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Didn't get chance to do one of these last week but I do have chance this week so here we go.
Lightweight - Quillan Salkilld (6-1) Vs Gauge Young (8-1)
Eternal MMA champ Salkilld is someone I've been a fan of for a while. He's trained for years with Cody Haddon who already got a contract this season and at 24 is the perfect age for the show. As a fighter he's well rounded, he can box well like the majority of Aussie fighters can and he's got a very aggressive BJJ game. Is slightly susceptable to getting taken down but he's very good off his back so it's not really been an issue for him so far and he fights at a very high pace with excellent cardio that means he can keep throwing shit up and/or scramble back to his feet.
Gauge is 24 like Quillan and comes from Faber's A1 Combat promotion although he doesn't train at Alpha Male as far as I know. I've seen him a couple of times and he's alright, with his best win probably being getting tough Bellator vet Manny Muro out of there, though losing to Bobby Lee who went 0-4 or something in Bellator is a concern.
Prediction - This one feels like it's Salkilld's to lose. I just think he's the better all round fighter of the two and holds the advantages in most areas of the fight. I reckon he takes the back and gets a rear naked choke in round 2 and gets himself a contract.
Women's Flyweight - Shannon Clark (5-0) Vs Yunisey Duben (4-0)
Clark is the LFA champion and the girl is absolutely jacked with one of those competitive crossfit physiques. Every time I've seen her fight in the LFA she's just been way too physical for her opponents. She hasn't fought anyone really high level yet but she did bully a 5-0 Brazilian girl to take the title this year. At 32 she's a bit on the older side but I think the physical maturity helps her.
With Duben I have no idea what to expect. She's only fought debuting girls in Latin American promotions. To give her her due she has been getting them all out of there in the first round, but she probably should be.
Prediction - Sometimes can crushers turn out to be good but I have to think the smart money is on Clark to dominate physically and get a stoppage in the second or third round. Probably gets a contract as there aren't a lot of good regional flyweights around at the moment.
Featherweight - Austin Bashi (12-0) Vs Dorian Ramos (8-2)
Bashi is one of the very best prospects of the entire season and at the risk of looking stupid imo one of the best prospects in DWCS history. He's maybe a bit short at 145 as he only recently moved up with his putting a bit too much muscle on to make bantamweight anymore but with his grappling I don't think it'll matter. He's just a spectacularly good wrestler who does loads of damage on the ground and is always looking to sub people while fighting at a great pace. I genuinely think this is a potential future title contender.
Ramos is an okay regional guy but he's taking this on short notice after Tommy McMillen dropped out. He did upset a hyped kid a couple of years ago when he beat Team Alpha Male Aussie Isaac Thompson so he does have a history of upsetting the apple cart and he's a pretty gritty guy.
Prediction - The odds seem stacked against Ramos here, coming in on short notice training for someone fighting for their big opportunity and training as such is hard anyway but it's an especially tall order when that opponent is Austin Bashi. I think Bashi will be all over him straight away and get a first round sub and get verbally sucked off by Dana.
Middleweight - Will Currie (12-3) Vs Djorden Santos (9-1)
Currie is a guy with a lot of experience for his age. He's come through Cage Warriors which means he's been in there with a lot of decent competition unlike some of the DWCS Brits who fight elsewhere (see Adam Bramheld from last week). He's got three losses but one was a debateable 5 round title fight against a very seasoned and tricky vet and the other two were both to Christian Leroy Duncan. He's a very ripped and athletic dude with nasty ground and pound when he gets on top although he can be prone to making some retarded mistakes.
Santos is a bit of a wild card. He used to fight at higher weight classes and has cut down and is now winning 5 rounders at 185. He hasn't been super active lately so it's hard to say how good he'll be.
Prediction - I think they've probably booked this for Currie to win. He's a young, athletic, good looking kid with a lot of upside but isn't the full package yet. I haven't seen a great deal of Santos but from what I have seen I would think Will should have a big athleticism advantage and I think that tells and he gets on top and gets a ground and pound stoppage at some point. Probably gets a contract.
Welterweight - Igor Cavalcanti (9-0) Vs Seok Hyun Ko (10-2)
There's not much footage available at all of Cavalcanti but from what is available he looks like a hyper athletic and powerful guy. No idea if he can survive in deep waters or not because he just kills everyone in the first round.
Ko I can't go too deep into either because I'm basically going off his record. It's okay enough but the only two guys he's fought who I would say would be barometers of the level you need for DWCS are UFC vet Sascha Palatnikov and RUFC vet Han Seul Kim and he got KO'd both times.
Prediction - No idea how the dude will turn out but Cavalcanti should look good here, he's a fast explosive, hard hitting guy against someone who seems like they might be a bit chinny, which seems a good combination for him to get a spectacular finish and a contract.
So yeah, 5 contracts on this one for me. Probably all winners will have respectable UFC careers with Bashi imo turning into a real contender (seems to have the elite mix of talent and mentality), Cavalcanti potentially being anything, Salkilld being a fast improving guy in a division where we're always looking for the new generation and the other two being solid enough.
