Gamid Khizriev has had a quiet rise, but it’s typical, given that many talented individuals are in Russia. His last name sounds familiar, and that’s because he’s the brother of PFL’s Timur Khizriev and UFC’s Aliaskhab Khizriev. At least of what’s available, Khizriev had an amateur record of 3-1. His loss came to a good […]
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Topuria’s Vision, Ronaldo’s Backing: The Making of Europe’s Next MMA Powerhouse When Way of Warrior Fighting Championship debuted in 2019, few expected what came next. Today, WOW FC is packing arenas across Spain under the leadership of UFC champion Ilia Topuria. The promotion recently made headlines with an investment from soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
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As an 18-year-old with an undefeated 7-0 record, Adriano Sousa may have more potential than most prospects in the sport right now. Facing 7-2 Alessandro Albuquerque was no issue for the young fighter, who dispatched the 26-year-old in less than two minutes. The fight was short, but showed what Sousa is capable of and then
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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 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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Rkena MMA is set to hold its inaugural event this Saturday in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the card features a few prospects worth keeping an eye on. Lightweight – Davit Lortkipanidze (7-0) Competing in the Rkena 1 co-main event against 21-fight veteran Leandro Barbosa, Lortkipanidze unfortunately missed weight ahead of the matchup but
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She’s Next – WMMA Prospect of the Week Each week, I’ll highlight one women prospect on my radar and in action in the upcoming days *A small change is coming to my weekly column on women’s MMA prospects around the world. To make my writing and research more efficient, I will now focus on one
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Weight class: Flyweight Record: 7-1 Age: 20 Height: 5’4” Born in: Peru Training out of: MFC Guerreros Piuranos Combined opponents’ record (at the time they fought): 24-13-2 Key wins: Luis Camargo, Ivan Cuayla (amateur fights) Still just 20 years old, Jhon Rivera will try to extend his winning run to seven fights and claim
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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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