Top 10 Heavyweights: Unsigned Talent
Heavyweight – 265 pounds
1. Shamil Abdurahimov (12-1)
Russian fighter Shamil Abdurahimov tops our list at heavyweight. Not much is known about Abdurahimov, but with limited footage, one can see that he is developing into a top prospect. He’s a smaller heavyweight at this stage in his career, so he will either have to add bulk or look to cut down to 205 should he ever make it stateside, which is unlikely considering the lack of Russian fighters currently fighting in the UFC or Bellator. Aburahimov relies on his wrestling background to control fights, which has led to wins impressive wins over Jeff Monson, Sokoudjou, and Baga Agaev. His sole loss was to Brazilian Thiago Santos via decision. Abdurahimov may find a home in Bellator, but he is likely destined for a career fighting under the M-1 banner.
2. Pedro Rizzo (19-9)
Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo’s best years are surely behind him at 37 years old, but there is no denying his thundering leg kicks and unwavering heart. Many thought his career was done after losing consecutive fights via knockout to Josh Barnett and Gilbert Yvel, but he returned with an impressive decision victory over Jeff Monson, which showed that he still has some life left in his fighting career. Rizzo is set to fight Tim Sylvia later this year, which earlier Rizzo proclaimed that the winner of the fight would receive a UFC contract, which Dana White wholeheartedly denied upon hearing the rumor.
3. Todd Duffee (6-2)
Todd Duffee’s career should be a warning story for any prospect that is wrapped up in his own hype. Duffee was just 23 years old with a 4-0 record, when he ventured to Brazil to face former UFC and Pride veteran Asseurio Silva. Duffee won the fight via TKO and was signed to the UFC shortly thereafter. His debut sent shockwaves across the MMA seen as he knocked out Tim Hague in just 7 seconds at UFC 102. Duffee seemed to be destined for superstardom, but injuries and outside distractions may have hampered Duffee’s commitment to bettering himself as a fighter. He stepped back into the octagon at UFC 114, where he dominated Mike Russow for the better part of three rounds until out of nowhere Russo landed a knockout punch that effectively ended the hype of Todd Duffee. Duffee’s relationship with the UFC quickly soured and was surprisingly released, UFC president Dana White later claimed Duffee had an attitude problem and was welcome to return after a few wins. With Duffee back on the independent scene, he found new representation in Monte Cox and promptly had a fight scheduled against TUF 10 alum Abe Wagner at an upcoming show, but out of nowhere Dream needed an opponent for Alistair Overeem. Duffee accepted the bout on short notice and against the advice of his new management, and traveled to Japan where he was knocked out in just 19 seconds. Duffee has not fought since then, but that loss to Overeem may have forced Duffee to look at the holes in his game. The sky is the limit regarding Duffee’s physical tools, and with a solid training camp around him, he may turn out to be the prospect everyone thought he would be.
Update: Duffee will face fellow prospect Nick Gaston at Dream 17 on July 16th.
4. Damian Grabowski (13-1)
Polish prospect Damian Grabowski fought in the Bellator heavyweight tournament held in 2010. He came up short against eventual champion Cole Konrad. Since Bellator usually only extends contracts to the finalists of each tournament, Grabowski is presumed to be a free agent. Grabowski has shown solid skills, though it has been against questionable opposition. When he has stepped up, he struggled to show the dominant finishing skills that he had flashed in Europe. If Grabowski returns to Poland he will likely fight for the Beast of the East promotion.
5. Ricco Rodriguez (46-11)
Former UFC heavyweight champion Rico Rodriguez continues to fight on the independent scene as he seems to be permanently exiled from the octagon for past transgressions. Though rumored to be fighting for Bellator, those talks have proven fruitless, despite his manager having a good relationship with the promotion. Rodriguez was recently attempting to drop to light heavyweight, but badly missed weight in both attempts. He was recently arrested and his next fight is now unknown as he may be forced to take a hiatus. Rodriguez is riding an 11-fight win streak and still has the skills to compete at the highest level.
