This Saturday, Ares puts on an absolutely loaded card that is sure to be a fun watch. This is one of those cards that when looking back on it, you’ll say “Wow, that one was really stacked.” Not only is it headlined by Alvi Dasuyev, who ranks in at #16 on our Top 25 prospect rankings, the Co-Main features two unbeaten prospects that are also hot names, especially in France. Live on UFC Fight Pass at 1:30 pm Eastern, be sure you’re tuning in to watch some future stars.
Alvi Dasuyev 8-0 – Belgium – WelterweightÂ
So far through his 8 wins, he still holds a 100% finish rate with 6 wins via TKO and 2 via Submission. Not only that, 7 of the wins have come in the first round. Last November, he defended his belt at AEC 16 with a first round TKO of Kevin Ruart. In his LFA debut at LFA 218, he was taken to the third round, but he finished the experienced and streaky Daniil Prikaza with a flying kick that was absolutely stunning.
Dasuyev is more likely to let the fight come to him. If his opponent wants to dance and feel each other out, he will. If they want to brawl, he will. In his last two fights, he has showed he truly can take a shot. He is awkward, yet nasty striker with extremely powerful hands. He loves this odd jumping elbow when his opponent is on the ground, which is just a joy to watch.
Another standout performance was his win over Tyronne Pfiefer, a German prospect who has bounced back well since this loss to Alvi. In this fight, Pfiefer goes all-out trying to KO and take down Alvi; however, Alvi stays calm and defends takedowns and counters well. Dasuyev shows his chin in this one as well, and as the first is coming to a close, Alvi lands a brutal combination that hurts Tryonne bad. Then, a massive hook absolutely demolishes Pfeifer, and the ref steps in with a great stoppage.
Alvi Dasuyev is only 23 and started his pro career just in 2024! He also had quite the amateur career, with a win over his countryman Patrick Habirora. Spartan, as he is nicknamed, is truly a problem at the moment. I expect him to run through the 3-2 guy Ares is giving him, who is definitely better than his record.
Magomed-Giri Umarkhadzhiev 7-0 vs. Walid Masmoudi 4-0 – Vacant Lightweight Championship
Â
Someone’s ‘0’ has to go unfortunately, as these two French prospects face off in the Co-Main Event. Both are 24 years old and have fought at Ares now for a while, however, Masmoudi has been the more active as of late, as he fought this year at Ares 40.
Breezing through his first 5 opponents with 2 flying knees, a spinning wheel kick, a submission, and a ground and pound finish in his debut, Magomed- Giri would go to his first decision in an absolute scrap vs. Ioan Harris, who was 4-0 at the time. Magomed-Giri would win via Split Decision in a close fight that saw him get knocked down bad early in the first round. Howwever, in that round he would come back with 2 knockdowns of his own, winning that round for me. Ioan, to me, wins the second, but the third is close, and Magomed-Giri scrapes it out with more damaging strikes and ending with control.
Magomed-Giri Umarkhadzhiev is extremely well-rounded and just very dangerous everywhere. He has outstanding takedown defense, and paired with him training at MMA Factory, he is probably always developing with some of the best training partners in France.Â
Walid Masmoudi is the underdog in my opinion. His 4 wins come by way of 3 TKO finishes, both in the later rounds. He recently went to his first decision verse Craig McGrattan, who, like Magomed-Giri, was undefeated and had more wins than Walid. So, Masmoudi is used to this feeling, knowing he is maybe less experienced than the other guy.
Masmoudi is similar to Magomed-Giri, as Masmoudi is a great striker with powerful hands and great takedown defense and scrambles. He isn’t as flashy and is bit more of a boxer, but that is not a diss, as he has great jabs which make up for the lack of kicking to secure range. I would be very impressed if Walid could find a way to take out the guy across from him, but man, would his stock rise quickly, at least for me.
This is definintely one of the better fights in a extremely-packed weekend, so be sure to watch. I think it could be a fun striking fight where we will probably see who the better grappler is. While Masmoudi doesn’t have any pro wins by submission, he does have two on the amateur scene, and it could be a trap to test him there.
Benoit Prigent 2-0 – France – Featherweight
Benoit ended his illustrious amateur career with a 19-4 record. He held two amateurs titles and is now 2-0 as a pro, with a win via TKO in his pro debut and a decision more recently.
In his debut, he got his opponent in a checkmate position, in full mount, landing vicious elbows until the ref stepped in at just 58 seconds into the first round. At Ares 36 last December, he went to a decision, showing his full arsenal and skill. In both fights he went for and landed airborne takedowns and went for ground pound, using his position. He is a animal and looks to drag guys into deep water. He will be quick to strike when getting up, trying to catch his guy off guard. He truly does have a wealth of experience to rely on. At 26, and with a win over the surging Abdoulaye Dione, he will be a very interesting prospect.
Benoit will have to be careful on the ground, as Dione is a decent grappler, with his two pro wins coming by rear naked choke in the later rounds. Benoit, though, seems to also have great pace, and I expect this one to be a fun grappling match with tons of scrambles.Â
Vincent Yerly made his pro debut earlier this year at ARES 38 in January with a sub-90 second Head and Arm Triangle Choke. The former 2025 European and World IMMAF champion, Vincent Yerly is a legit prospect who is just getting started. He faces Axel Iridjie from the Ivory Coast. I expect him to run through Axel, as Axel has not fought the best competition.
At just 23, he has so much experience already and has been fighting since 2020, where he would lose his first amateur fight. He would come back 3 years later and go on a four-fight win streak before dropping his second. However, since that second loss, he has been nothing but perfect. He chooses to use his elite grappling, which makes sense, however, his striking doesn’t seem to be bad. It will be fun to see him continue to grow.
Brad Jean-Ellie Pro Debut – France – HeavyweightÂ
Brad went 7-1 as an amateur, racking up 4 different titles in the process. His one loss was a split decision – however, he is now on a five-fight win streak. In his last fight, which was last October, he won via decision, and looked to be gassing at the end. However, with this gap between his last amateur fight and his pro debut, I expect a new and improved Brad Jean-Ellie. He has dangerous striking and good wrestling, however, I am expecting that the striking will do the work this weekend.
Mouhamed Gueye 2-0 – Senegal – Light HeavyweightÂ
Honorable MentionsÂ
Maher Belkhadir 3-1 vs. Sofiane El Fatni 3-1 – LightweightÂ
Maher Belkhadir, out of France, is on a 3-fight win streak, while Soufiane El Fatni is coming off his first loss after going 3-0 to start his career. Both guys have 100% finishing rates, however, El Fatni’s loss is by decision to a 5-0 opponent, while Belkhadir lost via TKO in his pro debut to an 0-1 opponent. I look forward to this clash, as there is a chance for a great scrap.
Zaurbek Sabanov 3-0 – Russia- HeavyweightÂ
Debuting and fighting a 4-2 professional is no easy task, however, Sabanov won a unanimous decision and since then has fought decent opposition and finished them both, with his last fight being at Ares 30 in May 2025. Like his first two fights in his career, he fights someone with far more experience, so I look forward to seeing how he handles it.
