Unsigned Heavyweights - Thread Three

[Farbeyondthesun]

Hague got starched
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQwY-ogk7rw

Savage KO. Evgeny has great technique for an MMA fighter. I think a major org might pick him up soon, there's at least a few UFC heavies I see him KO'ing despite being severely undersized.

 

[Bahoosh]

Ok guys Amir Ali Akbari did a interview which I will translate from Persian the interesting parts:

-He's currently in Iran training with the national boxing team while he waits for his American visa.

-He will be training at American Top Team when he gets to the U.S. The benefit of this is that one of the head coaches there, (I believe he is Robbie Lawler's main coach) Kami Barzini is also an Iranian wrestler who wrestled in the 2000 olympic team trials for Iran before moving to the U.S. Should be beneficial to have a high level coach who speaks Persian, as Kami is probably the only one for MMA.

-It has been incredibly hard to find him fights. He says fortunately this will change when he moves to America and joins ATT.

-His management has had contact with the UFC regarding him signing. Because of his wrestling accolades they want to sign him after three fights, provided he wins all of them.

 

[Paul L]

Great stuff here. How far till we get a part 4 of this thread?!

49 more pages. :icon_chee

I update it regularly though, in a few days I'll be doing my weekly edits to the main posts.

 

[Paul L]

Ok guys Amir Ali Akbari did a interview which I will translate from Persian the interesting parts:

-He's currently in Iran training with the national boxing team while he waits for his American visa.

-He will be training at American Top Team when he gets to the U.S. The benefit of this is that one of the head coaches there, (I believe he is Robbie Lawler's main coach) Kami Barzini is also an Iranian wrestler who wrestled in the 2000 olympic team trials for Iran before moving to the U.S. Should be beneficial to have a high level coach who speaks Persian, as Kami is probably the only one for MMA.

-It has been incredibly hard to find him fights. He says fortunately this will change when he moves to America and joins ATT.

-His management has had contact with the UFC regarding him signing. Because of his wrestling accolades they want to sign him after three fights, provided he wins all of them.

Very interesting, hope to see him compete in the US. I hope he can adapt properly to MMA, he definitely has a strong base and great deal of athleticism.

 

[350 lbs fist]

This guy is expected to make a comeback this fall:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Christian-Colombo-55092

He's a bad man.

And his training partner is one to watch as well:

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Nick-Barno-171671

 

[350 lbs fist]

Yousef learned the hard lesson that in HW getting too eager for the kill can spell doom if your victim hits you with a flailing fist.

There really is nobody outside a handful of HW's whose chin can hold up under another HW's swings.

 

[DrGlaze]

Ngannou is making his UFC debut against Luiz KLB Henrique, who is moving up a division for some strange reason.

 

[under_t]

Ngannou is making his UFC debut against Luiz KLB Henrique, who is moving up a division for some strange reason.

Isn't he just 22 years old?
Maybe he is struggling with weight-cut.

 

[phenomfan1529]

Paul L, how are you able to know so much on HW on the reigonal scenes here im the states??!

 

[Paul L]

Ngannou is making his UFC debut against Luiz KLB Henrique, who is moving up a division for some strange reason.

That's weird. I think Luiz will drop back down. Ngannou is a big dude who hits like a truck.

 

[Paul L]

Paul L, how are you able to know so much on HW on the reigonal scenes here im the states??!

I just keep up on fight results from Sherdog, Tapology, and the UG, then google any fighters who look interesting. Generally heavyweights with high level potential are easier to spot, they usually aren't 5'10 or below, are younger than 35, and usually don't fight at SHW if they are below 6'3. If I find a guy who has wrestling or athletics experience in college, or is a mainstay on local martial arts scenes, it brings up his stock as well.

I also use google-fu to search for keywords like "heavyweight prospect" and "heavyweight mma" within a certain date range to pull up articles on regional mma sites talking about heavyweight talent. Digging through youtube can also be fun.

 

[Paul L]

Cyril Asker fights Andrew Van Zyl for the EFC Africa heavyweight title in October. Asker is tough and has a good chin, so Van Zyl will need to play a strategic game to come out with a win.

Aside from his toughness, I'm not sold on Asker whatsoever. In terms of guys in EFC who could be future top 30 fighters, I'd go with Tomasz Kowalkowski. I'd like to see Kowalkowski fight Michael Vermuelen or Brendon Groenewald as a contenders fight.

 

[right hand lead]

I just keep up on fight results from Sherdog, Tapology, and the UG, then google any fighters who look interesting. Generally heavyweights with high level potential are easier to spot, they usually aren't 5'10 or below, are younger than 35, and usually don't fight at SHW if they are below 6'3. If I find a guy who has wrestling or athletics experience in college, or is a mainstay on local martial arts scenes, it brings up his stock as well.

I also use google-fu to search for keywords like "heavyweight prospect" and "heavyweight mma" within a certain date range to pull up articles on regional mma sites talking about heavyweight talent. Digging through youtube can also be fun.

Haha that's awesome.

 

[phenomfan1529]

Paul L weird question but, if you had to rank the 5 best hW prospect strikers who would you have in there??

