Top 50 Best Regional Promotions (Fall Update)

[Nathanli]

This is the update to my November list of the top 50 best organizations in the world. There

 

[AandStill]

It's been over a year. Update coming to this epic thread?
the very popular wikipedia page (first hit on google for "MMA organizations") based on this thread should get updated too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMA_organizations#Current_top_MMA_promotions

 

[Nathanli]

2. M-1 Global - [St. Petersburg, Russia] - M-1 isn’t the same company they were when they were co-promoting with Strikeforce and promoting Fedor Emelianenko. They’re one of the most successful companies in the world and have a huge influence on all things MMA in the region. They're not as talked about in the west anymore, but they still have some fantastic fighters in their ranks and probably the best Heavyweight division outside of UFC and maybe Bellator (who had two of M-1's former fighters’ fight for the HW title recently). They’ve also done a very good job scouting and signing some of the best talent from the area.

Next Event: M-1 Challenge 55

Next big thing: Marcin Tybura (HW Champ, 11-0) – Tybura has defeated several of the best Heavyweights that Eastern Europe has to offer. He's probably the best Heavyweight outside of UFC and Bellator. His last 3 wins are over some of the best Eastern Europe has to offer including Maro Perak (23-4-1), Damian Grabowski (20-2), and Denis Smoldarev (9-1).

Who should he face next? – He's basically cleaned out M-1's Heavyweight division save a matchup with PRIDE/Strikeforce vet Sergei Kharitonov. The best matchup for him in the region would be with KSW Heavyweight champion and fellow Pole Karol Bedorf (11-2). With rumors of co-promotion between the promotions, I still hold out hope that that fight will happen

Marcin Tybura vs. Maro Perak

Next in line: Slava Vasilevsky (MW Champ, 25-2) – Behind KSWs Mamed Khalidov, Vasilevsky is the best middleweight in Europe. He's most well-known for a Unanimous Decision loss to Maiquel Falcao in Bellator in 2012. Since that loss, he's gone 8-0 including wins over Trevor Prangley, Vitor Nobrega, and a rematch against Falcao that ended in a little over 30 seconds. He beat Ramazan Emeev for the Middleweight title in his most recent win. Vasilevsky deserves to be fighting the best right now. I'd consider him the best Russian Middleweight in the world after the recent woes of former Bellator Middleweight champ Alex Shlemenko.

Who should he face next? – Ramazan Emeev (11-3) - He's rematching Emeev at M-1 Challenge 56 after the two had one of the best M-1 fights of last year. I'd still like to see him fight Anatoly Tokov (18-1) or against KSW star Mamed Khalidov (30-4-2) in a co-promotion.

Slava Vasilevsky vs. Ramazan Emeev

Alternate: Ivan Buchinger (FW, 28-4) - Buchinger has been fighting hard since he started his career in 2008. He's suffered a few losses early in his career to names like Akira Corassani, Anton Kuivainen, and Conor McGregor but has had some wins over names like Mairbek Taisumov, Frodo Khasbulaev, and Cage Warriors LW champ Steven Ray. After he won the title in Cage Warriors, he said he wasn't a fan of their championship contracts and decided to leave the promotion. M-1 signed Buchinger almost immediately and he's already gotten three wins with them this year, most recently beating Mikhail Malyutin and winning the Featherweight title against Tural Ragimov (9-2).

Who should he face next? – The best opponent for him would likely be Magomed Magomedov (9-1) whose 5-0 in M-1.

Ivan Buchinger vs. Tural Ragimov

Best of the rest: Maro Perak (HW, 23-4-1), Dennis Smoldarev (HW, 9-1), Chaban Ka (HW, 8-3-1), Aslambek Musaev (HW, 4-1), Levan Razmadze (HW, 5-0), Arsen Abdulkerimov (HW, 7-2), Mikhail Gazaev (HW, 3-0), Viktor Nemkov (LHW, 20-5), Stephan Puetz (LHW Champ, 12-1), Artur Astakhov (LHW, 10-2), Valery Myasnikov (LHW, 8-1), Ramazan Emeev (MW, 11-3), Anatoly Tokov (MW, 18-1), Murad Abdulaev (WW, 14-3), Alexei Kunchenko (WW, 8-0), Musa Khamanaev (LW, 15-3), Maxim Divnich (LW, 10-0), Dzhambulat Kurbanov (LW, 6-1-1), Anton Radman (LW, 11-4), Dzhambulat Kurbanov (LW, 6-1), Max Coga (FW, 10-3), Lee Morrison (FW, 13-5), Tural Ragimov (FW, 9-2), Pavel Vitruk (FW, 12-0), Magomed Magomedov (FW, 9-1)

Journeymen: Damian Grabowski (HW, 20-2), Sergei Kharitonov (HW, 22-5-1), Kenny Garner (HW, 14-8), Konstantin Gluhov (HW, 28-15), Luis Fernando Miranda (LHW, 12-2), Gregory Babene (MW, 16-11-1), Enoc Solves Torres (MW, 15-8), Luigi Fioravanti (MW, 25-12), Daniel Tabera (WW, 18-7-3), Artiom Damkovsky (LW, 19-9), Alexander Butenko (LW, 36-10-1), Mikhail Malyutin (FW, 29-12)

Alumni:
UFC – Shamil Abdurahimov, Magomed Mustafaev, Islam Makhachev, Mairbek Taisumov, Alexander Yakovlev, Nikita Krylov, Rashid Magomedov, Rustam Khalibov, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gasan Umalatov, Oleksiy Oliynyk, Yui Chul Nam, Hacran Dias, Jake Ellenberger, Hyun Gyu Lim, Gegard Mousasi, Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, Martin Kampmann, Stefan Struve, Ben Rothwell, Zach Makovsky, Dennis Bermudez
Bellator - Daniel Weichel, Alexander Sarnavskiy, Alexander Volkov, Mikhail Zayats, Vitaly Minakov, Akop Stepanyan, Frodo Khasbulaev, Karl Amoussou, Christian M'Pumbu, Dave Jansen, Alexander Shlemenko, Melvin Manhoef, Muhammed Lawal
Titan FC - Vinny Magalhaes, Shahbulat Shamhalaev, Raphael Davis
WSOF - Luiz Firmino, Yushin Okami
One FC - Marat Gafurov, Tatsuya Mizuno
Cage Warriors - Gael Grimaud
MFC - Tom Gallicchio
Cage - Marcus Vanttinen
Road FC - Myung Ho Bae
FFC - Alessio Sakara
IGF - Satoshi Ishii
Other - Cody Mckenzie
Retired – Guram Gugenishvili (RIP), Shane Del Rosario (RIP), Fedor Emelianenko, Keith Jardine, Mark Kerr, Pedro Rizzo

 

[Nathanli]

3. Jungle Fight - [Manaus, Brazil] - When it comes to sheer talent, Jungle Fight has seen more of it pass through their promotion than probably any other promotion on this list. Some of the best in the world including a UFC champion, 2 former UFC champs, 1 One FC champ, and several contenders have come from them. They don't seem to be slowing down, doing an event just about every month. At the moment, they’re a bit depleted with UFC signing several of their champions. They have one of the deepest pools of fighters in the world, and should start pulling in the best prospects from other Brazilian promotions on this list.

Next Event: Their next even has yet to be announced.

Next big thing: Jonas Bilharinho (BW Champ, 5-0-1) – Bilharinho is a serious Team Nogueira prospect who has gotten a lot of attention pretty quickly in his career. After going 4-0 in Jungle Fight, he’s trying his hand in something new. He’s trying out for the next season of TUF Brazil. He could very likely win it.

Who should he face next? – He was linked to fighting Fabiano Jacarezinho (25-6-1) at Jungle Fight 74, but with Bilharinho rumored for TUF Brazil and Jacarezinho fighting most recently for Tachi Palace Fights, this fight may never come to fruition.

Jonas Bilharinho vs. Mario Israel Pt. 1
Pt. 2

Next in line: Ericka Almeida (WSTW Champ, 6-0) – Jungle Fight just recently started signing top female fighters, and they chose a great time to do it. There’s a ton of talent all over Brazil and UFC, Invicta, and even Bellator is taking notice. Almeida took about 2 years off from fighting after starting with 5 finishes. She came back and won Jungle Fights Womens Strawweight title in her debut for the promotion with a Rear-Naked Choke against Maiara Alves. While she needs more fights before she starts fighting some elites, Invicta could definitely take a chance on her if JF didn’t have another opponent for her. She was signed with them previously, but never fought for them. With how depleted Invictas Strawweight roster is since they all signed to UFC, she could be a game opponent this year.

Who should she face next? I’m not aware of any other Strawweights in JF at the moment. Brazil has quite a few of them out there, but most are locked up with UFC, Invicta, WSOF or XFC at the moment.

Ericka Almeida vs. Alessandra Silva

Alternate: Nildo Nascimento (FLW Champ, 7-1) – Nascimento started his JF career at Bantamweight and suffered his only setback to top prospect Mario Israel. Since then, he's rattled off 5 straight victories, including 4 straight TKO finishes over the likes of former Flyweight champion Rayner Silva (5-3) and Wylk Leandro (10-2). He looks to change the misconception that Flyweights don't have any power.

Who should he face next? Reginaldo Vieira (12-3) - Vieira is the best opponent for Nascimento in JF. He's gone 4-1 in the promotion with his only loss to the aforementioned Mario Israel. Since that loss, he's rattled off two straight first round submission wins.

Nildo Nascimento vs. Wylk Leandro

Best of the rest: William Baldutti (HW Champ, 6-2), Martin Ottaviano (LHW, 7-2), Dirlei Broenstrup (LHW, 12-3), Jose Aparecido Santos Gomes (MW, 6-0), Andre Luis Leal Lobato (MW, 22-6-1), Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos (WW Champ, 14-4), Marcus Vinicius Cruz (WW, 5-1), Jose Diaz (WW, 5-0), Jhonatan Ramos (WW, 5-1), Bruno Lopes (WW, 4-0), Eduardo Ramon (WW, 9-1), Ciro Rodrigues (LW, 16-5), Fabian Quintanar (LW, 12-2), Marcos Alexandre de Almeida (FW, 16-5), Fabiano Fernandes (FW, 8-3), Bruno Tavares (FW, 7-2), Jamil Silveira da Conceicao (FW, 42-15-1), David da Silva (BW, 7-1), Matheus Mattos (BW, 8-0-1), Deiveson Alcantra (FLW, 8-0), Wylk Leandro (FLW, 10-2), Rayner Silva (FLW, 5-3), Reginaldo Vieira (FLW, 12-3)

Alumni:
UFC - Renato Carneiro, Antonio dos Santos Jr., Larissa Pacheco, Rodrigo Goiana De Lima, Juan Manuel Puig, Tiago Trator, Douglas de Andrade, Ivan Jorge, Elias Silverio, Kevin Souza, Ildemar Alcantara, Lucas Martins, Adriano Martins, Michel Prazeres, John Lineker, Marcelo Guimaraes, Francisco Trinaldo, Erick Silva, Iuri Alcantara, Sergio Moares, Rodrigo Damm, Renan Barao, Charles Oliveira, Lyoto Machida, Jacare Souza, Thales Leites, Jose Aldo, Fabricio Werdum, Gabriel Gonzaga
WSOF - Alexandre Pimentel, Danillo Villefort
Invicta - Vanessa Porto, Ediane Gomes
One FC - Bibiano Fernandes
Bellator - Marcos Galvao
TPF - Fabiano Jacarezinho
Other – Paulo Thiago, Mario Israel, Thiago Bodao, Carina Damm

4. Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) – [Warsaw, Poland] - While they don’t hold as many shows as some of the other promotions high on this list, they’re up here because of their ability to hold on to some of their top stars, their over the top productions, and the ratings they’re able to pull in in their home country of Poland. Their owner, Maciej Kuwalski, has said that they plan to go to war with UFC if they plan on taking their top fighters. They don’t seem to like when their top draws lose to foreigners though, and they’ll do rematches in order for their guys to get it right. They also don’t like to put their top draws in fights against one another. It’s yet to be seen if these guys will really end up fighting the best. Mamed Khalidov and Mariusz Pudzianowski are the biggest draws in the organization, but the ship seems to have sailed on them ever leaving the organization.

Next Event: KSW 30

Next big thing: Karol Bedorf (HW Champ, 11-2) – Bedorf has been fighting a while now. He made his debut in KSWs Heavyweight tournament winning against UFC veteran Francis Carmont, but losing to Alexey Oleinik in 2007. Since then, hes gone 10-1 including wins over UFC vets Oli Thompson and Rolles Gracie and won the KSW Heavyweight title.

Who should he face next? – Mariusz Pudzianowski would be the biggest superfight they could put on. Otherwise, a co-promotion with M-1 and a fight between Bedorf and M-1 Heavyweight champion Marcin Tybura could be a possibility which could be a huge seller in their home country of Poland.

Karol Bedorf vs. Pawel Nastula

Next in line: Mateusz Gamrot (LW, 8-0) – Gamrot has been fighting like a fighter with much more experience than he has. In his last 4 fights, he’s taken out Brits Andre Winner (19-8-1), Jefferson George (5-4), and Tim Newman (10-5), and more recently fellow Pole Lukasz Chlewicki (12-4-1). It seems like KSW wants to build the Lightweight division around him, but they also have the option of letting him fight in Cage Warriors again if he needs some different fights. At 24, he's got nowhere to go but up from here.

Who should he face next? – He’s fighting Bellator veteran Rodrigo Cavalheiro (15-3) at KSW 30 on February 21st. This is a tough fight for Gamer, but if he gets past him, I think he's ready for an elite challenge in Europe.

