The State of MMA’s Heavyweight Prospects Worldwide (Patreon)

The Top

Sitting at the top of the division I believe only one stands out to that notion. Russia's Shamil Gaziev (10-0) sits on top as the best prospect in the heavyweight division. Prior to an unbeaten pro record he went 9-2 as an amateur. That included winning IMMAF gold in 2019. He's coming off a win over former UFC fighter Darko Stosic. He's fought for AMC in Russia, Ares FC, Brave CF, and the Contender Series this coming season.

Underrated

There is a pretty big gap from Gaziev to the others but there is a handful I view as underrated talents in the division.

Mario Pinto (6-0) didn't pop on anyone's radar until this year. In March, Levels Fight League held an eight-man one-night heavyweight Grand Prix to crown a champion. Pinto fought and won three times in one night taking home the title. MMA in Portugal is still growing. Pinto isn't only the best heavyweight from his country but the best prospect from the area in general.

Greg Velasco (6-0) doesn't get a lot of credit because of his physical appearance but he's not a typical heavyweight. Velasco has a few things most heavyweights don't have and that's wrestling and cardio. Velasco has a lot of fights where he fought deep in the second round or fought a four-round fight. He's the current Cage Fury FC heavyweight champion with one title defense. He's gonna be fighting Shamil Gaziev this coming season on the contender series.

Future Problems

One thing is for sure and that's MMA is an evergrowing sport. This group of fighters may not blow the doors off right away but in the next few years they could be at the very top

We've seen wrestling standout Bo Nickal make it to the UFC early in MMA so Anthony Cassar (1-0) could be next. He is an NCAA Division I champion and a  Big Ten Conference champion out of Penn State University. He's 1-0 in MMA beating someone with twenty-two pro fights. He could be fast-tracked to the UFC considering his background and mainly fighting in a shallow division.

A much anticipated pro debut coming up soon is Bahrain's Rasul Magomedov (0-0). Magomedov was 13-0 as an amateur and is a two-time IMMAF world champion. Magomedov is also known for holding a win over wrestling superstar Kyle Snyder in a freestyle bout. A good chance he's at the top of the division in the coming years.

I think very highly of Zumso Zuraev (5-0). So good I think he’s already one of the best heavyweight prospects there is. He's one of the best under-the-radar prospects in MMA. He's been a staple for ACA's feeder promotion ACA Younger Eagles. He's a powerhouse in a division where he can muscle around guys much bigger than him.

Looking to gain traction

These fighters suffered recent losses in the last year or so. They are looking to build back some of the hype and momentum they had in the past.

Eduardo Neves (7-1-1) fought last season on the Contender Series and had a disappointing loss on the Contender Series to Michael Parkin. He was winning that fight until he wasn’t and it’s a fight he wins 90% of the time. Neves has beaten four undefeated fighters and has experience in LFA. In fact, last March he won the vacant LFA title. He has another chance at a UFC contract this season on the contender series.

Azamat Nuftillaev (14-1-1) quietly had a 12-0-1 record when he came up short to Bellator's Slim Trabelsi. That loss came last year and since he's won his next/last two. In the past, he was a champion for Alash Pride FC, a promotion out of Kazakhstan. He's looked promising since his loss to Trabelsi. The fighter from Nuftillaev has good experience even though it's against lesser competition.

Hugo Cunha (7-1) was a top heavyweight prospect at some point. He was supposed to fight on the Contender Series in 2021 but it didn't happen and that seemed to be a regular with Cunha keeping fights. He was signed to ONE Championship and after a bad loss last year, he wasn't invited back. He did rebound in his LFA debut last month where he looked good. He can regain that traction he once had if he remains active.

Thomas Petersen (7-1) was riding high in 2021 as he was undefeated and ended up winning the vacant LFA strap. He had a big setback to open 2022 losing his title to now-current UFC fighter Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Since that he's won two in a row and is gonna be fighting on the contender series this season. Peterson came into his MMA career with a background as a wrestler. He was a Minnesota State champion in high school and an NJCAA National champion at Iowa Central.

A lot to prove

These fighters have good-looking records but is lacking the performances to be viewed as a top heavyweight prospect.

Alexander Soldatkin (14-3) is someone that has a good-looking record but there is still a lot of questions. Takedown defense and cardio have been his biggest concerns for his entire career. Someone with his power and athleticism alone is a threat. You can get away with a not-so-great gas tank at heavyweight since most of the time the bigger guys don’t go three rounds.

