Top 20 Teenage prospects in MMA

[mattandbenny]

So i havn't done any prospect based lists in a while, and with my girlfriend away for the weekend i thought it would be a good idea to spend some time doing this!

The rules are simple - Each fighter must have had at least 3 professional MMA fights, they must be a teenager (i.e. 19 or younger), and must have had a fight within the last 18 months.

If i have missed anyone let me know! ((I have had to do it in 2 posts due to the length of it!)).

PS - I left out Sage Northcutt because he is signed by UFC - If anyone's wondering, he would have been my #1 ranked guy!

--------------------------------------------------

1) Eduardo Garvon – 8-1-1 - Brazilan – 19 years old –Welterweight – Pro Debut: Age 17
The number 1 ranked prospect on this list of teenagers is 19 year old Eduardo Garvon, who has put together an excellent 8-1-1 record so far in his MMA career with some decent wins already. After making his amateur debut aged 16 he put together a perfect 3-0 record (3 KO’s) before turning pro aged 17. The only blemish on his record is a 2014 loss to UFC & Pride veteran Akihiro Gono, in a fight which ultimately came a little too soon in his career. He has fought most of his career at lightweight, although recently moved up to the Welterweight division for his past 2 fights. He has 4 stoppage victories and 4 decisions and is currently on a 4 fight win streak, with wins over Carlos Miranda (6-2), Alisson Barbosa (4-0), Huinderton Barbosa (3-0) & Geovani Lima (10-9).

2) Alex Da Silva Coelho – 12-0-0 - Brazilian – 19 years old – Featherweight – Pro Debut: Age 18
Alex Da Silva Coelho has an incredible record on paper – he has won all 12 of his professional fights (7 KO 2 Sub) and is yet to go to the judges scorecards, with 11 of his victories coming in the very first round. Among his wins include knockouts due to elbows, knees & a head kick. He fought 8 times in 2014 and has fought 4 times this year, and although he hasn’t fought a great level of opposition, he does hold one solid win over Marcelo Boldrini (4-1).

3) Wellington Turman – 8-0-0 - Brazilian – 19 years old – Welterweight – Pro Debut: Age 18
The second of 6 Brazilians on this list is 19 year old Wellington Turman. He put together a perfect 4-0 amateur record before turning pro on his 18th birthday, and has since gone a perfect 8-0 with 7 finishes. He has kept extremely active since beginning his career, with 9 fights (4 amateur, 5 pro) in 2014 and 3 so far in 2015. He has build his record fighting for various promotions on the regional scene in Brazil, and holds a couple of impressive wins – both via TKO over Thiago Nata (7-2) and Edivaldo Siqueira (3-0).

4) Go Kashiwazaki – 12-0-2 - Japanese – 19 years old – Bantamweight – Pro Debut: Age 16
ZST Bantamweight chamion Go Kashiwazaki is ranked number 2 on this list. The 19 year old is unbeaten over 14 professional fights, with 12 wins and 2 draws. He is a submission specialist and has forced 9 opponents to tap out, with the armbar his weapon of choice (5x armbar finishes). Considering his age he has fought an excellent level of opposition, and he holds wins over Keisuke Fujiwara (16-9), Tatsuya Watanabe (15-7) Shooto Watanabe (4-1) & Tomoyuki Manabe (3-0).

5) Ismael Bonfim – 7-3-0 - Brazilian – 19 years old – Featherweight – Pro Debut: Age 15
Although he has a reasonably average record on paper, Ismael Bonfim has fought arguably the best opposition out of any of the fighters on the list. In 2014 he came up short in a Jungle Fight featherweight title fight when he lost to current UFC fighter Renato Moicano, and his other 2 professional defeats came when he was a 15 year old (one of which to One FC Champion Adriano Moraes). Now 19 and much more experienced, he has won 6 of his past 7 fights and holds impressive knockout wins over Marcio Cesar (17-7) and Leonardo Muller (11-4).

6) Claudio Puelles – 7-1-0 - Peruvian – 19 years old – Lightweight – Pro Debut: Age 17
Another young South American fighter, this time from Peru, Claudio Puelles has won 7 of his 8 fights since making his debut in 2013 aged 17, with his only defeat coming to (arguably) Peru’s best fighter - David Cubas (14-3) - who was on a 12-1 streak when they fought. He has despatched each of his other opponents fairly easily, with 2 knockouts and 4 submissions among his 7 wins. In his most recent fight in April he knocked out Alvaro Sugasti (3-1) with a head kick – not bad considering his main strength is his ground game. Before turning professional he held a perfect 3-0 amateur record as a 16 year old.