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Tim Newman

Alternate: Michal Wlodarek (HW, 6-0) – Wlodarek hasn't been very active the past few years, but has picked up impressive wins over UFC fighter Daniel Omielanczuk (16-4-1) and Polish prospect Michal Andryszak (12-5). He seems to be the biggest threat KSW has for Karol Bedorf, but they'll likely never fight because their top fighters tend to fight foreigners.

Who should he face next? – He’s fighting Szymon Bajor (14-5) at KSW 30 on February 21st.

Michal Wlodarek vs. Michal Andryszak

Current talent to watch for: Michal Andryszak (HW, 12-5-1), Tomasz Narkun (LHW, 9-2), Abu Azaitar (MW, 9-2-1), Piotr Strus (MW, 9-3-2), Borys Mankowski (WW Champ, 16-5-1), Aslambek Saidov (WW, 15-4), David Zawada (WW, 9-2), Mateusz Piskorz (WW, 9-3), Robert Radomski (WW, 12-3), Lukasz Chlewicki (LW, 12-4-1), Jakub Kowalewicz (LW, 5-1), Sergej Grecicho (FW, 20-5-1), Anzor Azhiev (FW, 5-1), Kamila Porczyk (WBW, 2-0)

Journeymen: Mariusz Pudzianowski (HW, 8-3-1), Marcin Rozalski (HW, 5-3), Pawel Nastula (HW, 5-6), Goran Reljic (LHW, 15-4), Mamed Khalidov (MW, 30-4-2), Michal Materla (MW Champ, 21-4), Jay Silva (MW, 9-9-1), Rafal Moks (WW, 10-6), Maciej Jewtuszko (LW, 11-2), Artur Sowinski (FW, 15-7)

Alumni:
UFC - Jan Blachowicz, Alexander Gustafsson, Oleksiy Oliynyk
Bellator - Francis Carmont
Invicta - Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Other - Maiquel Falcao, Brett Cooper, Vaso Bakocevic, Attila Vegh

 

[Nathanli]

5. Fight Nights (Russia) – [Moscow, Russia] - This is going to be the promotion that UFC/Bellator will find their next generation of Russian talent. They’ve only been around since 2010 and have already produced a handful of top talent. They have some good Heavyweight talent to keep an eye on. Their fighters are being put in the spotlight quickly by matching them with well known veterans. Compared to M-1, Fight Nights is much more likely to let their fighters out of contracts to go to UFC.

Next Event: Fight Nights Battle of Moscow 18

Next big thing: Marif Piraev (WW, 10-0-1) – With Konstantin Erokhin moving to UFC, Piraev moves into the spotlight. 22 year old Miraev has yet to be really tested other than a Triangle Choke win over Benjamin Brinsa. He trains for the Fight Nights Team with many UFC and Bellator veterans.

Who should he face next? – If Yasubey Enomoto (12-5) can get past former Bellator champ Alex Shlemenko, he’d be a perfect fight for Piraev. Otherwise, they’ll have to look elsewhere in Russia for an opponent. That shuldn’t be too hard, there’s plenty of guys with solid records that could raise his profile.

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Next in line: Mikhail Mokhnatkin (LHW, 6-1) – Splitting time between Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight, Mokhnatkin has won 6 straight fights since losing his debut beating Astur Astakhov (9-2) and Valentijn Overeem in that time period. His advantage is his size for his weight class. He needs to be brought along slowly, but could be headlining Fight Night events with a few more wins.

Who should he face next? - He’s fighting Czech prospect Jiri Prochazka (11-2) at Fight Nights 18 on December 20th, 2014.

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Alternate: Murad Machaev (LW, 15-1) – Machaev has fought all over the world. He went 1-1 in Bellator with the loss being to contender Marcin Held. Since that fight in 2012, he’s gone 6-0. He’s been due for a step up in competition. If he gets it and wins, he could get signed by any of the major promotions in the US or Europe. Or he could just stay in Europe if he wanted.

Who should he face next? Armenian David Khachatryan (LW, 17-2) is the best fight for Machaev. The winner could easily be elevated to the next level.

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Best of the rest: Jiri Prochazka (LHW, 11-2), Magomed Magomedov (MW, 5-1), Alexei Kunchenko (WW, 6-0), David Khachatryan (LW, 17-2), Akhmet Aliev (LW, 8-3), Oleg Borisov (FW, 12-1), Artur Bagautinov (FLW, 2-0-1)

Journeymen: Maxim Grishin (LHW, 18-6), Shamil Zavurov (WW, 24-3-1), Yasubey Enomoto (WW, 12-5)

Alumni:
UFC – Konstantin Erokhin, Ruslan Magomedov, Sultan Aliev, Albert Tumenov, Zubaira Tukhugov, Gasan Umalatov, Ali Bagautinov
Bellator – Andre Santos, Vitaly Minakov
ACB- Abdul-Kerim Edilov
Other - Rasul Mirzaev, Brett Rogers

6. Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) - [Kearney, Nebraska, USA] - RFA just started putting on shows at the end of 2011, and since then have already elevated more than a dozen fighters to bigger promotions. It helps that they have a clause in their contract that allow them to sign with UFC and have been accepting of guys leaving to the other top promotions too. They’re the epitome of a feeder league, but someone has to do it. They’re doing a great job with signing fighters with solid records for their shows in regional areas including some new areas, RFA was also the first promotion to have regulated show inside South Dakota.

Next Event: RFA 21

Next big thing: Alexandre Pantoja (FLW Champ, 15-2) – In a surprise move, Pantoja left Brazil and signed with RFA after Joby Sanchez left for UFC and they needed a replacement against Matt Manzanares, RFA Flyweight champion at the time. In a way the he does quite well, he choked Manzanares out in the first round. I’ve said before that Pantoja could be Nova Uniaos Flyweight counterpart to Renan Barao and Jose Aldo. Almost every RFA champion has signed with UFC, and with a need to fill out the Flyweight division, Pantoja could be the next Brazilian to sign with them.

Who should he face next?– Winning a title in his first fight stateside was a good start. If he doesn’t sign somewhere, Tyler Voth (6-1) might be his best competition.

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Next in line: Luke Sanders (BW, 9-0) – Sanders fights out of MMA Lab with Ben Henderson and Rick Story, which should definitely help his chances of signing after winning the RFA Bantamweight title. After winning a couple of fights in XFC, he signed with RFA this year and beat RFA veterans Dan Moret (7-1), Darrick Minner (9-4), and Jarred Mercado (12-2).

Who should he face next?– Resurgent Bantamweight Abel Cullum (20-6) is the biggest fight for Sanders in RFA. This fight could easily be a UFC prelim as well as they’re both UFC caliber.

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Alternate: Abel Cullum (BW, 20-6) – One could argue that Cullum is already a journeyman at 27. After having huge success in the KOTC organization, Cullum tested the waters in the Elite XC and DREAM promotions in the times between 2008-2011. He lost some tough fights to fighters like Wilson Reis, Hideo Tokoro, Jimmie Rivera, and Masakatsu Imanari. For a fighter in his early 20s, that’s a lot of losses stacked up. He decided to retire and become a police officer back in New Mexico. He made a comeback after 3 years in September and has already won fights over capable fighters in UFC vet Ulysses Gomez (9-5) and Carl Deaton (8-2).

Who should he face next?– He could be next in line to fight for the Bantamweight title so could fight Luke Sanders (9-0) if he doesn’t sign with UFC.

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Best of the rest: Jan Jorgensen (HW, 7-1), Dale Sopi (HW, 6-0), Cody Mumma (LHW, 6-2), Francisco France (MW, 10-3-1), Joe Henle (MW, 9-1-1), Bojan Velickovic (MW, 9-2), Gilbert Smith (MW, 9-3), Gabriel Checco (MW, 7-1), Chidi Njokuani (WW, 11-4), Zak Ottow (WW, 7-2), Jordan Larson (WW, 5-1), Benjamin Smith (WW, 10-2), Gilbert Smith (WW, 10-3), Mehdi Baghdad (LW, 10-3), Zach Juusola (LW, 10-2), Justin Lawrence (FW Champ, 6-2), Mark Dickman (FW, 9-2), Dan Moret (FW, 7-1), Sam Toomer (FW, 8-0), Raoni Barcelos (FW, 7-1), Chinzo Machida (FW, 3-2), Jarred Mercado (FW,12-2), Justin Linn, (FW, 7-1), Marvin Blumer (BW, 11-4), Carl Deaton, (BW, 8-2), Boston Salmon (BW, 3-0), Joe Murphy (BW, 7-1), Bruno Frazatto (FW, 6-1), Matt Manzanares (FLW, 7-3), Tyler Voth (FLW, 6-1), Geane Herrera (FLW, 7-0), Marion Reneau (WBW, 4-1), Jocelyn Lybarger (WSTW, 4-1)

Journeymen: Chase Gormley (HW, 10-4), JJ Ambrose (LW, 21-5-2), Alvin Robinson (FW, 14-8), Tyler Toner (FW, 15-7), Ulysses Gomez (FLW, 9-5)

Alumni:
UFC – Justin Jones, Jake Collier, Christos Giagos, Chris Heatherly, Johnny Case, Joby Sanchez, Josh Copeland, Alan Jouban, James Moontasri, Justine Kish, Randa Markos, Kevin Casey, Efrain Escudero, Pedro Munhoz, Zach Makovsky, Mike Rhodes, Sergio Pettis, Mirsad Bektic, James Krause, Chris Holdsworth, Derrick Lewis, Tim Elliott, Jessamyn Duke
Bellator - Dakota Cochrane, Bobby Cooper, Bubba Jenkins, Jared Downing
WSOF - Steve Mocco, Lance Palmer, Tyson Griffin
BAMMA USA – Terrion Ware
Fight Time – Kamarudeen Usman
Other - Jeremy Kimball

 

[Nathanli]

7. Legacy Fighting Championships - [Houston, Texas, USA] - Legacy seems like the healthiest regional US org right now. They have a whole slew of talent from Central America, plenty of intriguing matchups to put on, and fighters that aren’t afraid to go against guys with similar solid records. They’ve done a good job matching up their prospects against veteran journeymen. They’re another promotion that exists only to be a feeder league, but the more places that fighters can get opportunities and security, the better. They’ve already graduated several fighters to major orgs this year.

Next Event: Legacy 38

Next big thing: Cosmo Alexandre (LW, 6-1) - Alexandre has been trying to push his way to a title shot for a while. During his stint in Bellator, he was disappointed with his lack of opportunities for big tournament fights, which led to him leaving Bellator. Since losing his debut, he's gone on to win 6 straight. Due to his kickboxing ability, he's going to get his shot in UFC or elsewhere soon. He needs to get back in there again if he wants to fight for the Legacy Lightweight title soon.

Who should he face next? – He was scheduled to fight Ben Brewer (9-2) at Legacy 34 in August but Alexandre had travel issues. He needs to get back in there because he’s not getting any younger at 32.

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Next in line: Cody East (HW Champ, 9-1) – Former KOTC HW Champion East has been on a lot of peoples radars for a long time. But due to his past troubles with the law, most promotions didn’t want anything to do with him. Legacy has finally given East a proper chance and could be signed if he wins and stays out of trouble. He won his debut against Vernon Lewis (4-3) by TKO in the first round.

Who should he face next? – Currently, he’s the only Heavyweight under contract with Legacy. They’ll need to find a solid opponent from the South/Southwest for him or he’ll sign with UFC.

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Alternate: Andrew Todhunter (MW, 7-0) – Todhunter has been impressive so far in Legacy, getting two 1st round Rear-Naked Choke wins over Art Parker and Levi Avera. He’s been unstoppable on the ground, all of his wins coming by submission. He needs to get a real test if he wants to be successful at the next level. Todhunter is more likely to be signed for his Army background. Fighters like Brian Stann and Tim Kennedy have benefitted from the armed forces support of their careers.

Who should he face next? – Legacy’s Middleweight division isn’t very deep, but fighters like Larry Crowe (9-3) and Victor Reyna (5-1) could be solid tests.

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Best of the rest: Leonardo Leite (LHW Champ, 5-0), Victor Reyna (MW, 5-1), Alfonso Gonzalez (MW, 6-1), Martin Sano (MW, 4-0), Quentin Henry (MW, 8-3), Larry Crowe (MW, 9-3), Rafael Lovato (MW, 1-0), Derrick Krantz (WW, 16-7), Geoffrey Neal (WW, 5-1), James Warren (LW, 6-1), Steven Peterson (FW, 11-4), Kevin Aguilar (FW, 8-1), Eli Tamez (BW, 8-0), Bruno Viana (BW, 7-0), Augusto Mendes (BW, 3-0), Rafael de Freitas (FLW, 6-1-1), Klayton Mai (FLW, 6-1), Nick Urso (FLW, 7-2), Brian Hall (FLW, 7-3), Pedro Souza (FLW, 13-1), Michelle Nicolini (WSTW, 2-1), Norma Reuda Center (WSTW, 3-1)

Journeymen: Paul Buentello (LHW, 33-16), Myron Dennis (LHW, 10-4), Daniel Roberts (WW, 15-6), Marcus Hicks (LW, 10-4-1), Mike Bronzoulis (LW, 16-8-1), Donald Sanchez (FW, 30-14), Leonard Garcia (FW, 18-12-1), Daniel Pineda (FW, 19-11), Damacio Page (FLW Champ, 19-9)

Alumni:
UFC - Damon Jackson, Henry Cejudo, Holly Holm, Thomas Almeida, Matt Hobar, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Tim Means, Gilbert Burns, Bubba Bush, Roger Narvaez, Ray Borg, Ryan Benoit, Alp Ozkilic, Derrick Lewis, Lauren Murphy, Jared Rosholt, Josh Sampo, Sean Spencer, Andrew Craig
Bellator - Georgi Karakhanyan, Chas Skelly, Darrion Caldwell
WSOF - Chad Robichaux, Carson Beebe
RFA - Chidi Njokuani
Fight Time - Kamarudeen Usman
Pancrase - Jonathan Brookins
XFC – Allan Nascimento
Titan FC - Austin Lyons
Other – Ben Brewer, Richard Odoms, Will Campuzano, Robert Drysdale
Retired – Leonard Garcia, Jay Hieron, Gerald Harris, Brian Melancon

8. Titan Fighting Championship - [Kansas City, Kansas, USA] - Titan was originally a solid regional promotion with some good talent, but they ran out of money and ended up having to slow down having shows and eventually had to sell to their new owners. The new owners have gone on a signing spree. Many of the new fighters are young former UFC fighters who still have some upside. But a few are home grown guys and talented fighters out of Brazil. Titan will be one to watch in the next year. Their first couple shows since returning have been solid, but they need to continue their growth. Titan is much more veteran heavy than a lot of growing promotions, but their expansion into the Southeast will pay dividends.

