerns about him shooting from too far out but his setups and drive rule any concern out. Bashi is extremely aggressive when going for the takedowns pressing the action and not letting up on the pressure. Constand pressure until he can get his hands together to dump his opponent. Once he gets it down his jiu-jitsu is lockdown. It's both lockdown and fluid. Bashi is never complacent in a position always improving position and looking for the finish. He is taking a big risk in this fight as he's moving up to featherweight and already has a fight booked on the Contender Series.

Lightweight, Magomed Kadimagomedov (6-0) - Hexagone 17:
Kadimagomedov on the feet throws a lot of kicks from different angles. He isn't the most technical but does a good job of being unpredictable. I wouldn't rate his striking too high because he needs a lot of sharpening around the edges. Kadimagomedov is at best when working takedowns and controlling on the mat. His wrestling could be better from a technical standpoint. He has a high work rate and his pressure helps him eventually work it to the mat. He shows some technical ability on the mat. Kadimagomedov is a work in progress. He could turn out to be really good.

Middleweight, Dani Barbir (6-0) - FNC 17:
Barbir is a quality fighter but has suffered from inactivity only fighting twice in three years. On the feet, he looks good. He has good footwork, good kickboxing, quick hand speed, and a fire one-two he throws. Babir is athletic and explosive, as he has shown so far in his career. He hasn’t really displayed too much on that wrestling side, but his grappling is good, especially in scrambles. Still very green but I have a hunch he’s going to be a good one, especially at middleweight.

Lightweight, Marko Bojković (5-0) - FCR 17:
Bojković is someone who's popped on a lot of people's radar recently. The only concern with me besides the unknowns is the cardio. The reason is would be because of the amount of effort he puts into his offense. Bojković is well-rounded. On the feet, he throws with big pop in his hands and does a fine job of mixing it up going to the body and head. He's not someone you want to land clean on your chin. I think Bojković is even better on the mat. His wrestling has checked out and so has his grappling and heavy ground and pound. With the right push, Bojković can be a serious problem.

Featherweight, Ilias Bulaid (5-0) - Fight to One:
Still young in MMA years, Bulaid is a Dutch-Moroccan featherweight kickboxer. Competing in kickboxing for quite some time he has a 25-6 record with many accolades to his name. Bulaid has looked good so far in his MMA career putting complete clinics. We have been able to see the arsenal of Bulaid. He’s lit up his opponents with strikes and kicks mixing it up perfectly. He rips awesome combinations from different angles mixing in kicks and punches. Bulaid has looked stellar on the feet with his fluidity of output.