Best prospects in action this week (Patreon)

Bantamweight: Adrian Luna Martinetti (10-1): Martinetti has some decent skills on the feet with kicks but is primarily a grappler. Even though he did get a clean knockout his last fight the opponent nearing the age of 40. His wrestling I wouldn’t rate him too high but his overall ground game shines. Martinetti will lose positions at times but even off his back he’s attacking and scrambling well. He does a good job at staying active and is always working. Even though he is a submission threat his gas tank has held up very well. Martinetti even holds a rare gogoplata which is a testament to how good his jiu-jitsu is. This weekend will be his seconds UWC title defense.

Flyweight, Dakota Ditcheva (6-0): I still hate that Ditcheva signed with PFL because it seems like a waste of time. She is one of my favorite female prospects there is. Ditcheva has an extensive Muay Thai background and a very successful one at that. She is a British Muay Thai champion and a member of the British team that won the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateur World Championships in Jönköping, Sweden. She’s also a three-time world champion. Her striking has translated to MMA and she's been improving every step of the way.

Bantamweight, Mauricio Almeida (10-5): Almeida doesn't have an appealing record but has been on a nice run. From 2019 to 2020 Almeida lost five fights in a row. He was 4-5 but turned his career around and has won his last six. Last September he won the Mr. Cage bantamweight title. Almeida has an awkward striking style. His hands are very low but is hard to read on what he's gonna throw. He's explosive as he's caught a lot of guys with flying knees. I can't say I'm sold on him but I'm getting there.

Bantamweight, Ramzan Suleymanov (4-0): Suleymanov has been fighting at 125 but is moving up for this fight. His striking is a work in progress not really having any positives. He is a strong wrestler and his submission grappling is excellent. Suleymanov is super aggressive with guard passes and positions. He isn't afraid to go for broke while in dominant positions. Suleymanov has attacked armbars and triangles while in mount and it's perfectly executed. Very slick grappling.

Bantamweight, Mateus Soares (3-0): Footage does lack from Soares but from what I've heard and seen there is a lot of potential. Soares is a small compact powerful explosive guy. He throws heavy punches and at any point can launch in the air with something explosive. Soares seems to be most dangerous on the feet with his power and speed but has shown to be able to stop the fight on the mat as well. More needs to be seen but I have a good feeling about him.

Flyweight, Juscelino Pantoja (3-0): The flyweight division is my favorite, and Pantoja has been on my radar. Outside of MMA, Pantoja has a solid background in boxing. Pantoja is a three-time Brazilian Boxing champion. In MMA he’s 3-0 with two first-round finishes. He trains out of the well-known gym Nova Uniao. He's really powerful in the weightclass but more does need to be seen.

Middleweight, Chad Hanekom (8-2): I've watched Hanekom for years now and I'm always up in the air about him. Middleweight is thin and I think he does fit in the division nicely. I just always think he underperforms a lot of the time. Hanekom is a pure athlete who comes from a background in rugby. He is well-rounded, but is a better wrestler. On top, he has some slick jiu-jitsu and is a submission threat with four of his six wins by submission. He's gotten better over the years and just needs to be more consistent.

Flyweight, Asu Almabaev (16-2): Almabaev has a background in freestyle wrestling, was a national champion in jiu-jitsu, and has a BJJ world cup. He’s on a current twelve-fight win streak taking out the solid competition. His last eight opponents had a combined of 72-18. On the feet Almabaev is quick, he has good fast hands, and he throws a lot of volume with combinations. His takedown defense is his glaring weakness but his good BJJ bails him out of bad positions. He’s most well-rounded and with proven cardio, he’s a solid fighter. He's one of the best flyweight prospects out there. He just beat Zach Makovsky so a win here should put him in the UFC.

Heavyweight, Junior Tafa (2-0): Tafa is only 2-0 in MMA but is known for his time in kickboxing. His kickboxing record is 23-5 and most notably fought in Glory. The best thing is he has all that experience and is still just 26. In his MMA debut, his takedown defense held up nicely, and ended up getting the knockout in a little over a minute. He was a little sloppy but the skillset is definitely there. Tafa beat a guy that had seven fights as a pro too. I will say his last fight he did get taken down and controlled a bit off his back. Tafa also slowed down but was still able to get the finish in round two. He's the brother of UFC fighter Justin Tafa but Junior has the higher ceiling.