7) Kento Kanbe – 9-0-0 – Japan – 18 years old – Flyweight – Pro Debut: Age 16
Japanese Flyweight Kento Kanbe made his debut shortly after his 16th birthday back in 2013. Since then he has put together a perfect 9-0 professional record, with 5 stoppages (2 TKO 3 Sub) and 4 decisions. He put his name on the map in Japan last year when he won the 8-man Pancrase Neo-Blood Flyweight Tournament, submitting Suguru Hayasaka (9-7) in the final. He also holds wins over more experienced fighters such as Tatsuya So (13-12) and Yusei Shimokawa (10-10).

8) Pawel Kielek – 6-1-0 - Poland – 19 years old – Lightweight – Pro Debut: Age 17
The first of 3 European fighters on this list, 19 year old Pawel Kielek has a great stand up game. After knocking out his first 5 opponents he has gone 1-1-1 since, including a hard fought draw with current TUF participant Artem Lobov and a submission victory over Guram Kutateladze (3-1). He trains at a good camp in Poland and is a teammate of UFC Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

9) Magomed Ozniev – 4-0-1 - Russian – 19 years old – Featherweight – Pro Debut: Age 17
Magomed Ozniev trains out of one of the best camps for European prospects, and his training partners include Ion Cutelaba, Khusein & Khasan Askhabov & Vlad Popovskiy. He is unbeaten over 5 fights since making his debut as a 17 year old at the beginning of 2014, and has finished 3 of his 4 wins inside the distance. He is dangerous off of his back, and in his most recent fight in March he got a hugely impressive armbar submission of Luca Puggioni (7-6).

10) Rickson Zenedim Bueno – 6-0-0 - Brazilian – 16 years old – Flyweight – Pro Debut: Age 14
The second 16 year old on this list, Rickson Zenedim Bueno comes from a fighting family as his brother (see #18) is also an MMA fighter with a record of 16-7. He made his debut at the youngest age of anyone – after just 14 years and 6 months. He incredibly had an amateur fight, which he won, at just 13 years old, so he has certainly grown up fighting. Since turning professional he is yet to be tested, with his 6 opponents having just 1 win between them. However you would not expect a 16 year old to be fighting top competition yet, and he has dispatched those who he has faced easily, submitting 4 with an arm bar and winning his most recent fight via flying triangle choke.

 

[mattandbenny]

11) Imran Zhulagov – 4-0-0 - Russian – 18 years old – Bantamweight – Pro Debut: Age 17
The second Russian fighter on this list, bantamweight Imran Zhulagov is perfect in his MMA career since making his debut in the end of 2014 as a 17 year old. He won that fight as a decision and has won his most recent 3 fights in a combined 155 seconds, with 2 submissions and a TKO. He is yet to be properly tested, with his best win over Andrei Culai (2-0).

12) Pongsiri Mitsatit – 5-0-0 - Thai – 19 years old – Flyweight – Pro Debut: 18
Mitsatit is the only one on the list who has a background in another martial art – in 2014 he won the Northern Thailand Muay Thai Championship. Since turning his attention to MMA, he has started like a house on fire, winning each of his 5 fights with 4 of them in the very first round. Each of his 5 opponents have been debutants, so it will be interesting to see how he progresses against stronger opposition.

13) Elina Kallionidou (F) – 4-0-0 - Greek – 16 years old – Bantamweight – Pro Debut: Age 16
One of two female fighters on this list, Elina Kalliondou is also the youngest at just 16 years old. She is the Cage Survivor Bantamweight champion, and has looked good in beating opponents much more experienced and older than her. She made her pro debut just 1 month after her 16th birthday, winning each of her first 2 fights via TKO. Most recently she ended the unbeaten record of Foeteni Kromida (4-0), and she also holds a victory over 26 year old Rozanne Teixeira (4-2).

