20 of the most exciting prospect today (Patreon)

Featherweight, Hyder Amil (7-0)

Amil recently showed how exciting he was in the LFA 137 main event besting out Chase Gibson. Amil is known for his scrappy fighting style always marching forward and letting his hands go. Amil usually goes through adversity in his fights. As his defense isn't great his resilience and toughness are hard to match. Amil has that dog in him as some will say. He doesn't have as much technique but pressure, cardio, power, and toughness have got him to an undefeated record he has today. You can easily go back and watch all the fights of Amil as he's fought for Bellator and LFA.

Welterweight, Kaleb Rideout (7-2)

Rideout has been putting on exciting fights over in Australia the last few years. Not many guys you will see on the feet punching a leg and throwing hammer fist but Rideout does it. Rideout is a six-foot-two welterweight who has also fought at lightweight and is only 25-years-old and that would get any talent scout interested in his style. If anything Rideout is a guy you want to tune in to watch every time he fights. With his long frame, it’s always nice to see someone know how to use their length. Rideout has a strong long jab and throws a lot of kicks. He’s got the knockout power in his hands and his kicks. He’s also explosive as shown when he smells blood in the water. Rideout does a real good job at controlling the range and is tricky with what he’s going to throw being both diverse and awkward. Just recently beating a guy like Kevin Jousset is pretty impressive.

Featherweight, Tobias Harila (10-3)

Tobias Harila is the type of fighter you want to watch. He’s going to go out on his shield every time and win or lose, he’s going to make it rough. He did fall short in his last fight but not many guys are outgunning him like Samuel Bark did. Harila is extremely tough and will take damage to give some. Harila does slow as the fight progresses but never stops fighting. He has good striking with good power and most importantly his work rate is super impressive. Harila’s just not tough, as he has some real skill as well. He just takes too much damage but if he doesn't wilt he's gonna eventually melt you.

Flyweight, Alisson Murilo (6-1)

Murilo is one of these violent Brazilians we see often but not a lot at 125 like he is. He went 10-4 as an amateur. His only loss as a pro was a scrap and has looked even better since. Murilo is well-rounded but an excellent striker when he puts his hands together. He's got quick hands and always throwing in combinations. He's got the explosiveness you'd like to see at flyweight and has the power to match. He can strike with almost anybody but also has the ability to use wrestling and end it on the mat. Murilo has fight-ending ground and pound and has finished three times with a submission. Not a lot is known of Murlio but there need to be more eyes on him.

Middleweight, Sharaputdin Magomedov (10-0)

Magomedov is a 28-year-old middleweight with an undefeated record of 10-0. Outside of MMA, he was a Eurasia champion in Burmese boxing, 18-2 in K1, and a Russian muay thai champion. There is no disguise to the style of Magomedov; he’s not gonna be someone to shoot takedowns, but instead will chip away from all angles on the feet. The best thing Magomedov brings to the table is diversity. He literally throws everything in the kitchen at you and throws in different varieties. Magomedov’s hands, knees, legs, elbows; he’s always implanting into his game. I would say seeing him fight is like using a fighter in the EA games. But nothing or no one does it as smooth as Magomedov, he has excellent dexterity in his legs. He throws a ton of sidekicks, hook kicks, crescent kicks, ax kicks, and wheel kicks. Nobody fights like that guy in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, ONE, or anywhere else. Some may have a similar style, but nobody perfects it as he does. Magomedov is one of the most intriguing and exciting prospects out there and shockingly is blind in one eye.

Bantamweight, Dominique Wooding (9-4)

After a 1-3 run from 2018-2020, Wooding signed with Cage Warriors and had a resurgence in his career. Since signing CW in 2021, Wooding has gone 3-0 and won their bantamweight title. Wooding has a lot of experience fighting good fighters and spent some time in Bellator. Wooding is a dynamic explosive fighter that is insanely quick and athletic. He can finish the fight at any time. Exciting to watch and still only 25-years-old so the sky is the limit. Wooding is at his peak and competing to a high level.