Next Event: Titan FC 32

Next big thing: Pedro Nobre (FLW, 17-1-2 (1 NC) – Say what you will about Nobres single UFC appearance against Iuri Alcantara, he’s shown that he’s a killer in most of his other fights. 125 also seems to be his natural weight. He’s had two solid fights since joining Titan FC including a tough Split Decision win over Cage Fury FC Flyweight champion Nick Honstein (16-8).

Who Should he face next? – He was set to fight Bellator vet Nick Mamalis (24-10) at Titan FC 30, but the he had to withdraw on short notice. This fight still makes sense if they can’t find another opponent.

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Next in line: Kurt Holobaugh (FW, 13-2) – Kurt Holobaugh dived in deep in his two appearances for Zuffa against Pat Healy and Steven Siler. It was easily the toughest fights of his career and he even gave Healy a run for his money enough for UFC to give him one last shot. Since then, he’s gone 4-0 including a Decision win over Bellator vets Eric Marriott and Lloyd Woodard. He TKO’d Woodard in 15 seconds, quicker than any of his previous opponents including Michael Chandler and Rick Hawn, and even grabbed a Kimura win over Patricky Pitbull.

Who Should he face next? – Holobaugh was set to fight Gleristone ‘Toninho Furia’ Santos (27-4) for the Titan FC Featherweight title, but both were injured so they gave the title fight to Steven Siler (23-13) and Des Green (13-3). I’m not sure who would get the next shot, or if they’ll do Holobaugh-Furia for the number one contender, but all of these fights would be good choices. I’m sure Holobaugh would like to get revenge against Siler for getting him cut from UFC.

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Alternate: Gleristone ‘Toninho Furia’ Santos (FW, 27-4) – The 25 year old Santos has been on a tear since his last loss in 2011 to Carlo Prater, winning 9 in a row. He made his Titan debut against UFC vet Alvin Robinson and won by TKO. His second Titan fight was a Split Decision over Robert Washington, though seeing the fight I believe Washington won two rounds with his better wrestling.

Who Should he face next? – With injuries to Furia and Holobaugh, the title fight was given to UFC vet Steven Siler (23-13) and Bellator vet Des Green (13-3). Either he’ll fight the winner of that fight, or fight Holobaugh like he was supposed to.

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Best of the rest: Ken Hasegawa (LHW, 9-0-1), Steve Montgomery (MW, 8-2), Keith Johnson (WW, 10-3), Hayder Hassan (WW, 6-1), Felipe Portela (WW, 8-2), Belal Muhammad (WW, 6-0), Michael Graves (WW, 4-0), Cody Pfister (LW, 11-3-1), Adam Nijem (LW, 2-0), Kevin Smith (FW, 6-1), Kalvin Hackney (FW, 13-3), Aaron Neveu (FW, 8-2), Joe Barajas (FW, 10-1), Sirwan Kakai (FW, 11-2), James Jenkins (FW, 8-1), Andre Harrison (FW, 7-0), Luis Rafael Laurentino (BW, 25-0), Anthony Gutierrez (BW, 5-1), Brett Johns (BW, 10-0), Bill Friday (FLW, 5-2)

Journeymen: Dave Herman (HW, 22-6), Jon Madsen (HW, 8-1), Kalib Starnes (HW, 16-9-1), Scott Barrett (HW, 15-5), Wes Combs (HW, 20-5), Kenny Garner (HW, 14-7), Vinny Magalhaes (LHW Champ, 12-7), Jason Brilz (LHW, 22-6-1), Raphael Davis (LHW, 13-3), Matt Thompson (LHW, 19-10), Wagner Prado (LHW, 9-2), Michael Kuiper (MW, 12-4), Matt Riddle (MW, 8-3), Rick Hawn (WW, 18-4), EJ Brooks (WW, 8-3), Todd Moore (WW, 16-7), Brian Foster (WW, 22-6), Brock Jardine (WW, 9-5), Jose Figueroa (WW, 13-7), Tyler Stinson (WW, 28-10), Romario Manoel da Silva (WW, 23-12-1), Mike Ricci (WW, 10-4), Robert Washington (LW, 18-9), George Sotiropoulos (LW, 14-7), Eric Marriott (LW, 22-8), Dave Courchaine (LW, 18-6), Des Green (FW, 13-3), Miguel Torres (FW, 43-8), Lloyd Woodard (FW, 13-5), Brian Davidson (FW, 12-4), Walel Watson (BW, 13-7), Alex Soto (BW, 7-2), Austin Lyons (BW, 12-3), Nick Honstein (FLW, 16-8), Nick Mamalis (FLW, 24-10), Iliarde Santos (FLW, 27-9)

Alumni:
UFC – Walt Harris, Ben Saunders, Efrain Escudero, Jake Lindsey, Alex White, Anthony Johnson, Tom Niinimaki, James Krause, Sara McMann, Jared Rosholt, Michael Johnson, Zak Cummings
Bellator - LC Davis, Dakota Cochrane, Aaron Rosa
WSOF - Freddy Assuncao
Legacy – Mike Bronzoulis
Showdown Fights – Bristol Marunde
MFC – Kevin Croom
DEEP – Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Other – Micah Miller, Clay French, Jason High, Bobby Voelker, Rob Kimmons, Pat Healy
Retired – Jorge Gurgel, Gerald Harris, Jay Hieron, Alan Belcher

 

[Nathanli]

9. Shooto Brazil - [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil] - Just likes its Japanese counterpart, Shooto Brazil has always excelled at signing the top fighters in the lighter weight classes. They’re even one of the first promotions outside of Asia that have a mens strawweight division. Right now, their flyweight division is the best outside of the US. Shooto Brazil has done a great job of keeping capable Brazilian veterans on their roster. Most of the guys below should be expecting a call to the big show in the next year. Outside of Jungle Fight, the best Brazilians pass through Andre Pederneiras’ Shooto Brazil.

Next Event: Shooto Brazil 52

Next big thing: Felipe Froes (FW, 10-2-1) – Froes is a 22 year Nova Uniao product whose won 4 straight in Shooto Brazil. He lost his biggest test to date was against UFC fighter Douglas Silva (22-1) and a Draw against Jungle Fight Featherweight champion Renato Carneiro (8-0-1).

Who he should fight next? Fernando Bruno (15-2) is the best fight available for Froes, but they’re training partners so I doubt the fight would happen unless for a title.

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Next in line: Matheus Nicolau Pereira (FLW, 10-1) – Pereira moves to the top of the Flyweight division with the departure of teammate Alexandre Pantoja to RFA. Only 21, Pereira has finished his opponent in 7 of his 10 wins including two recent KO wins including a win over Derinaldo Guerra (17-3).

Who he should fight next? Brazil is full of Flyweights looking to get noticed. Shooto Brazil should sign one of them to fight Pereira in his next fight.

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Alternate: Nikolas Motta (FW, 6-1) – Motta is a 21 year old Nova Uniao prospect with 5 TKO finishes. He did suffer a Guillotine Submission loss to Claudio Marcelino (7-3), but has beaten 4 opponents since then.

Who he should fight next? I'm sure Motta would like a rematch with Marcelino in the near future.

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Best of the rest: Caio Alencar (HW, 7-1), Julio Cesar dos Santos (LHW, 11-3-1), Luiz Gustavo Dutra (MW, 5-1), Leandro Batata Silva (MW, 22-7), Felipe Avelar (MW, 3-1), Luiz Dutra Da Silva (WW, 5-0), Alan Francis (WW, 7-1), Thiago Oliveira (WW, 9-3), Carlos Silva (LW, 5-1), Fernando Bruno (FW, 15-2), Max Miller Alves (FW, 6-2), Maike Galvao Amorim (FW, 7-0), Felipe Jesus (FW, 5-1), Bruno Macaco (BW, 11-2), Diego Duarte (BW, 7-3), Lincoln de Sa (FLW, 12-5), Claudio Rocha (FLW, 7-2), Aliston Cordeiro (BW, 3-1), Michel Lima (BW, 5-1), Bruno Korea (FLW, 4-0), Lucas Rodrigues Melo (FLW, 6-4), Bruno Menezes (FLW, 14-5), Elielton Fernandes (FLW, 8-0), Eric dos Santos (FLW, 4-0), Bruno Suema (STW, 9-2), Gilberto Dias (STW, 15-3)

Journeymen: Jose Rodrigo Guelke (HW, 17-11), Alison Vicente (LHW, 14-11), Amilcar Alves (LHW, 14-6), Carlos Alexandre Pereira (MW, 31-10-1), Ismael de Jesus (MW, 11-4-1), Edilberto De Oliveira (WW, 26-12- 2), Luciano Azevedo (LW, 17-9-1), Erick Barbosa (LW, 15-7), Bruno Carvalho (FW,9-5), Julio Cesar de Almeida (FW, 22-10), Jurandir Sardinha (FW, 17-8-1), Bruno Menezes (BW, 12-5)

Alumni:
UFC - Valmir Lazaro, Hernani Perpetuo, Francimar Barroso, Claudia Gadelha, Jussier Formiga, Michel Prazeres, Douglas Silva de Andrade, Leonardo Santos, Caio Magalhaes, Hacran Dias, Glover Teixeira, Johnny Eduardo, John Lineker, Siyar Bahadurzada, Renan Barao, Yan Cabral, Rafael dos Anjos, Jose Aldo, Ivan Jorge, Gabriel Gonzaga, Luiz Duta, Thales Leites
Bellator - Zeilton Rodrigues, John Teixeira, Marcos Galvao, Eduardo Dantas, Luis Alberto Nogueira, Diego Nunes, Marlon Sandro, Thiago Meller
WSOF - Ronny Markes, Marlon Moraes, Alexandre Pimentel, JZ Cavalcante
RFA - Francisco France, Alexandre Pantoja, Raoni Barcelos
Other - Jose Maria Tome, Ronys Torres, Carlos Eduardo, Thiago Silva, Vitor Vianna

10. British Association Of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) - [London, England, UK] - When BAMMA opened in 2009, they seemed to have some pretty big plans to be the largest MMA promotion in the UK. They’ve lagged behind because of the surge of Cage Warriors in recent years. Many BAMMA talents moved to CWFC because they could give them more fights. BAMMA seems like a good ticket to the big show, and a place for solid British vets to pick up more wins. There’s some solid prospects here, and BAMMA has utilizing them better in the later part of this year. Lets hope 2015 is a big year for them as they continue to develop good talent. They should start to look outside of the UK and France for talent.

Next Event: BAMMA 17

Next big thing: Mansour Barnaoui (LW Champ, 11-2) – Barnaoui won the BAMMA Lightweight title, defeating UFC vets Colin Fletcher (10-4) and Curt Warburton (13-4). He has some arly losses but they were both to UFC fighters in Kevin Lee and Islam Makhachev. He was supposed to fight Michael Brightmon (13-4) and Musa Khamanaev (15-3) recently, but both fights were cancelled due to injury. Barnaoui is 22, so he should take his time getting back so he doesn’t hurt himself again in training.

Who should he face next? - Brightmon is now fighting Colin Fletcher (10-4), so Barnaoui should defend his title against the winner of that fight.

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Next in line: Tom Duquesnoy (FW, 9-1) – You wouldn’t expect the top two BAMMA talents to be of French citizenship, but that is currently the case with several names moving to UFC or Cage Warriors. Duquesnoy started 2-0 in BAMMA winning over James Saville (12-9) and Teddy Violet (8-1). His most recent fight against Ashleigh Grimshaw (16-8-1) was called a No Contest after an early accidental groin kick.

Who should he face next? – Duquesnoy and Grimshaw need to rematch. Grimshaw is a solid English veteran who was on a 6 fight win streak before this No Contest with 6 finishes.

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Alternate: Pietro Menga (FLW, 12-0) – Menga was likely the signing of the year for BAMMA. After finishing 9 of his fights mostly by Submission and winning 11 straight, Menga signed with BAMMA and made his debut against Steve McCombe. Menga has been highly touted for years in England, but mostly stayed out of major promotions.

Who should he face next? – A rematch with Rany Saadeh (7-1) for the Flyweight title is the best opponent for Menga right now. Saadeh has gone 4-0 including 3 wins in BAMMA since they first fought in 2012.

