If you are anything like me, you find that your eyes are always drawn to undefeated fighters. The following list contains five undefeated prospects to watch in the upcoming months. They are all currently signed by the UFC and are all undefeated. People can have differing views on what a “prospect” is, so for this article, a “prospect” is a fighter who has not headlined a card, fought for a title, or is ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight class. With that in mind, here we go…
(5) Luis Henrique da Silva
Luis Henrique Da Silva, or “Frankenstein” as per his nickname, is a 26 year old Light Heavyweight. In the young and talent-starved weight division, the organization is crying out for a new breed.
A rangy fighter, he boasts amazing power, but his defense is poor and relies on his toughness to get him out of tough spots in fights. He is scheduled to fight Joachim Christensen on October 1 and, in order to get up a jump up in competition, he will need to finish quickly and decisively. He has never been past the second round and blasts his opponents with barrage after barrage of punches and kicks.
Frankenstein seems like a nickname that fits perfectly. From my perspective, it is exactly what you would expect. He is not especially fast, you can hit him with everything you have, but the man just keeps coming. And when he gets to you, it is game over.
He is currently ranked at No 27 in the Light Heavyweight division by www.RankingMMA.com.
(4) Luke Sanders
Luke “Cool Hand” Sanders fights at Bantamweight and is 30 years old. He has only fought once in the UFC (which was at Featherweight) where he defeated Maximo Blanco, who himself had been on a three fight win streak by Rear Naked Choke in the first round. He has career history of 11-0
Sanders is a freestyle fighter who uses a range of styles but he is primarily a pressure fighter with high volume. He also fights from a southpaw stance. He made his Strikeforce debut in 2011 but has not fought that regularly; he fought only once in 2015 and has only fought once so far this year. He has no fight scheduled at present, although he did call out Faber after his last win.
He is currently ranked at No. 30 in the Featherweight division by www.RankingMMA.com.
(3) Mirsad Bektic
Misread Bekitc is 25 years old and from Bosnia and has already fought for the UFC on three occasions. He has an overall career history of 10-0. He won his opening two fights in the UFC by decision, firstly a majority decision win over Chas Skelly and then a unanimous decision over Paul Redmond. It is also worth noting that he was on the end of two vicious knees when he had his hand on the floor against Skelly, which almost certainly affect his performance. He most recently defeated Lucas Martins by TKO in the second round. He has not currently got a fight booked after pulling out of a fight against Tatsuya Kawajiri at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale in December of last year.
Bektic is a member of American Top Team. He uses a strong wrestling base and is extremely strong for the Featherweight division. He employs a powerful ground and pound as well as strong boxing. His kicking could evolve and he has now not fought in a long time, but make no mistake Mirsad Bektic is a blue chip prospect. I hope after so long away from the cage he does not get too stiff a jump up in competition
Misread Bektic is currently ranked at No 22 at Featherweight bywww.RankingMMA.com.
(2) Brian Ortega
Brian ‘T-City” Ortega is a Featherweight and 25 years old and is likely the most well-known fighter on this list. He currently sits at 11-0 and has fought four times already in the UFC. He first beat Mike De La Torre by rear naked choke, but the result was overturned to a no contest after he tested positive for drostanolone. He beat Thiago Tavares by TKO in the 3rd round, Diego Brandao by triangle choke in the third round, and most recently Clay Guida with a brutal knee again in the third round.
Ortega is expected to fight Hacran Dias on October 1st at UFC Fight Night 96. He is a Gracie Jiu Jitsu Black belt and his technique and transitions on the ground are something to behold. He is not a bad striker, but he is wild and unpredictable.
He is currently ranked at No. 11 in the Featherweight division by www.RankingMMA.com.
(1) Alberto Mina
Now a veteran of three UFC fights, he has already defeated established names such as Yoshihiro Akiyama and Mike Pyle. His record sits at 13 wins and 0 losses. He fights at Welterweight and has excellent submissions and striking. He is a 3rd degree Jiu Jitsu black belt and a 2nd degree Judo Black belt.
He is comfortable wherever the fight goes and is my personal top pick of all the names I have mentioned here. Currently he is without a fight scheduled after recently fighting on the Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez fight card. Look out for him. At 30 years old, he may not make a run to the title, but he is well-rounded enough to get there.
He is currently ranked at No 29 in the welterweight division by www.RankingMMA.com.
(Chris Hunt of Arundel, England is a new MMATorch contributor. He got hooked on MMA after watching UFC 114 featuring “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans and from there, he says, “I spent a ridiculous amount of money and time watching every event from UFC 1 up to the present so I could understand the history of the sport, the fighters, the weight divisions and everything else in between. It was the style of fighting that drew me in, in order to see what martial art was the most effective, and from there, the fighters themselves, their story, their training and the sacrifices that they go through.” Follow him on Twitter – @ChristofKing)
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