14) Lerryan Douglas – 5-1-0 - Brazilian – 19 years old – Bantamweight – Pro Debut: Age 17
Owning one of the most extensive amateur careers out of anyone on this list, between the ages of 14 and 17 Lerryan Douglas put together an impressive 6-0 amateur record. Since turning professional aged 17, he has won 5 of his 6 fights, with 3 first round submissions among his victories. He is another that has not fought a great level of opposition, but you can expect it to improve as he progresses in his career.

15) Naoki Inoue – 3-0-0 - Japanese – 18 years old – Flyweight – Pro Debut: Age 17
Japanese fighter Naoki Inoue fights for the Japanese DEEP promotion where he is one of their top flyweight prospects. After a short one fight amateur career as a 16 year old he turned professional and has won each of his 3 fights with 3 first round submissions. In just his 2nd fight he gained an excellent upset win over Kanta Sato (5-2) in just 169 seconds. He trains out of the same cmap as Invicta FC fighter Mizuki Inoue.

16) David Skrisovsky – 9-2-0 - Czech – 18 years old – Bantamweight – Pr Debut: 16
Although he is just 18 years old, David Skrisovsky already has 11 professional fights under his belt after making his debut at 16 years and 2 months old. He has fought in a variety of European countries, including Czech Republic, Germany & Slovakia; and won 9 of his 11 fights. A submission specialist, he has tapped out his opponents in 6 of his 9 victories, including a gogoplata submission. His 2 losses have come against solid fighters in Tymoteusz Swaitek (10-1) and Dmitri Goette (4-2), and he has dispatched of all the lower level competition comfortably.

17) Felipe Cofre – 5-1-0 - Chilean – 19 years old – Lightweight – Pro Debut: Age 18
Since losing his professional debut, Chilean Fighter Felipe Cofre has been on a tear – winning 5 straight fights, each by submission. He has fought a poor level of opposition, but he has been tested and shown he can overcome adversity to win a fight. If he keeps improving, he could be a half decent prospect.

18) Ranieri Zenidim Bueno – 16-7-0 - Brazilian – 19 years old – Featherweight – Pro Debut: Age 15
19 year old Ranieri Zenedim Bueno is the more experienced older brother of #10 ranked Rickson Bueno. He has been extremely active since making his debut back in 2011 as a 15 year old, fighting no less than 23 times in a 4 year period. Unlike his brother he is more a submission orientated fighter, and nobody can say he is not exciting as he has finished all 16 of his wins. Generally he beats the poor fighters and loses to the better fighters – but being just 19 years old still there is plenty of time to improve and become a solid MMA fighter.

19) Kanna Asakura (F) – 3-0-0 - Japanese – 17 years old – Atomweight – Pro Debut: Age 16
The second and final female on this list, Kanna Asakura is 3-0 with each win coming under the Vale Tudo Japan promotion. In her most recent fight she got a good win over Yasuko Tamada (15-9), who was 31 years her senior at 48 years old.

20) Joao Marcos Azevedo – 6-2-0 - Brazilian – 17 years old – Bantamweight – Pro Debut: Age 13
You certainly wouldn’t expect a fighter that made his debut back in 2010 to be just 17 years old today. Azevedo has taken his time during his career, fighting on average twice a year for the past 4 years, and has put together a decent 6-2 record. He is a stand up fighter – 5 of his 6 wins have come via TKO, and both his losses via submission.


Honourable Mentions: Foetini Kromida (19, 4-1), Christian Quinonez (19, 4-1), Diana Belbita (19, 4-1), William Lima (17, 3-0), Patrick Renoldi (19, 3-0), Victor Carvalho (17, 3-0).

 

[BobsyaUncle]

Love your prospect threads, thanks for providing some new names to familiarise myself with.

 

[Asurah]

Nice list. Not familiar with the ones outside Japan, Mitsatit, and Kielek, will check out some of the rest.
BTW Naoki is Mizuki's younger brother and he won the DEEP Future King tournament last year

 

[qw3rty]

Naoki and Mizuki Inoue are relative? Or they only train in the same camp?
I know that lastname is very common in Japan

 

[mattandbenny]

Nice list. Not familiar with the ones outside Japan, Mitsatit, and Kielek, will check out some of the rest.
BTW Naoki is Mizuki's younger brother and he won the DEEP Future King tournament last year

Wasn't aware they were related, didn't even connect their names!