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Best of the rest: Max Nunes (MW, 13-2), Ion Pascu (MW, 9-5), Alex Montagnani (WW, 6-1-1), Shaun Taylor (WW, 7-1), Ryan Scope (WW, 9-0), Ali Arish (WW, 20-3), Walter Gahadza (WW, 14-0), Michael Brightmon (WW, 13-4), Mikael Lebout (LW, 12-3-1), Marc Diakiese (LW, 5-0), Jack Grant (LW, 7-2), Kane Mousah (LW, 6-0), Jack McGann (LW, 6-0), Kayvan Fallah (LW, 5-1), Zi Shah (FW, 6-1), Brendan Loughnane (FW, 8-1), Shay Walsh (FW, 12-3), Teddy Violet (FW, 8-1), Greg Severs (FW, 5-0), Mike Wootten (BW, 8-0), Andy Craven (FW, 4-0), Ed Arthur (BW, 4-0), Rany Saadeh (FLW, 7-1), Mahmood Besharte (FLW, 5-1)

Journeymen: Jason Jones (LHW Champ, 20-10), Oli Thompson (LHW, 12-7), Ion Pascu (MW, 9-5), Lee Chadwick (MW, 19-11-1), Andy De-Vent (MW, 11-9), Wayne Murrie (WW, 17-6-1), Eddy Ellis (WW Champ, 19-15), Colin Fletcher (LW, 10-4), Martin Stapletn (LW, 14-4) Alexei Roberts (LW, 11-6), Jefferson George (LW, 5-4), Ashleigh Grimshaw (FW, 16-8-1)

Alumni:
UFC - Leon Edwards, Scott Askham, Tom Watson, Jimi Manuwa, Erik Perez, Danny Mitchell, Leonardo Santos, Claudio Henrique, Gunnar Nelson, Phil Harris, Alan Omer
Bellator - Gzim Selmani, Paul Daley, Rob Sinclair, Eugene Fadiora
Cage Warriors - Harry Mcleman, Jim Wallhead, Curt Warburton, Che Mills, Simeon Thoresen
Other – Marcin Lazarz
Retired - Seth Petruzelli, War Machine

 

[Nathanli]

11. Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) - [Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA] - It takes time to build up prospects. CFFC has done a fantastic job doing this since returning to doing shows in 2011. They ran 5 shows in 2006 and 2007 and then went on a hiatus. Since coming back, they’ve done 26 shows and have several more planned the rest of the year. They promote themselves as the biggest regional promotion in the world. They’re doing a good job on the east coast, but I feel have a ways to go before they take on the world. They did just buy the XFE promotion that did shows in Central/Eastern Pennsylvania and that will help them expand. I still think they have a better roster than other orgs in the region such as ROC and CES.

Next Event: Cage Fury Fighting Championship 44

Next big thing: Darrell Horcher (LW, 10-1) – Horcher has a lot of experience against mid-level MMA fighters, earnings wins over veterans like Terrell Hobbs, EJ Brooks, Chris Liguori, and Alex Ricci. Since going 2-1 in Bellator including a decision loss to TUF runner up Phillipe Nover, Horcher has gone 3-0 in Cage Fury FC. His next win should be for the title Paul Felder vacated to fight in UFC.

Who should he face next? – There’s several promising young Lightweights in the promotion that would love to fight for the next title. Hot off the heels of a win over Jonathan DelBrugge (5-2), Jordan Stiner (9-1) would be a great opponent to fight for a title. Also options are Joey Rivera (8-1) and Jeff Smith (11-2).

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Next in line: Jonavin Webb (WW Champ, 7-0) – A Renzo Gracie fighter, Webb has fought his entire career inside CFFC. He’s been able to finish 5 of his 7 fighters including a TKO win over UFC veteran Daniel Stittgen (9-5) which won him the Welterweight title.

Who should he face next? – Webb will know if he’s ready for a call up after his rematch with former Bellator champ and short-term TUF vet Lyman Good (16-3). Good had a tough run after winning the Bellator Welterweight title. He was able to beat solid fighters like Jim Wallhead and Michail Tsarev, but lost to the elite Bellator Welterweights in Ben Askren, Rick Hawn, and Andrey Koreshkov. Their first fight was ruled a No Contest after an accidental eye poke.

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Alternate: Alexandre ‘Popo’ Bezerra (FW Champ, 17-3) – Bellator made a bad move letting go of Bezerra. After going 7-2 in the promotion and decision losses to Mike Richman and Marlon Sandro, he was cut. At 27, he still has plenty of time to improve, and it seems to already be paying off because he beat highly touted Georgian prospect Levan Makashvili (8-1) in his last fight for his Featherweight title.

Who should he face next? – He’s rematching Makashvili at CFFC 44 on December 5th. It’s a good fight, and the winner should get some big fights from it.

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Current talent to watch for: Tim Williams (MW Champ, 10-1), Duane Bastress (MW, 7-2), Dervin Lopez (LW, 7-2), Joey Rivera (WW, 8-1), Ryan Patrovich (WW, 2-0), Brett Martinez (LW, 6-2), Mike Pope (LW, 4-1), Jordan Stiner (LW, 9-1), Jonathan Delbrugge (LW, 5-2), Jeff Smith (LW, 11-2), Jared Gordon (LW, 3-0), Stephen Regman (LW, 3-1), Levan Makashvili (FW, 8-1), Bill Algeo (FW, 6-2), Shane Burgos (FW, 5-0), Jimmie Rivera (BW, 15-1), Ricky Bandejas (BW, 3-0), Darren Mima (FLW, 5-2), Travis Wynn (FLW, 6-1), Evan Velez (FLW 7-2)

Journeymen: Lewis Rumsey (HW, 11-10), Plinio Cruz (HW Champ, 7-5), Azunna Anyanwu (HW, 7-3), Ronald Stallings (MW 12-6), Daniel Stittgen (WW, 9-5), Lyman Good (WW, 16-3), Alex Ricci (LW, 8-3), Kenny Foster (FW, 11-8), Andy Main (FW, 9-2), Gabriel Solorio (FW, 11-7), Scott Heckman (FW, 18-6), Lester Caslow (FW, 12-9), Anthony Durnell (BW, 14-5), Claudio Ledesma (FLW, 9-5), Sidemar Honorio (FLW, 9-5),

Alumni:
UFC - Paul Felder, Aljamain Sterling, George Sullivan, Zach Makovsky, Jim Miller, Dan Miller, John Howard
WSOF – Katlyn Chookagian, Troy Gerhart, Artur Rofi, Ozzy Dugulubgov
Titan FC - Sean Santella, Nick Honstein, Des Green
Pancrase – Andy Main
Bellator - Nah-Shon Burrell
CES MMA - Emmanuel Walo

12. Pancrase - [Tokyo, Japan] - Late last year, it was announced Pancrase would start doing co-promotional shows with WSOF. Pancrase also moved from their classic ring to a cage and took unified rules. There have been a lot of changes lately in the Japanese MMA scene, as interest is at an all-time low. So maybe it’s time for some changes in an eastern promotion with a lot of history. Their recent cards seem a lot more organized than past shows. They haven’t always done the best job of building up talent. Now that they’ll have the unified rules, they won’t have so many Draws. With the wests greater interest in Asia, and more fighters being distributed across the continent, expect to see more of these guys on future major asian shows. It’s up in the air the co-promoted show between WSOF and Pancrase will happen.

Next Event: Pancrase 263

Next big thing: Isao Kobayashi (FW, LW Champ, 16-1-4) – And people say Japan doesn’t have any good fighters anymore. 25 year old Kobayashi has finished 11 of his 16 wins, most recently TKOing UFC vet Kuniyoshi Hironaka and defeating Takeshi Inoue. He’s also 1-1 against former One FC champ Koji Oishi (25-9-10) and has a win over UFC vet Kazuki Tokudome (12-5-1).

Who should he face next? – There isn’t too much left for Kobayashi in Japan, but his move to Featherweight could give him some more fights. The biggest fight for him would be Shinya Aoki (36-6) at 145 or 155 but it’s more likely for Kobayashi to fight in the States at some point.

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Next in line: Gota Yamashita (WW Champ, 9-2) – Wish Shintaro Ishiwataris loss to Jonathan Brookins, Yamashita takes a steps up. Yamashita has done pretty well since joining Pancrase, going 6-1-1 in his time there. He won his biggest fight to date against Akihiro Murayama (15-6-9) winning the Welterweight King of Pancrase.

Who should he face next? – He’s defending his title against longtime MMA veteran Yuki Kondo (57-28-9) at Pancrase 263 on December 6th. Kondo is on his biggest win streak in years. Kondo would be a good win for Yamashita.

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Alternate: Juntaro Ushiku (FW, 10-2) – 19 year old Ushiku has been on a tear in Pancrase, going 8-0 since July of 2013. He’s young, so there’s no rush to put him against the best fighters in Pancrase. He also may need to get some more finishes if he expects to get better noticed outside Japan.

Who should he face next? – He’s fighting Tadahiro Harada (10-4) at Pancrase 263 on December 6th.

(No fights on Youtube)

Current talent to watch for: Kota Shimoishi (LW, 12-3), Yusuke Kawango (FW, 13-3-2), Juntaro Ushiku (FW, 10-2-1), Sho Kogane (FW, 7-2), Andy Main (FW, 9-2), Hiroyuki Oshiro (FW, 5-1), Shintaro Ishiwatari (BW, 18-6-4), Taichi Nakajima (BW, 9-3-1), Yuki Kosada (BW,13-5-2), Hiroki Yamashita (FLW, 5-1), Yukitaka Musashi (STW, 6-1-1), Kento Kanbe (STW, 7-0), Masatatsu Ueda (STW, 3-0-1)

Journeymen: Ryo Kawamura (MW, 16-9-4), Ikkei Nagamura (MW, 11-5-2), Akihiro Maruyama (WW, 15-6-9), Yuki Kondo (WW, 57-28-9), Kenta Takagi (WW, 12-8), Eiji Ishikawa (WW, 26-20-3), Yoichiro Sato (WW, 15-6), Satoru Kitaoka (LW, 34-13-9), Richie Whitson (LW, 12-6), Yoshihiro Koyama (LW, 19-7-2), Guy Delumeau (FW, 19-9-3), Akitoshi Tamura (FW, 18-15-2), Yuki Baba (FW, 11-5), Jonathan Brookins (BW, 15-7), Shunichi Shimizu (FLW, 28-11-10), Atsushi Yamamoto (FLW, 17-8-3), Mitsuhisa Sunabe (FLW, 22-7-4), Yasuke Kitago (FLW, 13-8-1), Yasutaka Koga (FLW, 9-3-1)

Alumni (2004-Present):
UFC - Rin Nakai, Shinsho Anzai, Takenori Sato, Naoyuki Kotani, Kiichi Kunimoto, Maximo Blanco, Stanislav Nedkov, Rafael dos Anjos, Chan Sung Jung, Carlos Condit, Nate Marquardt
DEEP - Emi Fujino, Satoru Kitaoka, Yoshiro Maeda
Bellator – Nam Phan, Marlon Sandro, Rob Emerson
One FC - Koji Oishi, Tatsuya Mizuno
Road FC - Takasuke Kume, Riki Fukuda
WSOF - Mike Kyle
Other – Kazuki Tokudome, Kensaku Nakamura, Thiago Silva, Ivan Menjivar

 

[Nathanli]

13. Ring Of Combat (ROC) - [Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA] - Historically, ROC was the best place to find talent on the east coast. Almost every top guy from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania started in ROC. In recent years, the rise of other top east coast promotion, Cage Fury Fighting Championships, has made it harder for ROC to sign top shelf talent. They seem to share some guys, so some must not be under exclusive contract. They still have a lot of solid guys fighting for them that will be fighting in other promotions eventually. Their champions are ones to watch out for. ROC would be higher on the list if they were doing more shows. They seem to be in a rebuilding stage at the moment.

Next Event: Ring Of Combat 50

Next big thing: Julio Arce (BW Champ, 6-0) – Arce has made quick work of the lighter weight fighters within ROC, already going 4-0 there. While his opponents haven’t been elite, Arce has shown flashes of brilliance in both his striking and ground game. Training with fighters like Lyman Good, Jimmie Rivera, and Uriah Hall at Tiger Schulmann should definitely help.

Who should he face next? – He’s fighting Kenny Foster (11-8) at ROC 50 on January 23rd.

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Next in line: Frankie Perez (LW, 9-1) – Perez was the number 1 ROC prospect on my list before his lost his ROC Lightweight title in a Split Decision to current UFC fighter Chris Wade. Since the Wade fight, he fought Renzo Gracie fighter Tom Marcellino (7-3) to a Unanimous Decision in WSOF.

Who should he face next? – He’s fighting George Sheppard (LW, 16-9) for the vacant ROC Lightweight title since Wade has moved on to UFC.

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Alternate: Gregor Gillespie (LW, 3-0) – His record might not look like much, but Gillespie is the real deal. Gillespie joins a very elite group of 4 time NCAA All American wrestlers who have joined the MMA ranks including Lance Palmer, Phil Davis, Johny Hendricks, Ben Askren, Cole Konrad, Jake Rosholt, Steve Mocco, and Josh Koscheck. A lot of wrestlers who join MMA don't have very good striking, but he's already shown he can knock people out as well as submit them. So far he's finished all 3 of his opponents in the first round. In his most recent fight, he defeated CageSport vet Justin Harrington (6-2) by Arm-triangle choke in the first round. He should fight for a title very shortly.

Who should he face next? – He's fighting east coast veteran Terrell Hobbs (9-7) at ROC 50 On January 23rd.

