Best prospects in action this week (Patreon)

Bantamweight, Klaudia Syguła (5-1): Not entirely sold on Syguła but she's someone the UFC could go after with a win this weekend. Her striking is lackluster as she's still stiff. She thrives on the mat she she gets it there from takedowns in the clinch. She opposes her will on top with good jiu-jitsu, GNP, and going for submissions. You will see her actively improve her positions and go submissions. Her ground game is really good. She still has a lot of work to do but is just 24.

Strawweight, Rose Conceição (6-1): Conceição is fighting for the LFA strawweight title this week. It could very well catapult her to the UFC with a win. Conceição was a Brazilian national wrestling champion. The wrestling background of Conceicao has translated well in her MMA career and has been her main weapon of choice. Conceição’s stand-up has been coming along with sharp striking and kickboxing. Conceição is only just 25 and even in a stacked division, I believe she could go a long way in the UFC.

Lightweight, Jefferson Nascimento (9-0): Nascimento didn't impress me until his last fight. He destroyed Matheus Rocha, someone I was liking a lot at the time. Nascimento seems to not do anything great but does everything well. He can strike with clean boxing, has solid wrestling, grapples well, a submission threat, and has solid cardio. A win over Italo Gomes would solidify him as a top prospect.

Lightweight, John Mitchell (6-1): I was pretty high on Mitchell until he took a bad loss last year. I'm convinced he's better than that guy and he has won the following two. On the feet, Mitchell fights very well on the outside. He throws a good knee up the middle and has a strong straight jab. Even making guys pay when they plant their feet he’ll lunge in with lead hooks. Mitchell is an even better grappler. He can open you up with constant ground and pound or take the back and secure the RNC.

Bantamweight, Lewis McGrillen-Evans (7-0): McGrillen-Evans is a two-time regional amateur champion who went 8-1 before turning pro. Probably the heaviest puncher among all 125ers. He is fighting up at 135 for this fight as he has been more ofeten. This young man at 22-years-old is the real deal and his name will be heard in the future. I'm really high on him. With a win here I look to do a big piece on him.

Bantamweight, Ali Taleb (8-0): Taleb is a muay thai/kickboxer-based fighter that will snatch your neck if given the chance. He fights with his hands high and lets everything go. Taleb puts his hands together well and has some pop behind his punches. Being a Muay Thai guy Taleb of course favors knees, leg kicks, and elbows. He even has a decent ground game if needed. Not many guys can go toe to toe with Taleb. He did beat Vinicius de Oliveira which is a fantastic win.

Lightweight, Aili Mulatebieke (15-2): I usually don't pay attention to prospects from China but I do like Mulatebieke. "The Eagle" has a nice-looking record staying active and has won 15 in a row. Mulatebieke on the feet is pressing forward letting his hands go and throwing power kicks. He's even better when he get's the fight ground. He's physically opposing on the mat with top position, GNP, and a strong submission game. I'd like to see him get a contender series fight because he deserves an opportunity.

Lightweight, Connor Hughes (7-0): Hughes has been fighting for UK Fighting Championship as a pro and of those four pro wins, he has a 100% finish rate. Three of his wins come by submission and that doesn’t say enough about his striking. Hughes is a sharp striker and his right hand is sharp. He’s accurate, and the timing is top-notch. Not just a good striker, he has a knack for taking the fight down, taking the back, and finishing with the RNC.

Flyweight, Andre Lima (4-0): Lima only has three MMA fights but has a good amount of experience in kickboxing. According to his profile, he's a black belt in muay thai/kickboxing, a two-time Brazilian champion, and a two-time South-American champion. What's most surprising is his ground game is pretty good. He's a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. I'm really interested to see him in LFA this weekend.

Bantamweight, Rakhim Midaev (11-1): The style of Midaev is a lot of fun to watch. He's one of the most dynamic fighters you will see. The majority of his offense is an array of kicks. He's so unpredictable throwing switch kicks, tornado kicks, hook kicks, question mark kicks, wheel kicks, side kicks, hook kicks, and other kicks. I had my questions on his cardio in the past but it looked good his last fight. Midaev, even though we don't see it a lot, he is a solid wrestler and a strong grappler. His hands are good too when he throws him. There is a wild side but it's hard to fend off a tornado. I look forward to the show he's gonna put on.

Welterweight, Michael Oliveira (4-0): There isn't much MMA experience or fight footage but PQD looks promising. He does have experience in kickboxing and to my knowledge, he's 8-0. He's fast, very good kickboxing, good hands, has power, and has good reads. It's hard to go in-depth on him because there isn't much out on him. I've heard a lot of good things about him and I'm excited for his fights. I do wish LFA would get him off the prelims.

Light-heavyweight, Rafael Tobias (8-0): Tobias just started fighting last year so he's been very active. I didn't think much of him at first but he's very solid being just 20. On the feet, he's a little sluggish but his output is nice. He has a good jab and is good at pressing forward with different strikes. I like his knees on the inside. He's even better on the mat. He's been on his back before but is comfortable. Tobias rains down the ground and pound and can submit guys as well. He gets a good test in Miguel Porto and a win pushes his career forward by a mile.

Bantamweight, Alisson Murilo (8-1): Murilo is one of these violent Brazilians we see often but not a lot at 125 like he is. Murilo is well-rounded but an excellent striker when he puts his hands together. He's got quick hands and always throws 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.

*Stuck at work for the entire week on storm damage so couldn't finish. Other prospects fighting this week that I'm watching for are Temirkhan Temirkhanov, Sean Pero, Gabriel Costa, Tornike Gigauri, Aleksandr Chizov, Robert Valentin, and Micaias Ureña,