Strawweight, Josefine Lindgren Knutsson (4-0)

Knutsson has an extensive kickboxing career. Her kickboxing record is 27-5 and she has beat girls like Mellony Geugjes and Kana Morimoto. Knutsson also has a background in amateur Muay Thai and was the 2018 IFMA World Championships gold medallist. She fights with a lot of volume, feints, and power. She also throws combinations alone with her kicks, but her striking altogether is excellent. Knutsson could very possibly be the real deal.

Welterweight, Raheam Forest (5-0)

Forest went just 5-6 as an amateur so the resurgence he's had in his career has been amazing. When talking about the guys with massive power in their hands that's Forest. Not just his hands as he kicks like a mule and is very explosive. He brings that with constant forward pressure and a good gas tank. Forest is a good wrestler as well being capable of taking this fight anywhere. He has a heavy top position and nasty ground and pound. Everything he does is with 100% commitment and power. There isn't much not to like about this guy. I think he's a stud and has a high ceiling.

Flyweight, An Ho (2-0)

An Ho's first two pro fights show just how violent the young man from Vietnam can be. It was a spinning backfist in his debut and in his latest fight he got a head kick knockout elevating his opponent off his feet. Ho is a product out of the MMA Lab that has a bright future. He's only 2-0 but was 7-0 as an amateur. Ho was the RUF MMA amateur champion and defended his title multiple times. He’s well-rounded with a flashy fighting style that will excite the fans. As a pro, he hasn't been able to show his full skill set because he's been blitzing through guys. Ho has a deep toolset and brings a savage demeanor.

Lightweight, Ignacio Capella (7-1)

Capella is an action-packed fighter from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Capella is constantly going to push the pace and be in your face. He’s a volume guy throwing combinations purely. He likes to get in the pocket and rip to the body and head. Capella can land that kill shot at any point having power in both hands. He throws with so much power in everything he slows he does slow down as the fight goes on. His takedown defense isn't great either. Capella is a warrior and in the fight, if he gets an inch he's gonna take a mile.

Flyweight, Lone'er Kavanagh (4-0)

Kavanagh competed in K-1 and is a five-time world champion. He’s brought every single bit of that into his MMA career. Kavanagh is a very skilled and intriguing young man. Where he’s best at is unequivocally on the feet. He’s light on his feet, doing a lot of bouncing around. Kavanagh is excessively fast specifically with his movement, hands, and his legs. The Englishman is a well-executed counter striker and has a good one-two. Kavanagh fights behind his kicks, setting the tone of his fights that way. He's got a rapid pace and always throwing in combinations and will go to the body actively. His in and out movement along with his explosiveness and deceptive power makes Kavanagh a dangerous man every second of the fight. Kavanagh is a flashy fighter and he doesn’t telegraph his strikes at all. Kavanagh is a true flyweight prospect that brings speed, athleticism, explosiveness, and a recurrent rapid pace.

Featherweight, Darlan Ferreira (9-2)

If Ferreira doesn't turn out to be a higher-level fighter he'll be very entertaining at the very least. Ferreira is a showman that likes to do a lot of trash talking and taunting during his fights. And so far he backed up all his trash talk. The Brazilian is all action once the bell rings. He throws a lot of kicks up the middle, goes to the legs, to the head, and will throw a lot of flashy kicks. He fights long throwing a lot of straight punches and throwing different patterns of combinations. The knee is his best weapon whether if that's stepping in with it, from the muay thai clinch, or launching through the air. Ferreira is so focused on inflicting damage so much he can be a little reckless. He's exciting, always brings it, high-paced, violent finisher, and awesome personality.

Middleweight, Christian Leroy Duncan (6-0)

Duncan did have an extensive amateur career mostly for IMMAF. He went 17-6 as an amateur before going pro, where he’s been excelling. Duncan is known for his diverse, tricky style. He’s always throwing flashy spinning attacks being as dynamic as you see in the middleweight division. He’s also a good wrestler and grappler as he’s adaptable anywhere the fight goes. He’s one of the most intriguing MMA prospects worldwide.