Good week.
Lightweight - Quillan Salkilld (6-1) Vs Gauge Young (8-1)
Eternal MMA champ Salkilld is someone I've been a fan of for a while. He's trained for years with Cody Haddon who already got a contract this season and at 24 is the perfect age for the show. As a fighter he's well rounded, he can box well like the majority of Aussie fighters can and he's got a very aggressive BJJ game. Is slightly susceptable to getting taken down but he's very good off his back so it's not really been an issue for him so far and he fights at a very high pace with excellent cardio that means he can keep throwing shit up and/or scramble back to his feet.
Gauge is 24 like Quillan and comes from Faber's A1 Combat promotion although he doesn't train at Alpha Male as far as I know. I've seen him a couple of times and he's alright, with his best win probably being getting tough Bellator vet Manny Muro out of there, though losing to Bobby Lee who went 0-4 or something in Bellator is a concern.
Prediction - This one feels like it's Salkilld's to lose. I just think he's the better all round fighter of the two and holds the advantages in most areas of the fight. I reckon he takes the back and gets a rear naked choke in round 2 and gets himself a contract.
Women's Flyweight - Shannon Clark (5-0) Vs Yunisey Duben (4-0)
Clark is the LFA champion and the girl is absolutely jacked with one of those competitive crossfit physiques. Every time I've seen her fight in the LFA she's just been way too physical for her opponents. She hasn't fought anyone really high level yet but she did bully a 5-0 Brazilian girl to take the title this year. At 32 she's a bit on the older side but I think the physical maturity helps her.
With Duben I have no idea what to expect. She's only fought debuting girls in Latin American promotions. To give her her due she has been getting them all out of there in the first round, but she probably should be.
Prediction - Sometimes can crushers turn out to be good but I have to think the smart money is on Clark to dominate physically and get a stoppage in the second or third round. Probably gets a contract as there aren't a lot of good regional flyweights around at the moment.
Featherweight - Austin Bashi (12-0) Vs Dorian Ramos (8-2)
Bashi is one of the very best prospects of the entire season and at the risk of looking stupid imo one of the best prospects in DWCS history. He's maybe a bit short at 145 as he only recently moved up with his putting a bit too much muscle on to make bantamweight anymore but with his grappling I don't think it'll matter. He's just a spectacularly good wrestler who does loads of damage on the ground and is always looking to sub people while fighting at a great pace. I genuinely think this is a potential future title contender.
Ramos is an okay regional guy but he's taking this on short notice after Tommy McMillen dropped out. He did upset a hyped kid a couple of years ago when he beat Team Alpha Male Aussie Isaac Thompson so he does have a history of upsetting the apple cart and he's a pretty gritty guy.
Prediction - The odds seem stacked against Ramos here, coming in on short notice training for someone fighting for their big opportunity and training as such is hard anyway but it's an especially tall order when that opponent is Austin Bashi. I think Bashi will be all over him straight away and get a first round sub and get verbally sucked off by Dana.
Middleweight - Will Currie (12-3) Vs Djorden Santos (9-1)
Currie is a guy with a lot of experience for his age. He's come through Cage Warriors which means he's been in there with a lot of decent competition unlike some of the DWCS Brits who fight elsewhere (see Adam Bramheld from last week). He's got three losses but one was a debateable 5 round title fight against a very seasoned and tricky vet and the other two were both to Christian Leroy Duncan. He's a very ripped and athletic dude with nasty ground and pound when he gets on top although he can be prone to making some retarded mistakes.
Santos is a bit of a wild card. He used to fight at higher weight classes and has cut down and is now winning 5 rounders at 185. He hasn't been super active lately so it's hard to say how good he'll be.
Prediction - I think they've probably booked this for Currie to win. He's a young, athletic, good looking kid with a lot of upside but isn't the full package yet. I haven't seen a great deal of Santos but from what I have seen I would think Will should have a big athleticism advantage and I think that tells and he gets on top and gets a ground and pound stoppage at some point. Probably gets a contract.
Welterweight - Igor Cavalcanti (9-0) Vs Seok Hyun Ko (10-2)
There's not much footage available at all of Cavalcanti but from what is available he looks like a hyper athletic and powerful guy. No idea if he can survive in deep waters or not because he just kills everyone in the first round.
Ko I can't go too deep into either because I'm basically going off his record. It's okay enough but the only two guys he's fought who I would say would be barometers of the level you need for DWCS are UFC vet Sascha Palatnikov and RUFC vet Han Seul Kim and he got KO'd both times.
Prediction - No idea how the dude will turn out but Cavalcanti should look good here, he's a fast explosive, hard hitting guy against someone who seems like they might be a bit chinny, which seems a good combination for him to get a spectacular finish and a contract.
So yeah, 5 contracts on this one for me. Probably all winners will have respectable UFC careers with Bashi imo turning into a real contender (seems to have the elite mix of talent and mentality), Cavalcanti potentially being anything, Salkilld being a fast improving guy in a division where we're always looking for the new generation and the other two being solid enough.
Good week.
