Social Media A-Side Report:

  1. Shamil Gaziev (A-Side; 4.8K) vs. Greg Velasco (1.4K)
  1. Gaziev SHamil Hasbulatovich. (@shamil_gaziev265) • Instagram photos and videos 
  2. Gregory P. Velasco (@velascog23) • Instagram photos and videos
  1. JaCobi Jones (A-Side; 5K) vs. Daniel James Allen (2.3K)
  1. JaCobi Jones (@bigtoemma) • Instagram photos and videos
  2. Daniel James Allen (@yomothersfavorite_) • Instagram photos and videos
  1. Talita Alencar (A-Side; 36.3K) vs. Stephanie Luciano (13.1K)
  1. Talita Alencar (@talitaalencarbjj) • Instagram photos and videos
  2. Stephanie Luciano (@stephanie_rondinha) • Instagram photos and videos
  1. Kaynan Kruschewsky (A-Side; 7.3K) vs. Dylan Mantello (3.5K)
  1. Kaynan bahia (@kaynan_kruschewsky_) • Instagram photos and videos
  2. Dylan Mantello🤫 (@thequietman_mma) • Instagram photos and videos
  1. Igor Da Silva (A-Side; 3.2K) vs. Jhonata Silva (2.4K)
  1. Igor da Silva (@igor_cogumelo) • Instagram photos and videos 
  2. Jhonata Silva (@jhonatasilvamma) • Instagram photos and videos 

Anthropomorphic Advantages:

  1. Shamil Gaziev
  1. Gaziev ~2” taller (6’4 vs. 6’2), no reach or age is listed for Gaziev
  2. Greg Velasco is 29.
  1. JaCobi Jones
  1. Jones ~4” shorter (5’9 vs. 6’1), no reach listed for James Allen.
  2. Jones ~4 years younger (27 vs. 31)
  1. Stephanie Luciano
  1. Luciano ~4” taller (5’5 vs. 5’1), no reach listed for Luciano.
  2. Luciano ~9.1 years younger (23.8 vs. 32.9)
  1. Dylan Mantello
  1. Mantello ~1” taller (6’1 vs. 6’) & no reach listed for Mantello.
  2. Mantello ~2 years younger (30 vs. 32)
  1. Igor Da Silva
  1. Da Silva ~2” taller (5’7 vs. 5’5) & no reach listed for either fighter.
  2. Da Silva ~6 years younger (20 vs. 26)

Matchup Notes: Women’s 115lb. Strawweight Matchup

Talita “The Unicorn” Alencar: (4-0 Prospect)

Pros

  • Aggressive fighter standing and on the mat.
  • Trains alongside other UFC fighters at MMA Masters. High priority member of the team.
  • UFC Fight Pass Athlete: Fights on Fury FC & LFA.
  • Solid athlete, good musculature, effective clinch operator.
  • Excellent top game, passing, submission threats, and ground and pound.
  • Positional control broadly solid; did lose back mount vs. one opponent.
  • Elite RNC fundamentals; very good head and arm choke series (non-committal).
  • Love to gift wrap, take the back, threaten positional TKO's to open up opponents.
  • Good clinch knees and elbows, some pop on her punches.
  • Wrestling is a work in progress, good standing back takes, level change not great.
  • Excellent cardio, high work rate in the wrestling/grappling, 3rd Round Finish.
  • Series Jiu Jitsu: Takedown, Half Guard, Threatens Kimura, Pass Mount, Arm Triangle...
  • Routinely fought at 125lb. / 130lb. In Jiu Jitsu (Primary Weight was 118lb.)

Cons:

  • Small stature for the division.
  • Very hittable on the feet, reactive, chin up in the air.
  • Poor balance for a short, stout grappler. Balance is good on the ground but standing she falls, can end up on bottom (no one really pressed her there and tried to engage.)
  • If she can't get takedowns she will be in very greasy fights for sure.

Stephanie “Rondinha” Luciano: (5-1 Prospect)

Pros

  • Anthropomorphic Advantages: Younger, Taller, Presumably a longer reach as well.
  • Fair amount of volume, primary striker, mixes up punches & kicks, throws combinations
  • Seems to have some amount of pop, not jump off the page power but her strikes are felt.
  • Rondinha has showed good finishing instincts. When a girl wants out she will pour on pressure, up her volume, and fire extended combinations along the fence line.
  • Well built for the weight class in terms of stature and overall physicality.
  • Didn’t look like a fish in the grappling; wins over Black Belt/IMMAF World Champion Oliveira, clean stand up from mount against Aryadne RD. 1 in her most recent bout.
  • Understands optics. Turns it up late in rounds, walks forward, throws volume to score.
  • Able to take down and control lower level opponents and hang out on top in the guard.
  • If nervous re: SUBs she manages distance, kicks the legs to score / keep position.

Cons

  • Very young in her combat sports career, first fight (amateur) was in 2017 at 17 years old.
  • First fight in the United States, seems like her entire career took place in Brazil.
  • Luciano is quite hittable for being a primary striker; a lot of success comes from opponents death gassing/quitting. Unable to find tape of her only career loss.

Matchup Notes: Men’s 265lb. Heavyweight Matchup

Shamil Gaziev: (10-0 Prospect)
Pros

  • Powerful punches, nasty uppercut, devastating left hook, solid feinting game for heavyweight, clinical GNP, good knees, good finishing instincts.
  • Good rides from the top position, turtle, mount, stack guard, solid TD's and right hands.
  • Excellent double leg, take downs, fence pushing, and a damaging clinch game.
  • Extensive amateur background, 12 fight win streak PRO/AM, 10 fights undefeated PRO.
  • Insane chin for a HWT; ate some massive shots on film, no KO losses in plenty of fights.
  • Showed some ability to defend takedowns and work back up to the feet.
  • Fighting out of Bahrain (narrative nation) Bahrain wrestler just beat the two best 97KG Wrestlers in the World Back to Back at the World Championships
  • Uses his weight to weigh on opponents in the clinch, exhausts people with pace/pressure.

Cons

  • Sporadic head movement, getting hit cleanly on the chin / taking damage on film.
  • Dropped against Darko Stosic, bloodied badly against Ponomarev.
  • Willing to trade in the pocket, talking to his opponent, could get a touch emotional.
  • Definitely slowed down in the fight that went into round two, taken down multiple times.

Greg Velasco: (6-0 Prospect)

Pros

  • Reminds me of Big Country Roy Nelson. Not a ton of size but scrappy, heart, knows jiu jitsu, can wrestle a bit, and he has some speed and power for a big man.
  • Creative & patient off his back. Unorthodox SUBs for a HWT like a heel hook, deep half.

Cons

  • Seems very undersized for the heavyweight division at 6’1 & 263lb. (per CFFC)
  • Constantly being put on the bottom position in the tape I saw. Not sustainable at HWT.
  • Questionable gas tank. Slowing down / shaking out his arms in extended fights.