Strawweight, Isis Verbeek (4-1)

Not as much MMA experience but Verbeek has a lot of experience in kickboxing. She has a 9-4 record in kickboxing and most notably fought a few times for Glory Kickboxing. Verbeek lost her MMA debut but has rebounded and won her last four fights. She has fought for Invicta, Ikon, and Combate while fighting for Gamebred FC in a custom exhibition fight bare-knuckle. Even though Verbeek is a kickboxer her only finish is with a rear-naked choke. Verbeek is a really good striker that picks girls apart on the outside. From the clinch, her Muay Thai is her best weapon. In her last fight, it was a great back and forth scrap and she almost won with a flying knee. If Verbeek tightens up her takedown defense she's gonna be an issue for a lot of these women going forward.

Bantamweight, Kevin Cordero (14-3)

Cordero is an absolute action fighter that comes out with the same aggression every time he fights. Cordero is a scrapper. He’ll sit in the pocket and let his hands go and kick the lead leg. Both his right and left hand are dangerous and he doesn’t let up with his volume. He’s a problem on the feet and all that pressure will force opponents to shoot. That’s an issue itself because Cordero is even better on the mat. His offensive wrestling is good as well and holds seven submissions. Overall he’s a dangerous guy all around and never in a boring fight. He did lose his last fight but it was a split decision to a good prospect in Frans Mlambo.

Featherweight, Rudy Gavidia (17-3)

Peru native Rudy Gavidia is quite the showman and he has every right to be with the run he's been on. Gavidia has a background in jiu-jitsu and was a boxing champion in China in 2008 and 2009. Gavidia is well-rounded as he has a good jab with leg kicks on the feet. He moves well on top but is very heavy as well and while he has good ground-and-pound, he does hold five submissions. He has a fun fighting style and his personality alone should draw him to a larger promotion.

Featherweight, Dawid Smielowski (10-0)

Smielowski is contracted at featherweight and is a big fighter standing at 5’10”. Smielowski is a highlight-reel fighter. He has a 100% finish rate with eight KO/TKO and two submissions. Among those wins, he has finished with a bulldog choke, body kick, a flying knee, and a head kick. Smielowski, being a tall, rangy fighter is a solid kickboxer. And while he can be technical, he’s a showman, throwing caution to the wind always looking for the kill shot. He has a tendency to start slow but eventually will find his spots and get that finish.

Bantamweight, Ekaterina Shakalova (7-1)

Shakalova is a three-time grappling world champion and a four-time European grappling champion. Her wrestling is outstanding. Not every day you see takedowns from arm drags and fireman's carry and that's what you're getting here. Nothing on the feet but is a legit grappler and wrestler. She also changes levels for well-executed double legs and is known for some high amplitude takedowns in her repertoire. Shakalova is very good at moving into side control and letting off some relentless ground and pound. Her striking needs work but her wrestling and grappling are top-notch. She's one of the most intriguing female prospects today.

Bantamweight, Vinicius de Oliveira (17-3)

Oliveira did recently lose his UAE Warriors title to Ali Taleb. He was winning that fight until he got knocked out and it's a fight he wins more than he loses. With an impressive MMA resume, Oliveira is also a black belt in Muay Thai and a purple belt in jiu-jitsu. Oliveira is an absolute wild man when he’s in the cage. He reminds you of a lesser version of fellow Brazilian and UFC fighter Michal Pereira. Oliveira is an all-action freestyle-type athlete who will always put on a show. Being the diverse athlete he is, the Brazilian loves to go for broke throwing a lot of switch kicks, wheel kicks, going off the cage, and flying knees. He really brings that Brazilian capoeira style.

Welterweight, Amiran Gogoladze (14-2)

Gogoladze is a highlight-reel finisher both on the feet and on the mat. He is extremely slick on the mat, especially off his back. He’s a sharp submission hunter and that shows with three submission victories by three different submissions. He’ll utilize a lot of feints on the feet which set up the eventual finish. Gogoladze throws a dangerous head kick and is just very tricky and explosive. He has flaws with his takedown defense but isn't a guy you wanna be caught slipping by, Gogoladze is just 24 so if his defense tightens up he's gonna be a nightmare at 170.