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Current talent to watch for: Justin Woods (HW, 4-1), Oluwale Bamgbose (MW, 3-0), Randall Brown (WW, 2-0), Frankie Perez (LW, 9-1), Max Bohanan (LW, 2-0), Gregor Gillespie (FW, 3-0), Leo Muniz (BW, 3-0), Jimmy Grant (FLW, 5-3), Matt Rizzo (FLW, 7-2), Jenna Serio (STW, 1-0)

Journeymen: Brendan Barett (HW, 10-6-1), Elijah Harshbarger (WW, 7-4), Pete Sell (WW, 10-6), George Sheppard (LW, 15-9), Phillipe Nover (LW, 9-5-1), Jeff Lentz (FW, 9-4-1), Terrell Hobbs (FW, 9-7), Sean Santella (FLW, 13-4-1)

Alumni:
UFC - Chris Wade, Keith Berish, Ryan Laflare, Elias Silverio, Uriah Hall, Al Iaquinta, Costa Philippou, Gian Villante, Chris Weidman, George Sullivan, Louis Gaudinot, Edson Barboza, Rafael Natal, John Howard, Charlie Brenneman, Nick Catone, Jim Miller, Dan Miller, Frankie Edgar, Josh Koscheck, Eddie Alvarez
CFFC - Levan Makashvili, Jimmie Rivera, Andy Main, Lyman Good
Bellator - Liam McGeary, Tom DeBlass, Marcos Galvao
Titan FC - Andre Harrison, James Jenkins
WSOF - David Branch
Invicta - Munah Holland
MFC - Tom Gallicchio
Retired - Jay Hieron

14. Pacific Xtreme Combat (PXC) - [Mangilao, Guam] - PXC seems to be the next promotion to watch in Asia. They have done their best to try and not overpay for PRIDE and other Asian MMA vets and have strictly signed some of the best fighters from the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and Asia. If they can stick to what they do best, they’ll be one of the better organizations in the region. They’ve recently been a hotbed for UFC signings in the Pacific.

Next Event: Hasn’t been announced yet.

Next big thing: Frank Camacho (LW, 12-2) – Camacho took a 4 year hiatus from MMA between 2009 and 2013, since then he’s 2-0 and recently won a decision over UFC and DEEP vet Keita Nakamura (26-6-2 1NC). He’s put himself right back in the mix in PXC and is only 25. His last loss came in 2007 at the age of 18.

Who should he face next? – Inexplicably, Chuji Kato (6-1-1) fought for the title and won it at PXC 46. He wasn’t even on my radar, but Camacho would be a good first defense for Kato.

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Next In line: Alex Volkanovski (LW, 9-1) – Volkanovski is currently one of the best prospects out of Australia. His one loss is to Australian FC Welterweight champion Corey Nelson (16-5-1) who is no slouch himself. Despite that, he has finishes over Anton Zafir (6-1), Rodolfo Marquez Diniz (16-4), and Jai Bradney (15-10-1). In 2014, he’s gone 5-0.

Who he should face next? – He could easily fight for the Lightweight title, I thought Camacho-Volkanovski was a great title fight, but they gave Chuji Kato a title shot instead and he won the title. Now either of them will have to be the first opponent for Kato while the other fights some middling Pacific Islander.

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Alternate: Zebaztian Kadestam (WW Champ, 6-1) – Based out of Thailand, but from Sweden, Kadestam has quietly won 4 fights in PXC and defeated Welterweight champion Josh Calvo. He also has a win over Elite XC/DREAM vet Ross Ebanez. If he were to get picked up, he could be promoted for fights on two different continents.

Who he should face next? - Asian Welterweight veteran

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Best of the rest: Josh Calvo (WW, 8-4), Chuji Kato (LW Champ, 6-1-1), Kyle Reyes (FW, 5-3), Jang Yong Kim (FW, 8-5-1), Yusuke Yachi (FW, 12-4), Wesley Pereira (FW, 5-2), Shane Alvarez (BW, 10-2), Rolando Gabriel Dy Navarette (BW, 5-3), Kyle Aguon (BW Champ, 8-4), Vince Masga (BW, 5-1), Roman Alvarez (BW, 3-0), Mark Abelardo (BW, 8-3), Ale Cali (FLW, 5-3), Ernesto Montilla (FLW, 4-3), Cristiano Pitpitunge (FLW, 7-3), Shane Alvarez (FLW, 10-1), Roy Doliguez (STW, 6-1), Cortney Casey (WSTW, 3-1), Gina Iniong (WATW, 3-2), Brogan Walker (WSTW, 1-0)

Journeymen: Darren Uyenoyama (FLW, 9-5), Alvin Cacdac (FLW Champ, 15-10), Rambaa Somdet (FLW, 12-3)

Alumni:
UFC - Kailin Curran, Roldan Songcha'an, Louis Smolka, Michinori Tanaka, Dustin Kimura, Wang Sai, Russell Doane, Jon Delos Reyes, Hyun Gyu Lim, Jon Tuck, Roy Nelson
One FC - Eugene Toquero, Geje Eustaquio, Kelvin Fitial
Bellator - Joe Taimanglo
WSOF - Danillo Villefort
RFA – JJ Ambrose
Road FC – Yoon Jun Lee
Other - Will Chope

 

[Nathanli]

15. Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) - [Lemoore, California, USA] - Most of the talent we’ve seen out of Northern California have fought out of Tachi or in its previous form, Palace Fighting Championship. In past years, all it took was a fight or two with them and you’d find yourself on the undercard of some Strikeforce or WEC card. These days, it takes a few more fights to get your shot at the big leagues. Tachi was the home of the Flyweight division in the USA until UFC started doing fights at 125. Tachi lost a lot of their top talent because of that, but they still have quite a few mainstays with solid records that haven’t had their opportunity to fight top tier talent. In recent years, they’ve been specializing in the lighter weight classes.

Next Event: It has yet to be announced.

Next big thing: Max Griffin (WW Champ, 10-1) – Chances are if you go on a winning streak and you’re a fighter from California, you’re going to be elevated to the next level. When your home town is the fighting hub that is Sacramento, your chances only increase. Griffin may have already made it to the next level had he not lost trying to get into the TUF 16 house against Matt Secor or lost a Split Decision to Bellator vet Justin Baesman. Since then though, he’s won 6 straight over the likes of Kito Andrews, Waachiim Spiritwolf, Buddy Wallace, and Ricky Legere. That’s about as legit a resume as you’re going to get on the California regional scene.

Who should he fight next? – He’s ready for the next level, I don’t know who he could fight next in the California regional scene.

http://www.sherdog.com/videos/video...dall-Wallace-From-Tachi-Palace-Fights-19-6269 (His fight is on Sherdog and not Youtube)

Next in line: Alex Perez (FLW, 11-2) – Perez has been a part of Tachi for quite a while, and you may recognize him from one of his 8 appearances with the promotion. After an early 2 fight slide, he’s won 8 straight, including 5 finishes.

Who should he face next? – He was supposed to fight Hector Sandoval (8-2) for the Tachi Flyweight title, but Perez got hurt and was replaced by Willie Gates (11-4) who ended up beating Sandoval for the title. So Gates-Perez is the likely fight.

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Alternate: Rolando Velasco (BW, 10-2) – Velasco was around for the early days of Palace Fighting Championship, and even won a fight against UFC vet Darren Uyenoyama. He later went on the first slide of his career that included a TKO loss to UFC fighter Chris Cariaso. He took 3 years off after that and has won 5 straight with 4 submission wins since 2012 with wins over Carson Beebe and Antonio Duarte.

Who should he face next? – With Joe Soto moving on to UFC, BAMMA USA Bantamweight champion Terrion Ware (12-3) would be a good opponent for him to fight for the title. Ware would have to defeat Jared Papazian (18-11) at BAMMA USA Badbeat 14 in order for that to happen though.

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Best of the rest: Josue Lugo (HW, 4-1), Adrian Diaz (LW, 7-3-1), Dominic Clark (LW, 7-4), Mario Soto (FW, 6-1), Castle Williams (BW, 2-0), Hector Sandoval (FLW, 8-2), Tommy Vargas (FLW, 9-2), Willie Gates (FLW Champ, 11-4)

Journeymen: Angel DeAnda (LHW, 12-4), Nate Loughran (WW, 11-2) , Ricky Legere (WW, 19-6), Sevak Magakian (LW, 13-6-1), Eddie Yagin (FW, 16-6-1), Art Arciniega (FW, 14-4), Chris Culley (FW, 17-11), Isaac Dejesus (FW, 12-7), Alexander Crispim (FW, 8-6), Antonio Banuelos (FLW, 20-11-1), Anthony Figueroa (FLW, 10-7)

Alumni:
UFC - Christos Giagos, Joe Soto, Cain Carrizosa, Joby Sanchez, Jack May, Russell Doane, Cody Gibson, Andre Fili, Darrell Montague, Francisco Rivera, Jussier Formiga, Ian McCall, Fabricio Camoes, Alan Jouban, Seth Baczynski, Michael McDonald, Chad Mendes, Sarah Kaufman, Evan Dunham, Phil Davis, Joseph Benavidez, Glover Teixeira, Danny Castillo, Mark Munoz, Rani Yahya
Bellator - Poppies Martinez, Georgi Karakhanyan, Bubba Jenkins, Javy Ayala, John Alessio, Doug Marshall, Lavar Johnson
WSOF - Brian Cobb
WFC - David Mitchell, Jeremiah Labiano
RFA - Ulysses Gomez
BAMMA USA - Terrion Ware
Fight Time - Alexis Vila
Other – Buddy Wallace, Diego Saraiva
Retired - Cyrille Diabate

16. Australian Fighting Championship (AFC) - [Melbourne, Victoria, Australia] - AFC hasn’t done too many shows a year, but it seems that they’re pushing to be the elite place to fight in Australia. Every couple years there seems to be a new promotion there that fills the hole of the last one. AFC looks like they’re here to stay. Here’s hoping they can build up more guys. If they do want to be the top place to fight in Australia, they need to grab some more fighters with solid records from promotions like Nitro, BRACE, and Eternal.

Next Event: AFC 11

Next big thing: Nick Patterson (LW, 14-4) – The 31 year old Patterson has been fighting professionally for about 6 years now and he’s reaching the point of no return as far as a prospect goes. That’s not to say he hasn’t been impressive since his last loss to UFC vet Daniel Hooker. Since the loss in August of 2013, he’s gone 3-0 including a win over another UFC vet in Bernardo Magalhaes (13-4).

Who should he face next? – Patterson is headlining the Hex Fight Series 1 event on December 6th against undefeated American Steve Orosco (7-0). Orosco has an impressive 7 finishes, but all under the suspect matchmaking Xplode Fight Series banner in California. With Alex Volkanovski moving to PXC, there aren’t a lot of good opponents for him with the exception of Nitro MMA Lightweight champion Isaac Tisdell (6-2) or if George Sotiropoulos (14-7) decides to fight in his home country again.

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Next in line: Gustavo Falciroli (BW, 14-4-2) – Falciroli isn't much of a prospect anymore at 31, but he's still very signable. He's an experienced Bantamweight fighter with wins over UFC fighter Richie Vaculik and Titan Flyweight Nick Honstein. Most of his losses are respectable including his most recent loss in 2012 to One FC bantamweight champ Bibiano Fernandes.

Who should he face next? – Falciroli should take whatever Bantamweight fights he can get in Asia or Australia or go to the states to fight.

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Best of the rest: Maui Tuigamala (MW, 4-0), Steven Kennedy (MW, 15-6), Kael Coster (WW, 3-0), Callan Potter (WW, 7-3), Nick Patterson (LW, 13-4-1), Rodolfo Marques Diniz (FW, 16-4-1)

Journeymen: Joe Muir (MW, 10-4), Bernardo Magalhaes (LW, 13-4), Kieran Joblin (LW, 7-6)

Alumni:
UFC - Daniel Kelly, Daniel Hooker, Soa Palelei, Richie Vaculik, Bec Rawlings, Hector Lombard, Dylan Andrews
One FC - Corey Nelson, Rob Lisita
Bellator - Marcin Held
PXC - Alex Volkanovski
Invicta - Jesse Rose Clark
Other - Peter Graham, Jesse Taylor, Richie Whitson

 

[Nathanli]

17. DEEP - [Tokyo, Japan] - One Asian promotion that has never overdone it is DEEP. They’ve stayed consistent and have stuck by their talent even after stints in other major orgs. There’s a good mix of up and coming and veteran talent and they seem to be doing a good job matching them up against eachother. With the purchase of Jewels last year, which is the largest female MMA promotion in Japan, they’ve acquired even more talent. There’s plenty of talent left in Japan, it just seems like its spread throughout several different promotions. They should work to continue building on the Jewels brand and making it the premier place for Womens MMA in Asia before One FC does it.

Next Event: DEEP 70 Impact

Next big thing: Yuki Motoya (FLW, 12-4) – Motoya has been a force in DEEP for the past couple years. After starting his career out 3-3, he went 9-1 in his next 10 including a win over the last person that beat him in Tatsumitsu Wada. He now holds their Flyweight title. He also earned wins over veterans Masakazu Imanari and Yoshiro Maeda and the next person on this list, Yuya Shibata.

Who should he fight next? –Motoya will be fighting on December 31st in the DEEP Dream Impact. A rematch with Yuya Shibata (10-2) may be imminent, but it’ll have to take place next year.

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Next in line: Yuya Shibata (FLW, 10-2) – 22 year old Shibata isn’t going to be a threat to any elite fighters yet but definitely could be one day. Since his last loss to Yuki Motoya, he’s won 4 straight including a win over Flyweight King of Pancrase Yasutaka Koga (9-3).

Who should he fight next? – A rematch with Yuki Motoya (12-4) could end up happening soon. The two are the best Flyweights in DEEP at the moment. But in the meantime, he’s fighting Kiyotaka Shimizu (15-9-3) on December 31st at the DEEP Dream Impact.

