No. 31-46
31. Sal Everett
Everett scored one of the better knockouts this year in an impressive performance, but he remains one of the rawest fighters joining the UFC roster this year. He has faced extremely limited opposition throughout his career, and Ozzy Martin was hardly a DWCS-caliber opponent either. That said, I expect the UFC to take a very cautious approach to Sal’s matchmaking, feeding him some of the weakest welterweights on the roster for as long as possible. He’s a strong draw in Vegas, and the promotion will have every incentive to protect that marketability while giving him time to develop. In hockey terms, I’d rank him as a “project”, no more, no less.
– Cédric Dumas
32. Luis Francischinelli
Francischinelli is gonna have a tough time in the UFC because the blueprint for beating him is out there. Even if you’re a striker that signs up to fight this guy, I’d recommend you wrestle. It’s not even like Francischinelli is this great striker, but his takedown defense and grappling defense are so bare. On the feet, he can be clipped but is so dangerous with his size and power that he can catch about anyone. Francischinelli can give us some highlight-reel knockouts. I hope the UFC will use him to take some of these guys out at the bottom of the division before giving him a push.
– Shawn Bitter
33. Gabriel Lorenço
Lorenço’s rare athleticism for a big guy makes him a high-ceiling but low-floor lottery ticket. His striking is incredibly sloppy, but he hits hard and will usually have a speed advantage. Charlie Cleveland was a solid step up from the guys he was destroying in Brazil, but I still worry what Lorenço will do against anyone who wants to wrestle. I’d like to see him drop to LHW long-term, but for now his debut fight is booked against Alvin Hines, which should see him pick up another highlight win.
– James Colwell
34. Joe Kropschot
Kropschot showed his experience against Jon Kunneman, dragging him into deep waters and exposing fundamental failures in his game that ultimately made Kropschot look really good and well-rounded. My issue is I don’t think Kunneman should’ve been on DWCS in the first place, and it was clear to anyone who had looked into him that he had never fought quality opposition, so the Kropschot fight was a huge step-up in competition to see if he could fight at that level. The team here unanimously picked Kropschot to win, which I think is telling to just how big of a step-up this truly was for Kunneman. All of this is not to say that I think Kropschot is all that great; I don’t think his striking can hold-up like it was able to against Kunneman, and at 31 he only has limited time to be able to sharpen the necessary tools in his game. However, his grappling will give fighters on the roster issues, and at middleweight he has paths to win fights. At the very least, his grappling is good enough that he can act as a strong lower-end litmus test for prospects entering the UFC who need that test, and he has the capacity to carve a solid career for himself in the UFC.
– Hudson Gelfand
35. Igor Cavalcanti
Cavalcanti’s weight class shift has been a success story. While he no longer has the elite athleticism he used to have at welterweight, his cardio has looked improved while still being a dangerous threat and a natural finisher. He might no longer have as much potential, but his floor is now higher and should get multiple wins during his UFC tenure.
– Cangrejo Ruiz
36. Luis Hernandez
A fighter whose popularity is a bit surprising, Hernandez was nearly knocked out before rallying for a submission against a flailing Frenchman on DWCS. He immediately accepted a short-notice fight at light heavyweight against Sedriques Dumas, and threw him in a nasty guillotine for another submission win. Hernandez is chaotic, sloppy, and lacks technique on the feet, but he finds ways to make it work. I’m not sure how much longer that will last, but his popularity and fighting style have likely already secured him a longer-term spot on the roster.
– Pat Danna
37. Adam Livingston
Despite an underwhelming DWCS fight that I admittedly didn’t think he would get a contract off, Livingston is a fine UFC fighter who I think will be able to have some success in the organisation. Livingston was content to stay on the outside and pick apart Hunter Smith, but he has shown he can put pressure on his opponents and break them so it’ll be interesting to see if this was more of a one-off or an indication of what we should expect to see out of Livingston in the UFC. I believe the Livingston we saw prior to his DWCS fight despite being raw can have exciting striking battles in the UFC, many of which he wins, and that the flashes we saw of that Livingston are ultimately what won him the DWCS fight; however if Livingston transitions to more of a point-fighting game then he might struggle to truly make the level of impact I think he could.
– Hudson Gelfand
38. Modestino Rodrigues
This was a bit of a weird situation where Rodrigues did drop and hurt Holmes, but was robbed of a clean finish by an early stoppage that dampened his impressive performance. Rodrigues is only 23 with an explosive and powerful build, and I’d argue his ranking is only this low because we haven’t truly been able to see what he can do against legitimate opposition. Rodrigues lacks defensive awareness that will at this rate inevitably get him knocked out, we haven’t really seen his ground game or defensive wrestling tested, and he will need to continue to improve technically on the feet as he progresses; the truth is Rodrigues will improve as he ages and is the type of fighter with a really high ceiling if things go his way, however given all the unknowns surrounding him he finds himself towards the bottom of our rankings.
