Unsigned Heavyweights - Thread Three

Paul, Blaydes might have you to thank for his quick progression since going pro. I feel like you've been talking about him forever haha.
 
Nathanli said:
Paul, Blaydes might have you to thank for his quick progression since going pro. I feel like you've been talking about him forever haha.
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It's been like a year and a half I think, I had him in my amateurs post awhile back too, which is almost forever in MMA time :P. He has good management though, which is the key. They have him training at King's MMA with Werdum and the other big guys there.

Since we know his athleticism and wrestling are already on point, Curtis training striking with Rafael Cordeiro and grappling with Werdum is going to produce a terrifying fighter.
 
phenomfan1529 said:
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?
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Probably not East, because he has defense issues still when on the feet. Yosef is a super athlete and can hang just based off his athleticism, he was swarming Rodrigues in their fight until he got flash KO'd.
 
Nice! I see you put Dakota Palmer in your top 20 US prospect list. Ive seen the kid fight before, very entertaining HW (ima sucker for strikers, and waiting for the next big US heavyweight striker!)

Also davenport looks to have solid boxing, and looks like a great athlete.

Ill be keeping an eye on both of those guys.
 
Paul L said:
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.
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Speaking of... Tomasz Kowalkowski fights Brendon Groenewald at EFC 45 in November. Also Ruan Potts makes his LHW debut on the same card.
 
Paul L said:
Speaking of... Tomasz Kowalkowski fights Brendon Groenewald at EFC 45 in November. Also Ruan Potts makes his LHW debut on the same card.
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Groenewald is getting smashed... And I don't think Potts should cut down... Big mistake. He just needs some time off. I think he's capable of ruling the EFC HW division again after some rest.
 
So in Minakov still fighting GDS this month? According to Minakovs Sherdog he's not fighting?
 
Paul L said:
Speaking of... Tomasz Kowalkowski fights Brendon Groenewald at EFC 45 in November. Also Ruan Potts makes his LHW debut on the same card.
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Strange, I thought Potts was a pretty big dude. LHW in EFC is very thin though, so this could set up a rematch with Wessels at 205.
 
Paul L said:
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.
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Awesome! This is easily my most checked on thread
 
Any update for Grabowski?
I think his contract with M-1 expired on September 10th.
Is he now officially UFC bound?
 
under_t said:
Any update for Grabowski?
I think his contract with M-1 expired on September 10th.
Is he now officially UFC bound?
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99% sure he already signed.

Also erokhin vs Gonzaga announced tuf 22 finale. I hyped erokhin up pretty good but Gonzaga is a personal friend of mine so I hope he smashed konstantin something fierce
 
Slongkong said:
99% sure he already signed.

Also erokhin vs Gonzaga announced tuf 22 finale. I hyped erokhin up pretty good but Gonzaga is a personal friend of mine so I hope he smashed konstantin something fierce
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Unfortunately not happening... First bomb Erokhin lands knocks Gonzaga stiff, gabe doesn't have the chin to be taking those kind of bombs. Unfortunately he won't be able to survive the Erokhin blitz like Pesta did.
 
Farbeyondthesun said:
Unfortunately not happening... First bomb Erokhin lands knocks Gonzaga stiff, gabe doesn't have the chin to be taking those kind of bombs. Unfortunately he won't be able to survive the Erokhin blitz like Pesta did.
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I'm leaning towards this as well. Gabe is cool and all, but unless he gets this fight to the ground he might get finished standing.
 
under_t said:
Any update for Grabowski?
I think his contract with M-1 expired on September 10th.
Is he now officially UFC bound?
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I don't have any insider info on him, but last I heard the contract was essentially agreed on and waiting for his M-1 contract to expire before it gets signatured. So I can imagine we'll see a fight announcement soon.
 
Murad Izmailov drops to LHW. Chaban Ka has no fights scheduled and hasn't fought in nearly 1.5 years, so I will be removing him unfortunately and adding him to the Nick Gaston club. (my new name for inactive/retired heavyweights)
 
It looks like Izmailov at LHW was an error on M-1's website, he weighed in at 248 in his HW bout. I thought that would be a crazy and almost unrealistic cut if he did try for LHW.
 
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