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Best of the rest: Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (MW, 15-3), Yoshiyuki Katahira (MW, 9-1-2), Yuta Watanabe (WW, 18-5-4), Keita Nakamura (WW, 28-6-2), Naoto Miyazuki (LW, 11-3-3), Yusuaki Kishimoto (LW, 16-6-2), Kimihiro Eto (LW, 6-0), Kota Shimoishi (LW, 13-3), Takahiro Ashida (FW, 13-3-2), Kleber Koike Erbst (FW, 15-3-1), Hiroto Uesako (FW, 9-4), Kenjiro Takahashi (FW, 8-3), Koichi Ishizuka (BW, 8-1-1), Harushige Shinokawa (BW, 12-5-2), Haruo Ochi (FLW, 11-4-1), Shizuka Sugiyama (WBW, 12-4-1), Naho Sugiyama (WAW, 10-4), Ayaka Hamasaki (WAW, 10-1), Yuko Oya (W105, 8-4) Mina Kurobe (W105, 4-0)

Journeymen: Ryuta Sakurai (MW, 24-19-6), Kazuhiro Nakamura (MW, 21-12), Young Choi (MW, 18-10-2), Yuya Shirai (WW, 24-13-2), Jutaro Nakao (WW, 25-18-4), Satoru Kitaoka (LW, 34-13-9), Ken Hamamura (LW, 21-10-5), Luiz Andrade (LW 17-16-4), Yukinari Tamura (LW, 15-10-8), Yoichi Fukumoto (LW, 15-9-1), Shigetoshi Iwase (LW, 13-16-4), Daisuke Nakamura (LW, 27-15-1), Hiroki Aoki (LW, 15-9-1), Michihiro Omigawa (FW, 14-14-1), Kazunori Yokota (FW, 21-5-3), Mizuto Hirota (FW, 16-7-1), Takafumi Otsuka (BW, 18-12-1), Kenji Osawa (BW, 20-11-2), Daiki Hata (BW, 17-9-7), Toshiaki Kiatda (BW, 17-7-4), Seiji Akao (BW, 18-9-3), Hiroshi Nakamura (BW, 16-7-4), Masakazu Imanari (FLW, 28-14-2), Tatsumitsu Wada (FLW, 11-8-2), Yoshiro Maeds (FLW, 30-15-5), Takayo Hashi (WFLW, 15-4-1), Emi Fujino (WSTW, 14-8), Mei Yamaguchi (WAW, 12-7-1), Satoko Shinashi (WAW, 30-2-2), Saori Ishioka (WAW, 13-8),

Alumni:
UFC – Seo Hee Ham, Masanori Kanehara, Yuta Sasaki, Katsunori Kikuno, Doo Ho Choi, Chan Sung Jung, Dong Hyun Kim, Hector Lombard, Gegard Mousasi, Nick Ring, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Road FC - A Sol Kwon, Minowaman, Riki Fukuda, Michihiro Omigawa
Invicta - Takayo Hashi (split-time), Ayaka Hamasaki (split-time), Mizuki Inoue (split-time)
Titan FC - Ken Hasegawa, Yoshiyuki Yoshida
One FC - Shinya Aoki
Bellator - Christian M'Pumbu
PXC - Darren Uyenoyama
Other – Hayoto Suzuki, Yoshifumi Nakamura, Milton Vieira, Paulo Filho
Retired - Kazuo Misaki, Miku Matsumoto, Cyrile Diabate, Mike Brown

18. Classic Entertainment and Sports MMA (CES MMA) - [Providence, Rhode Island, USA] - CES is emerging as the place to fight in New England. More and more of their fighters will begin to be noticed and more camps in the area will send their top talent to fight for CES. They made their AXS debut at CES 25 and signed a deal with them for their 2015 shows. Yes, they’re also the current home of ‘Let me bang, bro’ Julian Lane.

Next Event: CES MMA 27

Next big thing: Andre Soukhamthath (BW, 8-2) – Soukhamthath has made himself into a star for CES and will be one of their headliners going forward. He would’ve been signed by now had he not lost a decision to Bellator fighter Kin Moy. Other than that fight though, Soukhamthath has 8 wins in the CES cage and 7 finishes.

Who he should fight next? – Anyone that’s available on the east coast that will give Soukhamthath a good fight. He’s fighting on January 30th at CES MMA 27, but no opponent announced yet.

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Next in line: Gil de Freitas (WW, 17-5) – While Gil de Freitas suffered a few losses in Jungle Fights to UFC fighters Erick Silva and Wendell Marques, he’s looked good in his fights since moving to the states including a TKO win over TUF vet Chuck O’Neil (14-6).

Who should he fight next? A rematch with Chuck O’Neil (14-6) may be in the cards after O’Neil has won 3 straight since they last met and won the CES Welterweight title. O'Neil is fighting CFFC/WSOF vet Emmanuel Walo (7-1) for his Welterweight title first.

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Current talent to watch for: Harley Beekman (MW, 7-2), Eric Spicely (MW, 5-0), Emmanuel Walo (WW, 7-1) Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (LW, 5-0), Saul Almeida (LW, 17-5), Lewis Corapi (LW, 6-0), Josh Laberge (LW, 9-4), Julian Lane (LW Champ, 8-3-1), Lucas Cruz (LW, 7-2), Kyle Bochniak (FW, 3-0), Matt Doherty (BW, 3-1), Billy Giovanella (FLW, 8-2)

Journeymen: Greg Rebello (LHW, 17-6), Chuck O’Neil (WW, 14-6), Ricardo Funch (WW, 8-5), Aaron Johnson (WW, 13-9), Luis Felix (LW, 11-8), Gemiyale Adkins (LW, 9-8), George Sheppard (LW, 15-9)

Alumni:
UFC - Charles Rosa, Tateki Matsuda, Rob Font, John Howard, Sean Soriano
Bellator - Kin Moy, Josh Diekmann, Brennan Ward, Mike Mucitelli
WSOF - Dan Lauzon
Titan FC - Matt Thompson
Other - David Loiseau
Retired - John Johnston, Drew Fickett, Dave Bautista

 

[Nathanli]

19. Shooto/Vale Tudo Japan- [Tokyo, Japan] - Another Japanese promotion that has been around forever, Shooto has recently gotten to the back of the line when it comes to top promotions in Asia. They still have a solid roster of Japanese talent, but One FC and others have been able to scoop up their talent. Their Brazilian counterpart has excelled in their region while this one has stalled. This is mainly due to so many promotions in Asia specializing in the lighter weight classes. If DEEP, Shooto, and Pancrase were to put their fighters together, you would have a really deep and dynamic roster. But that will never happen, so they will all get their talents picked off eventually. They do have the deepest Men’s Strawweight division in the world though, so they have that going for them. Vale Tudo Japan is owned by Shooto, so they were added to the list. VTJ was briefly linked with UFC to work on tournaments that differed from their ultimate fighter series. That seems to have fallen through.

Next Event: Shooto The Rookie Tournament Final 2014

Next big thing: Yoshifumi Nakamura (FW, 17-5) – Nakamura is one of the more promising prospects Shooto has to offer. While anyone with 22 fights can hardly be considered a prospect, at 26, he looks like he has plenty still in the gas tank. Since the beginning of 2013, he’s been 6-1 with his only loss to Taiki Tsuchiya (10-5). The thing holding him back the most is his 13 decision wins.

Who he should fight next? – Caol Uno (32-16-5) is the best fight he can get at 145 in Shooto. With Uno trying to get back into the world picture at 145, it could be a good fight for both of them.

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Next in line: Hiromasa Ogikubo (FLW, 13-3-2) – Ogikubo has reinvented himself at Flyweight. After a solid few years at Bantamweight, he came up with some good wins, but his two biggest fights to former Bellator champion Eduardo Dantas and UFC Flyweight prospect Kyoji Horiguchi ended in Submission losses. He moved down to Flyweight for the VTJ Flyweight championship and beat all 3 opponents including a Decision win to Czar Sklavos in the finals.

Who he should fight next? After the tournament, Ogikubo is among the best Flyweights in Japan. If he stays in VTJ/Shooto, a fight against Yuta Nezu (17-7-1) might be next. Otherwise he’ll sign with UFC now that VTJ has the deal with them.

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Best of the rest: Yuki Kawana (LW, 7-0-4), Yusuke Kasuya (LW, 8-1-2), Nobumitsu Osawa (LW, 8-2), Yutaka Saito (FW, 8-1-2), Koji Watanabe (FW, 6-2), Yuta Nezu (BW, 17-7-1), Kota Onojima (BW, 9-4-1), Yusaku Nakamura (BW, 8-4-1), Daichi Takenaka (BW, 4-0-1), Takashi Soya (FLW, 6-1), Takeshi Kasugai (FLW, 13-3-1), Ken Asuka (STW, 7-0), Yoshitaka Naito (STW, 8-0), Shinya Murofushi (STW, 10-4-1),

Journeymen: Yoshihiro Koyama (LW, 18-7-2), Caol Uno (FW, 32-16-5), Hiroyuki Takayam (FW, 19-11-2), Akiyo Nishiura (FW, 13-8-1), Takumi Nakayama (FW, 19-14-6), Taiki Tsuchiya (FW, 10-5), Shoko Sato (BW, 21-13-2), Ryuichi Miki (FLW, 16-7-4), Masaaki Sugawara (FLW, 15-10-1), Mamoru Yamaguchi (FLW, 27-9-4)

Alumni (2009-Present):
One FC - Kosuke Suzuki, Kentaro Watanabe, Kotetsu Boku, Shinichi Kojima, Yasuhiro Urushitani, Masakatsu Ueda
UFC - Yuta Sasaki, Kyoji Horiguchi, Michinori Tanaka, Hatsu Hioki, Jussier Formiga, Takanori Gomi
Road FC - Mikihito Yamagami, Takasuke Kume, Bae Yong Kwon, Issei Tamura
Pancrase - Shintaro Ishiwatari, Guy Delumeau
DEEP - Yuya Shibata, Mizuto Hirota
PXC - Darren Uyenoyama, Yusuke Yachi
Bellator - Eduardo Dantas
AFC - Gustavo Falciroli
Retired - Megumi Fujii

20. Maximum Fighting Championships (MFC) - [Edmonton, Alberta, Canada] - MFC has been a mainstay of western Canada for over a decade. They’ve brought in several names from the USA and been a solid place for regional Canadian talent. They don’t do as many shows as some of the other promotions, as they do about three a year. They seem to like picking up talent from UFCs Ultimate Fighter show with mixed success. They’re also not very good at holding on to talent, and every major name they’ve fallen upon has moved somewhere in the US, likely UFC. It remains a good place to get noticed, as several of their recent champs have been picked up.

Next Event: MFC 42

Next big thing: Shane Campbell (LW, 7-2) – Campbell hasn't fought much since his 2013 loss to Jesse Ronson, but if he stays active in MFC, he could be in line for a title fight fairly soon. He's 2-0 since joining MFC with two TKO victories. His most recent win was against prospect Marcus Edwards (8-3). With how hard it is to find Canadian talent, Campbell will be one to watch.

Who should he face next? – He’s getting passed over for a title shot against Tom Gallicchio (19-8) by the other guy on this list, Andrew McInnes (5-1). Campbell should definitely fight the winner.

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Next in line: Andrew McInnes (LW, 5-1) – McInnes has been very good on ground so far in his career. With 5 straight submission wins including a Gogoplata, McInnes shouldn’t slow down. He di suffer a loss to TUF winner Chad Laprise in his first fight, but has since been doing great. He doesn’t have a lot of experience, but he beat a tough veteran in Ryan Healy (25-14-1) in his last fight.

Who should he face next? – He’s fighting Tom Gallicchio (19-8) for the MFC Lightweight title at MFC 42 on January 23rd. Gallcchio has done well so far in MFC with two submission wins over former Lightweight champ Kurt Southern.

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Best of the rest: Jeremy Osheim (LHW, 6-0), Miles Anstead (MW, 5-0), Cody Krahn (MW, 14-9), Marcus Edwards (LW, 8-3), Mukai Maromo (LW, 8-4), Graham Spencer (FW, 10-1), Jesse Brock (BW, 18-8), Kyle Oliveira (FLW, 3-1)

Journeymen: Victor Valimaki (LHW, 18-8), Tom Gallicchio (LW, 19-8), Kurt Southern (LW, 13-5)

Alumni:
UFC - Anthony Birchak, Anthony Hamilton, Sean O'Connell, Sam Alvey, Dhiego Lima, Ryan Jimmo, Kajan Johnson, Sheldon Westcott, Tom Watson, Thales Leites, Ben Henderson, Patrick Cote
WSOF - Luke Harris, Elvis Mutapcic, Smealinho Rama, Brian Cobb, Ryan Ford, Tyson Steele
Bellator - Douglas Lima, Emanuel Newton, Jesse Juarez, Bryan Baker, John Alessio, Paul Daley
KOTC - Jason Zentgraf
RFA – Joe Henle
Other – Jonatas Novaes, Nathan Coy, Andreas Spang, Jesse Taylor, Pat Healy, Chris Camozzi, Ivan Menjivar, Antonio Mckee

21. Nitrix Champion Fight - [Santa Carina, Brazil] - Another up and coming start up promotion out of Brazil, many of their fighters have fought for Nitrix several times since they opened in 2009, but they seem to bounce around other regional shows like Watch Out Combat Show and Desafio. Many US promotions are taking notice and have signed some of their best and brightest.

Next Event: The next event has yet to be announced.