– Hudson Gelfand
39. Alex Apodaca
Alex Apodaca will enter the UFC with a wild amount of fanfare for a fighter of her caliber. Her massive upset of Bella Mir will be talked about every time she’s on screen for the rest of her career. Her grappling defense is high-level. Her striking isn’t powerful, but it is precise, and she works the body well. She is a lifelong athlete, and moves like one inside the cage. Given her weight division, she very well may end up ranked, but she doesn’t have a standout tool that makes you think she can be great.
– Ben Keith
40. Callum Connor
Now I can’t agree with Connor getting signed to the UFC. Just because you can take a beating in the UFC doesn’t mean you should take even more in the UFC. I will say he never gave up and landed some stuff in that fight that would hurt someone other than Guaylupo. Some are saying he’s gonna have trouble getting a win in the UFC, but I think he has a solid skillset. Against the right opponents, he could take out some guys at the bottom of the division. Still, bringing him in too early does him a disservice; he could use more experience.
– Shawn Bitter
41. Guilherme Uriel
Uriel didn’t really earn his way back onto DWCS, and despite winning in 50 seconds, I still don’t think he belongs in the UFC. He’s a poor athlete with serious cardio concerns and few standout skills besides raw power. His BJJ is certainly better than your average regional HW, but that’s a very low bar. I wouldn’t be shocked if he picks up a quick win against some of the equally poor fighters currently in the UFC, but I don’t see much upside here.
– James Colwell
42. Preston LaGrange
LaGrange came in on short-notice up a weight class as a nearly +400 underdog, upsetting a prospect many writers on this team had at least some hopes for in Nell Ariano in the first round with a big check right hook after stunning him with an elbow off the clinch break. Every single one of LaGrange’s fights across his professional and amateur careers have finished by stoppage, and he fights with a kill or be killed type of style that will at the very least make for exciting fights. Admittedly this was a good win for LaGrange that I didn’t see coming despite not being high on Ariano prior to the fight, however, truthfully both on tape and in his DWCS fight LaGrange lacked the defensive sensibilities and in-fight decision-making ability to show he’s able to make a serious promotional push at this current juncture, even at light heavyweight, and honestly he’s shown himself to be a jack of all trades but master of none. While LaGrange inevitably should improve given he’s only 27 years old and could likely currently get wins against lower-level UFC middleweights if matched right, he has a distinct ceiling in the promotion unless he makes marked improvements in his game.
– Hudson Gelfand
43. Alik Lorenz
Alik had a great upset win on DWCS but he was the dog for a reason, he lacks the athleticism for the division while not having the technical ability to overcome such a disadvantage. He is a natural finisher and will always have a puncher’s chance, but we will likely never see him past the midcard.
– Cangrejo Ruiz
44. Adama Diop
While I did pick Adama Diop to win his fight, and boy, was it fun – I did not expect him to get this far. I don’t like to bash fighters, but to keep things frank, Diop is in big trouble in the UFC unless he makes serious changes. On the feet, his technique was extremely sloppy, and he consistently threw a hammer-fist-style strike that didn’t look very effective at all. One could argue he has some value in HW if he leans further into his wrestling base, which helped him recover his energy against Sabanov, however I’m not sure how much confidence I’d have in his current skill set. The reality is, if Diop wants to give himself a serious chance in the UFC, he needs to find a home at one of the top gyms in the US as soon as possible.
– Nicholas Holt
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45. Greg Foster
I wouldn’t have signed Greg. His age, the relatively low level of competition he’s faced, his apparent lack of punching power, and the fact that he came dangerously close to being finished in the third round all raise significant concerns (Jason Asher, meanwhile, needs to learn how to finish a D’Arce choke). Foster’s UFC outlook isn’t promising, and I expect him to struggle significantly against the level of competition he’ll face in the promotion. His UFC contract is, at best, circumstantial. He was matched up against another fighter with little punching power, resulting in a high-volume striking affair the audience enjoyed. However, I’m not particularly optimistic about seeing that kind of performance translate to the UFC.
– Cédric Dumas
46. Trent Miller
At the Prospect Vault, we want to be known for unfiltered thoughts and opinions. We don’t want to bash fighters, but we do want to give honest takes without being overly harsh. I think Miller fucking sucks. I do understand he had to be signed after his KO on the CS, but he had no business even being on the CS. What he offers is meme power, and everything else is bad. There are so many bad middleweights on the roster that it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he found a win or two. With that said, I wouldn’t favor him against anyone at 185.
– Shawn Bitter
