Prospects to watch this week (Patreon)

Flyweight, Marcos Degli (10-3): What makes Degli such a good fighter is the fact he's good in every area. He has a few questions but zero glaring holes. He fights behind his jab so well and throws the one-two and a cross off it beautifully. Degli will control the range with his striking and then explode in with a flying knee. While on the inside his muay thai is a weapon as well. Over the course of his pro career, Degli has leaned on his ground game as he's a BJJ black belt. I've been really impressed with his wrestling. It all comes from his timing on his level changes but the guy can drive in on the hips and chain wrestle if needed. Degli is a big submission threat and as it's more so with going after the neck he's good at all areas. Degli is a UFC-level flyweight and could crack into the top 15 at some point.

Strawweight, Aieza Bertolso (3-0): Bertolso is a gold medal winner of the IMMAF Senior tournament championship and was the 2021 IMMAF European and World Champion. 3-0 as a pro and 16-1 as an amateur. She's one of the most promising female prospects around right now. Bertolso has a good size for the division, and it’s easy to be impressed with every aspect. Her grappling is her strong suit, but she’s fully capable anywhere the fight goes. Not all impressed with her last performance but she's been getting built up slowly so we'll see how he progresses.

Bantamweight, Hugo Paiva (8-2): Paiva is a strong prospect who has only lost to Degli and to Lipe Detona who is in the UFC. Many thought Paiva beat Detona. Paiva has some holes in his game. He's flat-footed over time and TDD is pretty bad. On the flip side Paiva is a dangerous striker. He thrives in the pocket going body-head. He's explosive and has some nice power in his chopping leg kicks and hands. He's not from Chute Boxe but he has that striking style. He's also very durable so he's a tough one to just stand and trade with because he can take it as well as he can dish it out.

Lightweight, Samuel Dias (9-2): Dias started off his career not so great at 3-2. Since he’s been training at Team Lucas Mineira he’s improved a lot. He’s won his last six and has finished all six opponents in the first round. He's hardly talked about at all among all Brazilian prospects but he deserves some respect because he's good. Dias is a fast starter that brings chaos as soon as the bell sounds. He is a lot of volume on the feet and a lot of movement. He can throw a lot of wasted energy but overwhelms guys. On the feet he's dangerous but also he's sloppy and chinny. Dias is a better grappler as his submission grappling is good and so is his ground and pound. Dias has looked good but I worry about his cardio if he doesn't finish inside five minutes.

Strawweight, Camila Reynoso (3-0): Reynoso is unproven due to the women she's been fighting. She has taken what's been given to her and has a 7-0 amateur career as well so she is good. After watching her it's her ability to close the distance and crowd with volume. Reynoso doesn't take a step back as she's marching forwards. When she's able to get her opponents against the cage she lets her hands go. Reynoso throws in volume and comes from both sides and up the middle. She also throws some good leg kicks which has played a factor in a few of her fights. Reynoso is the current Samurai Fight House champion and she should defend it against another bad opponent.