Next big thing: Gian Siqueira (WW, 10-2) – Siqueira is a 20 year old Nova Uniao fighter who has been pushing himself up the ranks. He’s won 4 fights already in 2014, all finishes. Hopefully he continues to win and finds himself getting some better opportunities. NCF seems to give him better fights.

Who should he fight next? – He’s young, so anyone that’s available will work

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Next in line: Peter Montibeller (BW, 7-0) – Montibeller is a 26 year old Bantamweight with 5 wins in the past two years. He hasn’t fought anyone of merit, but has been successful against the competition so far.

Who should he fight next? – Any Brazilians that will help get him noticed

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Best of the rest: Fabio Bondesan (HW, 3-1), Gilberto Galvao (WW, 25-5-1), Marcos Antonio Santana (WW,17-7), Anderson Goncalves (WW, 5-1), Andre Brasil (WW, 5-1), Alex Sandro Alves (LW, 4-1), Luiz Andre Arcanjo Siqueira (LW, 5-1), Felipe Cruz (FW, 15-3), Diego Barbosa (FW, 4-1), Otto Rodrigues (FLW, 8-1), Marcos Vinicius Schmitz (FW, 9-2), Joriedson Reis De Souza (FLW, 20-5), Marcel Adur (FLW, 7-3), Paulo Cesar Cardoso (FLW, 6-2), Thales Nakassu (FLW, 4-1)

Journeymen: Joao Zeferino (LW, 16-6), Gilmar Dutra Lima (LW, 24-14-1), Janailson Pereira Lima (FLW, 34-14)

Alumni:
UFC - Richardson Moreira, Vitor Miranda, Leonardo Mafra, Thomas Alemida, Santiago Ponzinibbio, John Lineker, Ivan Jorge
Bellator - Rafael Silva, Julio Cesar Neves Jr., Goiti Yamauchi
XFC - Alan dos Santos, Fernando Vieira
WSOF - Sheymon Moraes
Titan FC - Luis Rafael Laurntino
Fight Nights - Andre Santos
Arena Tour - Nazareno Malegarie
Other - Joao Zeferino, Leandro Silva, Maiquel Falcao
Retired - Cristiano Marcello

 

[Nathanli]

22. Cage MMA - [Helsinki, Finland] - Cage has emerged as the top promotion in Finland and has been a hot spot to fight for in Scandinavia. With the first Finnish fighter in UFC and CWFCs expansion into Scandinavia, expect to see these fighters on larger events. They could move above Superior Combat on this list if they continue to do shows consistently.

Next Event: Cage 28

Next big thing: Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas (BW, 10-2) – Hirvikangas has finished his last 4 opponents in the first round, all under the Cage banner. His most recent wins are over Polish prospect Tymoteusz Swiatek (13-2-1) and French fighter Antoine Gallinaro (FW, 7-3). He’s been training in the US with the Blackzilians with his normal training partner, UFC fighter Tom Niinimaki.

Who he should fight next? – He was supposed to fight Cage Warriors vet Marat Pekov (12-5) for the Helsinki Fight Night promotion, but he had to pull out. Cage will likely give him another non-Finnish veteran and he’ll likely sign with UFC or Cage Warriors.

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Next in line: Marcus Vanttinen (LHW, 24-5) – Vanttinen is 27 and he’s about to have his 30th fight. He’s most known for his loss to former Bellator Light Heavyweight champion Attila Vegh. Throughout the past several years though, hes beaten a whose who of European veterans. His biggest win in recent history is a win over Danish Light Heavyweight Joachim Christiansen (10-3).

Who he should fight next? - He’s returning from an eye injury, and was set to defend his Cage Light Heavyweight title against Bellator vet Jonas Billstein (13-3), but Billstein withdrew from the fight so Vanttinen will have to wait longer for his return.

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Current talent to watch for: Cyril Asker (HW, 4-1), Juha Saarinen (LHW, 9-3), Kai Puolakka (WW, 11-5), Glenn Sparv (WW, 9-3), Juho Valamaa (WW, 8-3), Johan Vanttinen (WW, 11-4), , Mikael Nyyssonen (LW, 7-0), Teemu Packalen (LW, 6-0), Tommi Marttinen (FW, 8-2), Makwan Amirkhani (FW, 10-2), Greger Forsell (FW, 6-0), Janne Elonen-Kulmala (BW, 10-4), Mikael Silander (FLW, 12-3)

Journeymen: Mikko Rupponen (MW, 20-5-2), Anton Kuivanen (LW, 20-8), Juha-Pekka Vainikainen (LW, 22-9), Joni Salovaara (FW, 13-7)

Alumni:
UFC - Tina Lahdemaki, Tom Niinimaki, Nicholas Musoke, Mats Nilsson, Mairbek Taisumov, Demian Maia
Titan FC - Walel Watson, Sirwan Kakai
Cage Warriors - Joachim Christensen, Toni Tauru
M-1 - Niko Puhakka, Ivan Buchinger
Bellator - Mikhail Zayats
Invicta - Katja Kankaanpaa
One FC - David Aranda
KSW - Michal Materla
Other - Tomasz Drwal, Lucio Linhares

23. Showdown Fights - The US has plenty of breeding grounds for up and coming fighters. Every show Showdown has put on has been better than the last one. They seem to be the place to fight currently in the Rocky Mountains.

Based out of: Orem, Utah, USA

Next Event: Their next event has yet to be announced.

Next big thing: David Putvin (LW, 7-0) – Putvin is a Jeremy Horn product who has won all 6 of his fights by submission including a Flying triangle choke in a recent fight. Most recently, Putvin choked out fellow Showdown prospect Jordan Clements (10-2) in the first round of the Showdown Fights Lightweight tournament.

Who he should fight next? – He’s fighting WSOF vet Lucas Montoya in the Lightweight tournament final at Showdown Fights' next event.

[YT]klPYA3jlvXw[/YT] - (A Preview for the last card he was on)

Next in line: Jordan Clements (LW, 10-2) – Clements has looked good against most of his competition, but in recent fights he’s had three No Contests due to two failed drug tests and another No Contest when UFC fighter Clay Collard failed a drug test. In his most recent fight, Clements was choked out by Jeremy Horn submission specialist David Putvin (7-0) in the first round of the Showdown Lightweight tournament. While he's coming off a loss, he's still the most suitable fighter for this spot due to his experience and chance to do well against most competition.

Who he should fight next? – He needs to get some wins so maybe a fight against Koffi Adzitso (20-11) who lost the fight on the other side of the tournament would be suitable.

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Best of the rest: Seante Williams (HW, 2-0), Eric Wahlin (MW, 7-2), Randy Yellowhair (LW, 5-2), Chris Sowell (LW, 3-1), Adam Nijem (LW, 2-0)

Journeymen: Jordan Smith (MW, 18-6-1), Jarome Hatch (MW, 23-14), David Castillo (WW, 18-6), Jorge Lopez (WW, 11-4), Bristol Marunde (WW, 15-9), Koffi Adzitso (LW, 20-11), Lucas Montoya (LW, 8-3), Justin Buchholz (LW, 15-8), Olly Bradstret (FW, 39-12)

Alumni:
UFC - Edgar Garcia, Clay Collard, Sean O'Connell, Julianna Pena, Josh Burkman, Ramsey Nijem, Court McGee
Titan FC - Steven Siler, Jake Heun, Brock Jardine
WSOF - Lance Palmer, Brandon Hempleman
RFA - Jan Jorgensen
Invicta - DeAnna Bennett
Bellator - Nick Rossborough
KOTC - Kito Andrews
VTJ - Czar Sklavos
Other - Jason South, Jamie Yager, Travis Marx, Jesse Brock, Damarques Johnson
Retired - Cole Escovedo, Rad Martinez, Shonie Carter, Kyacey Uscola, Mike Whitehead

 

[Nathanli]

24. King Of The Cage (KOTC) - [Rancho Cucamonga, California, USA] - KOTC has been a mainstay for the regional scene in the USA for about 15 years now. Some of the best in the world have competed for them, and no one can say they’ve done as many shows as KOTC does every year. They are pretty meticulous with building up some talent, but you’d think with how many shows they’re doing, more talent would be built up. I wish they would do like two cards a year where they stack their best fighters on it. It’s not like they’re concerned with their main events on a lot of cards. Their fighting mismanagement seems to hinder the fighters ability to fight elsewhere. I’ve also heard some things I don’t like about the way they treat their fighters. Look up the Lowen Tynanes situation if you want to know more.

Next Event: KOTC Fisticuffs takes place on December 4th.

Next big thing: Henry Corrales (FW, 11-0) – Corrales is 6-0 since signing to KOTC, recently defeating WEC vet Seth Dikun (9-6) and Bellator vet Alejandro Garcia (14-8-1).

Who he should fight next? – He's fighting BAMMA USA/Tachi veteran Chris Culley (17-11) at KOTC Fisticuffs on December 4th.

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Next in line: Danielle Taylor (W115, 4-0) - With the signing of Frankie Saenz to UFC, Taylor moves in to this position. KOTC is pretty shallow on prospects at the moment. With the expansion womens MMA in 2014, Taylor is in the best position to get grabbed up by UFC, Invicta, or elsewhere after KOTC can't find her opponents anymore. Already in 2014, she's 3-0.

Who she should fight next? – Any Strawweights on the west coast. Brianna Van Buren (3-1) is the best challenge in California that isn't signed by UFC or Invicta.

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Best of the rest: Tyler East (HW, 12-5), Maurice Greene (HW, 2-1), Anthony McDonald (HW, 2-1), Jason Zentgraf (MW, 8-2), Clarence Jordan (MW, 7-1), Matt Gabel (MW, 10-3), Will Noland (MW, 14-4), Aaron Young (MW, 6-2), Josh Hinkle (WW, 12-3), Victor Meza (LW Champ, 13-3), Ben Pierre-Saint (LW, 7-1), Alex Reyes (LW, 9-2), Brandon Jenkins (LW, 4-0), Amy Cadwell Montenegro (WSTW, 5-1)

Journeymen: Kevin Asplund (HW, 16-9), Trevor Prangley (LHW Champ, 34-11-1), Daniel Hernandez (MW Champ, 15-10), Brandon Hunt (MW, 9-6), Kyle Bolt (MW, 8-4), James Warfield (WW, 22-12), Josh Aveles (WW Champ, 19-10-1), Sam Liera (WW, 10-7), Seth Dikun (FW, 9-7), Reuben Duran (BW Champ, 10-5-1), Anthony Figueroa (FLW, 9-7-1), Randy Steinke (FLW, 15-8-1)

Alumni (Not complete):
UFC - Frankie Saenz, Sean Strickland, Dan Cormier, Diego Sanchez, Bobby Green, Tim Means, Rory Macdonald, Urijah Faber, Russell Doane, Myles Jury
Bellator - Andreas Michailidis, Mike Guymon, Keith Berry, Nick Rossborough, Rampage Jackson, Treston Thomison, John Alessio, Derek Campos
Legacy – Donald Sanchez, Paul Buentello
RFA – Dale Sopi, Abel Cullum
Invicta - Amanda Bobby Cooper
One FC – Lowen Tynanes, Tony Johnson
WSOF - Mike Kyle
Tachi - Ricky Legere
WFC - Josh Paiva
CFFC - Jimmie Rivera
BAMMA USA - Jared Papazian
VTJ - Mamoru Yamaguchi
FFC - Ricco Rodriguez
Other - Tony Lopez, Dom O'Grady, Clay French, Jeremy Horn, Josh Bryant, Anthony Lapsley, Jeremy Spoon
Retired - Quinn Mulhern, Mac Danzig, Sean Sherk, Tony Bonello, James Lee, Shonie Carter, Chris Brennan, Dean Lister, Joey Villasenor, Joe Stevenson, Joe Camacho, Javier Vazquez

25. Road Fighting Championship - [Seoul, South Korea] - Road FC is pushing hard for more talent coming out of South Korea. They have done a solid job so far. They don’t have a ton of star power, especially with their top draw, Yui Chul Nam now in UFC. But give them another two years and there will be a new generation of fighters out of SK and more Japanese veterans for them to see how they match up.

Next Event: Road FC 20

Next big thing: Yun Jun Lee (BW, 7-2) – With Takasuke Kume losing his Lightweight title to A Sol Kwon and Myung Ho Bae being inactive, Yoon Jun Lee moves to the top of the list. Lee is 3-0 in 2014, and has moved to the top of Road FCs Bantamweight division. If he continues to win, he could be one of the next fighters out of South Korea to make it to the next level.

Who he should fight next? – He’s fighting Gil Woo Lee (4-4) at Road FC 20 on December 14th.

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Next in line: Bruno Miranda (LW, 7-1) – After starting his career in Brazil, mostly fighting for the Watch Out Combat Show promotion. After participating in a South Korea vs. Brazil Road FC evnt, Road FC decided to bring him back to fight Kwang Hee Lee (7-4) in which he won with a knee to the body.

Who he should fight next? – He should fight Lightweight champ A-Sol Kwon (18-8) next.