 

[Paul L]

Paul L weird question but, if you had to rank the 5 best hW prospect strikers who would you have in there??

That's a tough one, heavyweights with world class striking backgrounds are a rarity, and they usually gravitate towards boxing and kickboxing over MMA in their formative years. I'll rank it in terms of their ability to strike in an MMA environment though.

1. Sergey Pavlovich - His footwork, angles, and precision are beautiful to watch.
2. Chi Lewis Parry - Muay Thai background, and he fights in Glory as well.
3. Denis Smoldarev - He's a patient, tactical striker, I like his kicks.
4. Denis Goltsov - He's tricky, he throws weird strikes out of nowhere that catch vets.
5. Fernando Rodrigues - Striker from Brazil, he hits hard and trains at Team Nog.

I could throw Yosef Ali Mohammad and Cody East in there too, but they are grapplers who developed a striking game, so I wouldn't really classify them having extensive striking backgrounds.

 

[Paul L]

I think it's a good time to post a new version of my top 20 US heavyweight prospects. The selection rules follow the same guidelines in the main Unsigned HW post, which means some fighters who are on win streaks such as Ashley Gooch, Leroy Johnson, Richard Odoms, John Hawk, etc... will not be included due to age, fighting in a major promotion, or several other factors that are outlined in the main post.

Top 20 US HW Prospects

1. Curtis Blaydes - Ultra athletic NJCAA champion, fast learner and blessed with tons of physical gifts. Future top 10 if he puts it all together.

2. Cody East - A movement heavy boxer with a solid training camp at Jackson's. East's speed and footwork puts down anyone who can't keep him still.

3. Steve Mocco - Olympian Steve Mocco. That is all that needs to be said.

4. Jan Jorgensen - Athletic former linebacker at the NCAA level, great athlete who trains at elevation and has a strong record against regional competition.

5. Brandon Griffin - King of the blitz, Griffin starts fast and brutal.

6. Dale Sopi - Mark Hunts little brother from another mother, big power and resilience but still extremely raw as a martial artist. Trains at Power MMA.

7. Adam Milstead - Younger and athletic with good skillset, however he may drop to LHW.

8. Josue Lugo - Good grappler, getting in better shape at Cung Le's gym, wins against regional veterans, however is getting into his mid 30's.

9. Jeff Hughes - Former NAAFS title contender, Hughes is probably better off at LHW, however his wrestling base is strong and his venture into pro fights has been fruitful.

10. Orlando Sanchez - ADCC champion Sanchez is tiny at 5'9", however despite being a natural LHW, Sanchez's grappling is a terror for anyone he faces at any weight class.

11. Jeremy Hardy - Karate black belt and BJJ blue belt, Hardy is just starting his pro career and needs to prove himself to the world.

12. Dillion Cleckler - Strong record against low level competition, strong fighter. Lots of physical ability, but getting older and has questionable cardio.

13. Keishaun Hill - Former CAMO amateur state champion, went to a split with Jack May. Good potential but also raw and inexperienced.

14. Nick Roehrick - Sparsely fights, but has a notable wrestling background and is an extremely powerful grappler.

15. Azunna Anyanwu - Experiencing ups and downs, Anyanwu has been always been a step short from getting that signature win that would propel him into a larger organization.

16. Daniel James - James is a late starter in the MMA game, and has had a few setbacks in his pro and amateur career. However things are looking up as James has compiled a win streak to carry his career further.

17. Justin Davenport - A huge boxer fighting out of Texas, Davenport is exceptionally strong and his striking is crisp.

18. Marino Eatman - Short, stocky heavyweight with a wrestling background. He recently made the HW limit, but is still way too out of shape.

19. Dakota Palmer - Huge heavyweight fighting out of Alaska. A few of his recent wins aren't recorded on stats sites.

20. Jonathan Romero - A grappler fighting out of NJ, he showed some good potential in amateur fights.

 

[CC27]

Cant wait for Blaydes to fight in RFA.

 

[phenomfan1529]

That's a tough one, heavyweights with world class striking backgrounds are a rarity, and they usually gravitate towards boxing and kickboxing over MMA in their formative years. I'll rank it in terms of their ability to strike in an MMA environment though.

1. Sergey Pavlovich - His footwork, angles, and precision are beautiful to watch.
2. Chi Lewis Parry - Muay Thai background, and he fights in Glory as well.
3. Denis Smoldarev - He's a patient, tactical striker, I like his kicks.
4. Denis Goltsov - He's tricky, he throws weird strikes out of nowhere that catch vets.
5. Fernando Rodrigues - Striker from Brazil, he hits hard and trains at Team Nog.

I could throw Yosef Ali Mohammad and Cody East in there too, but they are grapplers who developed a striking game, so I wouldn't really classify them having extensive striking backgrounds.

I dont know Parry or Rodrigues so thats two prospects i can look up! Ya think Yosef and cody east could hang with the 5 you mentioned?

 

[The_Renaissance]

Thanks for the updates Paul, this is my most visited thread on Sherdog.

 

[The_Renaissance]

And from what I've seen, Blaydes will be a superstar if he continues to progress.