Vyacheslav Ryabov (7-0) is an unknown heavyweight out of Russia. Heavyweights are thin outside the big promotions so Ryabov has stood out. He fits the mold of a heavyweight having big knockout power. He hasn’t fought really high-level opposition thus far but being in Russia, it’s likely to be soon enough when he will see a good-quality opponent. is unbeaten in his career but has lost twice in custom MMA bouts in 2021 so that's weird. Ryabov is an unknown heavyweight out of Russia due to his inactivity due to him taking some boxing fights. He fits the mold of a heavyweight having big knockout power. He hasn’t fought really high-level opposition thus far but being in Russia, it’s better competition than about anywhere else. It's really all up in the air with the ceiling of Ryabov.

Aleksandr Maslov (10-1) has a strong resume along with a good-looking record. He has wins over former UFC fighters in Cody East. Luis Henrique, and Vinicius Moreira. Although he has good wins his performances don't match. Lately he's been battling injuries so that's why he hasn't been as active. He returned last March and got a win. He's getting those wins but is lacking quality performances.

Ben Tynan (4-0) is only 4-0 but has had high expectations since he was an amateur. Tynan was a D1 wrestler out of North Dakota State University and was a Canadian National Champion. He was a Pac 10 champion and in MMA has been training at Elevation Fight Team. Tynan's last fight wasn't as dominant as his others but is still 12-0 in MMA.

Caio Machado (7-1-1) is the current reigning BFL heavyweight champion. He’s defended his three times. For a heavyweight, Machado fought decent competition. Not UFC-level competition but heavy hitters to really test him. He gets a chance to prove himself on this season of the contender series.

Promising Brazilians

Brazil is one on the most loaded countries when it comes to up-and-coming talent. Yes, more of their fighters are in the lower weightclasses but here is a pair of heavyweights to watch out for.

If Jhonata Diniz (5-0) isn’t familiar to you in the MMA world he should ring a bell if you’re familiar with kickboxing. His kickboxing record is 13-6 and he went 3-3 for Glory Kickboxing. After a decade of competing in Kickboxing Diniz made the transition to MMA. He's only been fighting for a little over a year and has impressed with a 100% finish rate with all stoppages in the first round. He's gonna be fighting on the contender series this season against fellow Brazilian Eduardo Neves.

Not many people know of Talisson Teixeira (3-0) but those unaware need to start paying attention. This 22-year-old is towering at six-foot-eight. He’s already a BJJ black belt and is fighting under and is training under a high-level boxing coach. It’s very nice to see a guy the size of Teixeira know how to use his reach. He throws long jabs and chopping leg kicks while being able to snipe his opponent at any time. There is hardly any footage of his jiu-jitsu but with his size and black belt abilities, I imagine it’s good.

Early Pros

These fighters are either young pros or who is set to make their pro debut. It's up in the air how these guys will turn out but they've been impressive thus far.

Lajoš Papp (3-0) hails from Komarno, Hungary, and is an undefeated fighter. His level of competition he's been fighting is what you would expect. 4-7 is the combined record of the guys he's fought. Papp has performed well as expected. He's mixed his performances by going to the mat and finishing and getting it done on the feet. His wrestling is strong and so is his heavy ground and pound. His clinch work has looked good and seems to have that heavyweight power.

Anthony Wint (1-0) came into MMA after he ran his course playing football. He played college as an FIU Panther as the starting linebacker. He went undrafted in the NFL draft and was picked up by the New York Jets. He was waived a year later and signed to play in the Canadian Football League. After covid happened the season was canceled so Wint decided to switch over to MMA. It was a good thing because he's been a natural so far. 3-0 as an amateur and 1-0 as a pro. Wint is physically in shape which is hard to find at heavyweight. On the feet, he's shown a good jab, good movement, and uses a lot of feints. He wrestled when he was younger and that's been his game plan in MMA. Wint is a strong dude just powering guys down and his jiu-jitsu has checked out. Obviously, he's still green but I have a good feeling about him.

Miles Banks (0-0) is soon to make his pro debut after a 4-0 run as an amateur. As an ammy, he was the Fury FC heavyweight champion with one title defense. when you see a six-foot-eight heavyweight you gotta take notice. He does need some work on the basics but someone his size is a dangerous threat. He has a 100% finish rate and has proved he can fight late in a fight with a fifth-round stoppage.

Arlind Berisha (0-0) as an amateur went 8-1. In 2021 he took home gold in the U23 World Cup. His only loss came to Rasul Magomedov who is highly touted. Some other titles he's held is the Cage Warriors Academy light-heavyweight and heavyweight title. The Norwegian-Albanian is a tall heavyweight that knows how to use his length. He's some to watch for at 22-years-old.

Donnell Walker (0-0) was supposed to make his pro debut last week but his opponents pulled out. As an amateur, he went 5-0 never losing a fight. Walker is still raw on the feet but is a threatening wrestler. He uses his big size to dominate on top and smother his foes with constant raining ground and pound.