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Best of the rest: Eun-Su Lee (MW, 16-4-1), Bruno Miranda (LW, 7-1), Thiago Luis Bonifacio Silva (LW, 7-2), Takasuk Kume (LW, 16-4-4), Young-Bok Kil (FW, 6-2), Bae Yong Kwon (FW, 9-4), Min-Woo Kim (FW, 5-1), Soo-Chul Kim (BW, 9-5), Yi-Moon Han (BW, 6-2), Mikihito Yamagami (FLW, 10-3), Ga Yeon Song (WAW, 1-0)

Journeymen: Riki Fukuda (MW, 21-7), Dong Sik Yoon (MW, 8-8), Andrews Nakahara (WW, 4-2-2), Jung Hwan Cha (WW, 11-6), A-Sol Kwon (LW Champ, 18-8), Kwang Hee Lee (LW, 7-4), Doo-Won Seo (FW, 10-7), Nam Jin Jo (FLW, 9-6)

Alumni:
UFC – Seo Hee Ham, Yui Chul Nam, Kyung Hyo Kang
One FC - Vuyisile Colossa, Andrew Leone, Koji Ando
Bellator - Sokoudjou, Melvin Manhoef
SC - Joachim Hansen
Other - Jeff Monson, Roan Carneiro

 

[Nathanli]

26. Extreme Fighting Championship Africa (EFC Africa) - [Johannesburg, South Africa] - South Africa has had a few MMA shows come and go until 2009, when EFC Africa became the place to be. They’re very well received there, and put on one the better production shows as far as regional promotions go. They just had their first prospect make it to a major org and I expect this to be an MMA hotbed for years to come. I hope they start scouting for talent in the southern part of Africa. Let’s just hope some wrestlers start training there. EFC Africa has been in the news mostly for the death of one of their fighters, Booto Guylain, and while that raises questions about their testing practices and matchmaking, we can hope that it’s just a one off situation.

Next Event: EFC 36

Next big thing: Demarte Pena (BW, 10-0) – South Africa may not be there as far as talent goes, but give them a few years and they may surprise you. One of the bright spots in the organization is former Featherweight and current Bantamweight champion, Pena. He relinquished his 145 title so he didn’t have to fight his training partner, Boyd Allen (10-2-1). He tore through everyone at 145 in the org, so now he’s testing himself against the best at 135, starting with with winning the belt against Nkazimulo Zulu (5-2) and defending it against Francois Groenewald (8-4).

Who should he fight next? – They look like they could be setting up the big money fight between Pena and former RUFF champion and popular South African fighter Irshaad Sayed (8-2). The winner should definitely be the next fighter to get grabbed by UFC or another major org.

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Next in line: Garreth Mclellan (MW, 12-2) – Mclellan is 32, so his chances of making it at the next level is beginning to wane, but he has 11 finishes including 9 submissions, and has avenged both his losses. His biggest win to date is an avenged loss to former EFC Middleweight champ Jeremy Smith (8-3).

Who should he fight next? – He has cleaned out the middleweight division, so I’m not sure who he’ll fight next. They might have to get someone from overseas or a light heavyweight moving down.

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Best of the rest: Andrew van Zyl (HW, 10-2), Brendon Groenwald (HW Champ, 6-2), Norman Wessels (LHW Champ, 6-2), Gideon Drotschie (LHW, 5-1), JP Kruger (MW, 5-2), Dricus Du Plessis (MW, 4-1), Adam Speechly (WW Champ, 7-4), Dino Bagattin (WW, 10-4), Jeremy Smith (WW, 8-3), Peter Queally (WW, 5-1), Boyd Allen (FW, 10-2-1), Barend Nienaber (FW, 3-1), Francois Groenewald (FW, 8-4), Tumisang Madiba (FW, 3-0), Cedric Doyle (BW, 4-1), Irshaad Sayed (BW, 9-2)

Journeymen: Fraser Opie (LHW, 11-6), Henry Fadipe (WW, 8-8-1), Leon Mynhardt (LW, 13-6)

Alumni:
UFC - Ruan Potts

27. Xtreme Fighting Championships (USA) (XFC) – [Tampa, Florida, USA] - Not to be mistaken with the Australian promotion under the same name, XFC has been doing solid shows in all over the south and midwest USA. They’ve brought in some intriguing prospects, but weren’t able to many of retain them. While based in the US, they haven’t done a show in the US in 2014. No one is sure why, but it sounds like some poor business partnerships. Because of this, XFC has had many of their top American fighters leave the country. They’ve done well with their tournaments in Brazil though.

Next Event: XFCi 8 takes place on December 13th.

Next big thing: Allan Nascimento (FLW, 14-2) - Nascimento is a 23 year old Chute Boxe product who has already won three straight fights for XFC. Some might know him from his brief stint in Legacy FC a couple years back, where he went 1-1 including a loss to veteran Will Campuzano. Since then, he’s gone 7-1 with his only loss to promising Brazilian prospect Ricardo Lucas Ramos (6-0). His best win to date is his most recent win over Ukrainian prospect Ruslan Abiltarov (16-5). He’ll need to win a few more before he can get a call to the next level, but he’s definitely at an advantage being a Flyweight as far as his signing prospects go.

Who should he face next? – I’m not sure who he’ll fight, but Brazil has a ton of Flyweight prospects. I’m sure one will be a suitable opponent for him.

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Next in Line: Alberto Uda (MW, 7-0) – Uda just won the XFC International Middleweight tournament. Of all of the fighters who won tournaments, Uda looks the most ready for the next level. Uda has a win over TUF Brazil 3 fighter Richardson Moreira.

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Who should he face next? – If they do more shows in Brazil, Uda should have plenty to keep them busy. XFC doesn’t have a huge Middleweight division in the states currently, but Cairo Rocha (12-4) would be a game opponent.

Best of the rest:Cairo Rocha (MW, 12-4), Alfredo Morales (WW, 13-4), Natan Schulte (LW, 9-2), Deivison Francisco Ribeiro (FW, 26-9), Alejandro Villalobos (FW, 17-3), Alejandro Abomohor (FW, 5-1), James Gray (BW, 3-0), Ruslan Abiltarov (FLW, 16-5), Silvana Gomez Juarez (WFLW, 4-0), Taila Santos (WFLW, 4-0), Iryna Shaparenko (WFLW, 6-2), Poliana Botelho (WFLW, 3-1), Debora Ferreira (WFLW, 4-0), Dora Perjes (WSTW, 7-0), Maryna Moroz (WSTW, 5-0), Viviane Pereira (WSTW, 7-0), Vanessa Guimaraes (WSTW, 4-2)

Journeymen:Luis Santos (WW, 60-9-1), Junior Assuncao (FW, 15-5), Waylon Lowe (FW, 14-6), Juliana Werner (WFLW, 8-4)

Alumni:
UFC - Scott Holtzman, Joby Sanchez, Dhiego Lima, Felice Herrig, Jamie Varner, Josh Samman, Carla Esparza, Ovince St. Preux, Seth Baczynski, Danny Martinez, Tom Lawlor
WSOF – Troy Gerhart, Eric Reynolds, Kalindra Faria, Nick Newell, Marlon Moraes, Luis Palomino, Pablo Alfonso
Bellator - Nate Jolly, Thiago Meller
Titan FC - Scott Barrett, Dave Courchaine
RFA - Luke Sanders
EFC Africa - Jeremy Smith
Island Fights - Chris Barnett
XFO – Pearl Gonzalez
Other – Ryan Thomas, Dom Steele, Dom O'Grady, Joe Ray
Retired - War Machine

 

[Nathanli]

28. Superior Challenge (SC)

 

[Nathanli]

30. Pro FC - [Rostov-on-don, Russia] - Another place for Russian talent to pass over, ProFC has put on shows all over Russia and Ukraine. Many of the alumni have fought in tournaments and went on to fight elsewhere after. Pro FC is a good feeder league for Russia and a good place for guys to get their bearings after stints in other promotions. They’ve slowed down on doing shows lately, but I feel most of it has to do with all that is happening in Russia and Ukraine and a lot of their fighters are Ukrainian.

Next Event: Their next event has yet to be announced.

Next big thing: Alexander Shabliy (LW, 11-2) – Shabliy is only 21, and has plenty of time to move up in competition. He’s 7-1 since the beginning of 2012 with all finishes in that time period. His lone loss in that time period was avenged in his very next fight. He’ll be brought along slowly, but he’s shown that he can finish you several different ways standing or on the ground.

Who he should fight next? – They should continue to match him up with European veterans that can give him some name value before moving to a larger Russian promotion or going elsewhere. He was briefly linked to the other fighter listed, Milan Zerjal (6-0), but the fight fell through. I’d rather they didn’t match up their top prospects this early in their careers, though it would show who was ready for better competition.

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Next in line: Milan Zerjal (LW, 6-0) – The 24 year old Serbian Zerjal has gone 4-0 so far for ProFC including his most recent win over Arsen Ubaidulaev (14-7). He may have been brought on originally to make a Russian look good, but he ended up winning and looked good doing it so they continued giving him fights. What sets Zerjal apart from other prospects from his region is that he’s moved to the US to train at Xtreme Couture. The fighters that move to the states seem to do the best against Eastern European talent, so I expect his victories to continue

Who he should fight next? – If he doesn’t end up fighting Alexander Shabliy (10-2) like he was supposed to, Vasiliy Fedorych (17-5) would be a good opponent for him.

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Best of the rest: Dmitry Smolyakov (HW, 5-0), Shamil Nurmagomedov (LHW, 16-3), Saparbek Safarov (LHW, 7-0), Nikola Dipchikov (LHW, 11-3), Vitaly Bigdash (MW, 5-0), Shamil Abdulkhalikov (MW, 10-3), Artur Guseinov (MW, 13-4), Boris Miroshnichenko (MW, 13-6), Mikhail Kolobegov (MW, 8-3), Vasiliy Fedorych (LW, 17-5), Igor Egorov (LW, 8-4), Vladimir Kanunnikov (LW, 4-0), Kiril Sukhomlinov (LW, 19-5), Paata Robakidze (FW, 17-4), Denis Mutsnek (FW, 8-1)

Journeymen: Alexei Kudin (HW, 18-7), Evgeni Fomenko (WW, 15-12), Georgi Stoyanov (LW, 18-7), Arsen Ubaidulaev (LW, 14-7)

Alumni:
UFC - Milana Dudieva, Oleksiy Oleinik, Sultan Aliev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Omari Akhmedov, Rustam Khalibov, Ruslan Magomedov, Gasan Umalatov, Albert Tumenov, Zubair Tukhugov, Adlam Amagov, Alexander Yakovlev, Magnus Cedenblad
Bellator - Frodo Khasbulaev, Akop Stepanyan, Alexander Sarnavskiy, Alexander Volkov
M-1 – Nikolay Aleksakhin, Artur Astakhov, Alexander Butenko, Ramazan Emeev, Mikhail Malyutin, Viktor Nemkov
One FC - Felipe Enomoto
ACB - Beslan Isaev
Fight Nights – David Khachatryan
Other - Pavel Kusch, Shamil Zavurov

31. Hoosier Fight Club - [Valparaiso, Indiana, USA] - One of the many promotions based out of the midwest, it’s a good little promotion that tries to build guys up, but will continuously lose their top guys to other regional promotions. Usually, their main events and co-main events are fighters that could be in a bigger org with a couple wins. HFC is in a good location in Indiana where they can get fighters to come fight for them from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Many west Michigan fighters have been fighting for them due to their not being a large promotion influence in the state.

Next Event: HFC 23 is scheduled for February 7th, 2014.

Next big thing: Kurt Kinser (LW Champ, 8-0) – Kinser was a prospect who had some pretty big hype going into 2012 with a 7-0 record and a victory over UFC veteran Shamar Bailey. He signed with WSOF and people expected him to get the same hype Justin Gaethje got when he crossed over. Unfortunately, Kinser stayed on the sideline until November 2014 when he finished HFC Lightweight champion Tom Shoaff in under a minute. Shoaff is a prospect in his own right, but Kinser has earned this spot.

Who he should fight next? – I think Kinser is ready for the next level, but if HFC keeps him, they’ll need to get him a Midwestern journeyman veteran to fight.

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Next in line: Kevin Nowaczyk (WW, 16-3) – Nowaczyk is another TUF 16 vet that couldn’t make it into the house. With how bad that season is considered, that season has given the regional scene a lot of good fighters. All of his losses are to veterans and earlier in his career with the exception of a loss to Bellator vet Nathan Coy in 2013. Since then, he’s won 4 straight including a win over UFC vet Shamar Bailey. At only 25, Nowaczyk has nowhere to go but up.

Who he should fight next? – With Belal Muhammad moving to Titan FC, I’m not sure who Nowaczyk should fight next. Perhaps he could move to Titan along with Muhammad.

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Best of the rest: Daniel Vizcaya (MW, 8-3), Nick Kraus (MW 9-3), Chris Curtis (WW, 10-3), Chris Curtis (WW, 10-4), Dustin Pape (WW, 5-1), Tom Shoaff (LW, 6-1), Sean McMurray (LW, 3-0), Anthony Lee-El (LW, 2-0), Bobby Moffett (FW, 5-1), Scott Marckini (FW, 4-1), Kenny Jordan (FW, 4-0), Christina Daniels (WAW, 2-1), Anne Malinoff (WAW, 1-1)

Journeymen: Adam Ward (FW, 15-6), Larry DiGiulio (BW, 15-6-1)

Alumni:
UFC - Josh Shockley, Neil Magny, Felice Herrig, Josh Sampo, Darren Elkins
WSOF - Carson Beebe
Pancrase - Andy Main
Invicta - Barb Honchak
Titan FC – Belal Muhammad
Bellator - Phillipe Nover
Other - Nathan Coy

 

[Nathanli]

32. Coliseu Extreme Fight (CEF)

 

[Nathanli]

34. Cage Sport - [Tacoma, Washington, USA] - For being such an unknown commodity outside of the Pacific Northwest, Cage Sport has already given the sport several top stars from the area. They

 

[Nathanli]

36. Circuito Talent MMA - [Sao Paulo, Brazil] - With as much talent burgeoning out of Brazil, it

 

[Nathanli]

38. The Hill Fighters