Update: Ricco will face Tony Lopez on July 15th.
6. Edinaldo Oliveira (10-0-1)
Edinaldo”Lula Molusco”Oliveira has quickly turned from a skinny prospect to a fighter destined for a major promotion. Olveira stands 6’7 and is undefeated in his eleven fight career. His recent win over Edson Franca leaves Oliveira with very few challenges amongst Brazil’s current heavyweights. Oliveira had previously fought out of a fairly obscure fight camp, but has recently started to train with Junior Dos Santos. Olivera is scheduled to fight on June 25th against a yet to be determined opponent, though Luiz Guilherme De Andrade has been rumored. Oliveira has to hope that his management can find him a deal abroad.
Update: Oliveira will face Jair Goncalves in a battle to see who is the top Brazilian heavyweight not fighting abroad. The fight is schedule for September 16th.
7. Gilbert Yvel (36-16-1)
Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel was surprisingly signed to the UFC in 2010, after some controversial events earlier in his career. Yvel failed to produce in the octagon though, going 0-3 and was released following his loss to Jon Madsen. He will fight for the first time since being cut, opposite Tony Lopez in Canada. Yvel is known for his knockout power and reckless fighting style, and will go down as one of the most feared fighters of his era.
8. Konstantin Gluhov (19-6)
For those that love to see vintage Igor Vovchanchyn fights, one should take note of Konstantin Gluhov. Equipped with a kickboxing background, Gluhov has transitioned to mixed martial arts, while also continuing to dabble in K–1. Gluhov has won multiple 8-man tournaments in the last couple of years and now has YouTube highlight videos circling around of his incredible knockouts. Gluhov’s ground game is still lacking in many areas and he would likely struggle at the top levels of MMA. Yet, it would be pure fireworks to watch Gluhov face the likes of Junior Dos Santos, Sergei Kharitonov, or Pat Barry. Gluhov fights often, amassing 15 MMA and 8 K-1 fights in only 18 months time.
9. Guram Gugenishvili (11-0)
Guram Gugenishvili is being marketed by M-1 as their next big star after he captured the M-1 heavyweight title. Guram better deliver, considering Fedor Emelianenko is closing in on retirement, and M-1 is supposedly suffering from financial woes. Guram thus far has delivered, going undefeated in eleven fights, while finishing all but one opponent. At only 24 years old, he continues to develop his overall skills, but it will be interesting to see whether M-1 tries to match him against a battle-tested veteran in order to gain Guram some popularity. Guram stands 6’5 and moves very well for a 250-pound fighter. It is still difficult to predict how Guram would fair against top echelon fighters, but based on his age and continued evolvement, his future looks bright. Guram’s next fight will be on July 8th, as he faces Pat Bennett, in his USA debut.
10. Rolles Gracie (4-1)
Rolls Gracie was hyped as the man to carry on the Gracie name in the UFC. That hype was quickly derailed in one night by Joey Beltran. Gracie showed lackluster conditioning and little willingness to strike with his opponent. He was released by the UFC immediately following the fight and has only fought once since then. Prior to that loss, Gracie was 3-0, with two of those wins coming against Baga Agaev and Peter Graham. Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu still makes him a dangerous opponent for anyone on the independent scene, but he will have a tough time earning another shot at a major promotion until he proves his commitment to bettering his all-around skills.
* I hope you have enjoyed this series. As a fan, I wish all of the best fighters were fighting each other, but with money and politics involved, sometimes that doesn’t happen. As you may have noticed, many of the names I listed are UFC veterans. For many of these fighters, they have proven themselves on the independent scene and there is not much left to accomplish outside of competing at the highest level. Many of these fighters fall in a level right between the UFC and being the champ of some regional promotion.
Stay tuned, as our next upcoming series will look at the top 10 prospects in each division. Fighters who have never fought for the UFC, or a Strikeforce, Bellator, Dream main card.
