Every fighter starts somewhere. Before the hype, before the Contender Series, before the UFC call — there’s the early grind. Before They Blow Up is my way of spotlighting prospects still in that stage. In this second edition, I’m looking at a few rising talents with five fights or fewer that are on my radar. […]
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Samurai Fight House has risen to prominence since 2022 as Argentina’s top MMA promotion. Notable alumni include UFC fighters Kevin Vallejos, Esteban Ribovics, Francisco Prado, and Ailín Pérez. Also, plenty of other talents that competed for DWCS and ONE. As a promotion, they tend to build their prospects slowly. They can be prone to can-crush
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From IMMAF to LFA: The Rapid Development of Alvi Dasuyev Alvi Dasuyev Welterweight Age: 23 Fighting out of: Belgium Record: 7-0-0 Alvi “The Spartan” Dasuyev, a former Belgian IMMAF rep, turned pro in May 2024. He’s been making noise ever since. With a 17-3 amateur record and national titles, he entered the pro
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Fight Nation Championship 25 Lightweight, Marko Bojković (8-1): Bojković was widely viewed as a top-five prospect at the beginning of the year. With a UFC opportunity seemingly within reach, he ran into Milos Janicic—who punished him and forced a second-round stoppage. Still, Bojković is only 24, and setbacks like that are often necessary for
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Standouts of the 2025 IMMAF World Championships in Tbilisi Tbilisi hosted the 2025 IMMAF World Championships, turning the Georgian capital into the center of the amateur MMA world for six days. Fighters from around the globe filled the city’s arena, each chasing a world title and a chance to prove they belong among the
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Undefeated Update: October 2025 Author: James Colwell (@JamesLikesMMA on Twitter) Another month gone, and 48 more Undefeated Update reports are ready, including some of my favorite prospects. We’re going to cover a lot of ground this month. From elites competing at the top levels of the UFC and PFL to prospects grinding in
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Undefeated Ins and Outs: October 2025 Author: James Colwell (@JamesLikesMMA on Twitter) October was another busy month for MMA’s undefeated fighters, with DWCS wrapping up and lots of high-level regional action. Many exciting new prospects emerged, and unfortunately, some had to leave to make room for them. As always, I’ve got you covered
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This weekend is a big one for Australian MMA with JDM’s title defense at UFC 322. Not only that but it’s the celebration of 100 Eternal MMA fight cards which is an incredible accomplishment by any active Australian promotion. In celebration, Eternal 100 and Eternal 101 are being held on back-to-back evenings, which despite
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Every fighter starts somewhere. Before the hype, before the Contender Series, before the UFC call — there’s the early grind. Before They Blow Up is my way of spotlighting prospects still in that stage. In this first volume, I’m looking at a few rising talents with five fights or fewer that are on my
Before They Blow Up Vol. 1 – Rising MMA Prospects Read More »
.James Lledo Welterweight Age: 24 Fighting out of: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Record: 8-1-0 As the leaves turned and temperatures dipped, one of amateur MMA’s hottest prospects only got warmer. James Lledo, a 24-year-old welterweight fighting out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, racked up two big wins in back-to-back months. First defending his 170 title at CFFC: NextGen
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