Top 10 prospects in action this week (Patreon)

Flyweight, Alessandro Costa (11-2)

Costa is coming off a win this past contender series season. Although he won the performance wasn't good enough to earn a contract. He's much better than he showed that night and is UFC level in my opinion. I really like Costa as a prospect in the flyweight division. His speed, explosiveness, and athleticism match what a top-level flyweight should be. His jiu-jitsu/grappling is a real treat and he can compete in the UFC in just that area. I’m really impressed with his striking as well as it’s becoming more and more of a threat. His hands are very sharp and his shot placement is pretty good. Costa is a well-rounded fighter with tons of potential.

Welterweight, Cezary Oleksiejczuk (9-2)

Out of Poland Cezary Oleksiejczuk is the current FEN welterweight champion. The same promotion his brother Michal fought at before signing to the UFC. This will be his second title defense. Oleksiejczuk is a thriving young man fighting at the age of just 22. Lately, he’s fought good competition and is on a six-fight win streak. He’s overall well-rounded with a high ceiling and has the same if not more potential as his brother.

Flyweight, Rustam Debishev (7-0)

Debishev is comfortable no matter where the fight goes. Saying that, on the feet is where he does his best work. There is some power lacking but replaces that with output. Debishev is an in-your-face striker that will land slick combinations and bounce back out the pocket. He's been doing a good job blending in kicks and punches in his combinations and flurries. Debishev is both precise and fast on his offense and fights at a great pace. Debishev may not have any sense of takedown defense but off his back, he's a problem. He's got an active guard and if he's not throwing up submissions he's making life difficult by landing elbows. He's not the toughest to take down but is tough to hold down.

Lightweight, Francisco Prado (9-0)

Prado is a raw talent with a lot of upsides. Being just 20 he's an unfinished product so over time he's only gonna get better. He's a hard-nosed fighter that's been a force inside the cage once the doors are closed. His hands do the talking and his jiu-jitsu does the job. He brings some power in his hands throwing his whole body into his punches. He does throw with a lot of wasted motion but his cardio has held up quite nicely. Prado is fine to sit in the pocket and chuck hooks and even in a brawl is a bit better defensively. He has that controlled chaos style inside the cage. Prado is a dangerous striker, has good hands once he settles in, can wrestle, has solid jiu-jitsu, and has a pretty good gas tank. All that isn't at a high level but he still has all them qualities at such a young age.

Featherweight, Kevin Vallejos (6-0)

Vallejos is a small compact power puncher. Not just someone that looks for that one punch as he throws in combinations. He's really mainly focused on his hands but does have some heavy leg kicks he'll throw from time to time. Vallejos fights in bursts exploding in with power kicks. Also, he allows guys to come forward and he'll counter over the top with looping hooks. He fights a 9-1 opponent for the Samurai Fight House title.

Featherweight, Adam Soldaev (9-1)

Soldaev made some waves with a spectacular knockout in his last outing. The footage does lack but with everything you can find on him, you can tell he's the real deal. Soldaev is an excellent kickboxing. His speed and exploding make up for any time he gets wild. He's so explosive and quick he's a danger every second of the fight. Soldaev is a lethal counter striker with laser accuracy and lights-out power. There isn't much tape on his ground game but looks good enough there off what's available. Soldaev is gonna be tough to take out of his element. 

Featherweight, Anzor Chakaev (6-0)

Chakaev has been dominant across his six wins. It's been his wrestling that he's controlled the fights with but little by little has been showing his striking game. Chakaev on the feet he fights out of a karate stance and throws a lot of rangy kicks like the hook kick. He picks his punches well and threw basically everything he had mixing it up. It's his wrestling and smothering top control he's so good with. At times a little boring but Chakaev on top has looked unstoppable.

Welterweight, Anuar Aburto (3-0)

I don't wanna put a young pro on the list but this is a damn six-foot-six welterweight. Aburto has a long jab. The front kicks he throws are like a jab, and the roundhouse kicks he throws come from far out. He seems like a fighter that actually knows how to use his reach. In his most recent fight, he scored a nasty head-kick knockout. Saying that it’s been the ground game of Aburto that’s set him apart. Usually, it doesn’t take long to tie up with his opponents and the fight winds up on the mat. On top or off his back, Aburto is gonna make you sweat. Not only does his range factor on the feet, it comes even more into play on the mat. He's getting a gimmie fight in a 4-6 opponent.

Welterweight, Mansur Abdurzakov (8-3)

One of the best underrated prospects out of Poland is Abdurzakov. He lost two consecutive fights a few years ago and has won four in a row since. He's a strong grappler and has some sort of ADCC Poland experience. His wrestling to get it where he wants it to me looks solid. His grappling is slick and five of his wins come by submission. Abdurzakov can strike as well. His hands are nice and some of the combos he throws are good. Abdurzakov has really came into his own lately.

Flyweight, Christian Natividad (4-0)

Natividad is only 4-0 as a pro but in those four fights, he’s looked darn good. In his first two pro fights, Natividad put his power on full display with a pair of huge knockout wins. In his other two fight, he proved to have an overall fighting ability. Outside of the huge power in his hands, he also has a background in wrestling. He fights smart, is precise, and tactical all while still throwing heavy leather. His left jab is on point and his right overhand follow-up are very dangerous. Natividad has been dominant so far.