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 third edition, I’m looking at a few rising talents with five fights or fewer that are on my radar. These […]
Before They Blow Up Vol. 3 – Rising MMA Prospects Read More »
Weight Class: Featherweight Record: 12-1 Age: 25 Height: 5’10” Born In: China Training Out Of: Longyun MMA Gym Combined Opponent Records (at the time they fought): 135- 59 Key Wins: Jizheng Wang Naertai Kezibayi will headline his fourth-straight event for top Chinese MMA promotion JCK tomorrow when he takes on Hubulan Tuerxunbieke at JCK
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David Mistulov Welterweight Age: 24 Fighting out of: San Jose, California, USA Record: 6-0-0 Fighting out of one of the fastest growing gyms in MMA, the Academy Fight Club, coached by former UFC double champion, Daniel Cormier, David Mistulov has developed into a premier talent at 170 pounds. Since his debut fight in 2024,
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For over a decade, Tuff-N-Uff has been a staple for the American regional scene. Given the privileged location of Nevada where it runs, many former prospects have fought in this company. Here are the most relevant ones for their next event. Tyshawn Williams Tyshawn Williams has quietly built one of the more intriguing
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Weight Class: Featherweight Record: 6-1 Age: 28 Height: 5’8” Born In: Venezuela Training Out Of: Inside Muay Thai Combined Opponent Records (at the time they fought): 31-21 Key Wins: N/A After going 3-0 in 2025 and only a month removed from his last fight, Venezuela’s Leandro Solano returns this week to meet João Pedro
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ACA Featherweight Champion Islam Omarov has maintained a flawless record throughout his MMA career, going 17-0 with his last ten fights in the notoriously tough ACA promotion. Omarov’s combination of physicality and grappling poses a scary threat to almost any featherweight on the planet. While his striking may not be at the same level, he
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French MMA is a large family that also includes Belgium and Switzerland. Indeed, these two countries have strong French-speaking minorities that are close to the French. In MMA, these Belgian and Swiss minorities are well integrated into the French circuit. Belgium, in particular, has seen several of its fighters become stars in France. French-speaking fighters
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Weight Class: Flyweight/Bantamweight Record: 6-1 Age: 21 Height: 5’5” Born In: Poland Training Out Of: BRAWLER Fight Club Konskie Combined Opponent’s Record (at the time they fought): 31-24 Key Wins: Adrianna Kreft Rising KSW star Wiktoria Czyżewska makes her return to bantamweight this Saturday when she takes on UFC veteran Tamires Vidal at KSW
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She’s Next – WMMA Weekly Preview Each week, I’ll highlight one women’s prospect on my radar and in action in the upcoming days Gigi Canuto Record: 6-1 Weight Class: Strawweight Age: 23 years old Training: 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Las Vegas Combined opponents’ record: 17-12 Giovanna “Gigi” Canuto is a Brazilian-born professional MMA
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LFA is entering a massive year for the promotion, and a new streaming deal with Vice TV is making headlines. Departing from Fight Pass has been a controversial move, but it could prove to be a pivotal point in the future of the promotion and how it delivers its content to fans. LFA 224 marks
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