Another Contender Series card where I like a lot of the fighters. This time I’m only predicting 4 contracts, although there are 2 fights where I like both fighters and would love to see the loser get a contract or another opportunity.
Fight 1 (Flyweight): Vagabov (-550) vs da Silva (+400)
Rashid Vagabov, Russia, 27 Years Old, 13-2
Vagabov has 4 wins by KO, 4 by Submission, and 4 by decision, with 1 win via disqualification as well. He is a very balanced fighter. He has never been knocked out, his 2 losses are by submission and decision. He is another Dagestani Russian and has been fighting in UAE Warriors. All 4 of his submission wins have came in his last 4 fights.
Paulo da Silva, “PH”, Brazil, 23 Years Old, 11-1
da Silva has 9 wins by Submission and 2 by decision. He has never knocked anyone out, with his 1 loss coming via KO/TKO in his first professional fight. He is a young submission artist with next to no threat on the feet. His two decisions came in his last 2 fights, one of which being in the LFA.
Prediction:
I like both of these fighters as prospects, but I think Vagabov is the more balanced and experienced fighter and likely wins. While Vagabov could knock da Silva out, I expect both fighters to be comfortable on the ground. I think Vagabov wins in the 2nd round via submission. Either fighter is in a good position to get a contract with a win.
Fight 2 (Featherweight): Campbell (-475) vs Seck (+300)
Kurtis Campbell, “The Pink Panther”, England, 23 Years Old, 7-0
Campbell has 7 career fights all wins in the FCC. He has 4 by KO/TKO, 1 by Submission, and 2 by Decision, with 3 of the KOs coming in the first round. He won the belt in FCC and has defended it twice, also winning 5 title fights as an amateur. He has been working on his grappling but is still primarily a stand up fighter.
Demba Seck, “Black Tiger”, Senegal, 31 Years Old, 10-2
Seck has 4 wins by KO/TKO, 4 by Submission, and 2 by Decision, with both of his losses coming by decision. 7 of his 8 finishes came in the first round, with the 8th not being publicly known, and possibly was a 1st round finish as well. Seck is much more experienced than the typical African Contender Series fighter and is very well balanced.
Prediction:
Seck looks talented, but Campbell is one of my favorite prospects on the card and I’m going with Campbell to win the fight. Seck is good on the ground so I’ll go with R1 TKO for Campbell. Both fighters have a good chance at a contract with a win, although a Seck decision win might not be enough due to his age.
Fight 3 (Welterweight): Alvidrez (+205) vs Kubanza (-275)
Christopher Alvidrez, United States, 28 Years Old, 6-1
Alvidrez has 4 KO/TKO wins, and 1 Submission, all 5 coming in the first round. He also has 1 win and 1 loss via decision. He won a title as an amateur. He seems decently well rounded although he only has 1 submission win in his first professional fight.
Eliezer Kubanza, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 27 Years Old, 7-0
Kubanza is a bit of an unknown coming out of the Congo. He has 6 KO/TKO wins with just 1 decision, he has never lost as a pro. He went 7-3 as an amateur, with 6 TKO wins, 1 submission win and all 3 losses coming by decision. While he may not be polished, he has raw power and is going to be a threat at the contender series level.
Prediction:
Kubanza is too interesting of a prospect for me not to pick him. Nothing against Alvidrez, but give me Kubanza by KO in the 1st round. I think this fight should end in a finish and the winner should easily earn a contract.
Fight 4 (Bantamweight): Jourdain (-160) vs Dias (+125)
Louis Jourdain, “Mad Prince”, Canada, 28 Years Old, 8-3
Jourdain has 4 wins via KO/TKO, 1 by submission, and 2 by submission (1 is unknown). He has 2 submission losses and a decision loss. He had more success on the ground as an amateur than he has as a pro, where he seems to have a clear weakness. He also went 1-1 in pro boxing.
Magno Dias, “The Violence”, Brazil, 28 Years Old, 6-1
Dias has 2 wins via KO/TKO and 4 by submission, but also has a submission loss. His 2 KO/TKO/Doctor Stoppage wins have came in his last 2 fights. He has faced some fighters with surprisingly good records on the regional scene.
Prediction:
I think this is probably the least interesting fight on the card. I’m going to go with Dias by Decision. I think neither fighter is high enough level to get a finish, although if a finish were to happen I would expect it to be Dias by Submission. In the event of a decision, as I’m predicting, I would expect no contract to be given out.
Fight 5 (Middleweight): Main Event – Costa (-105) vs Pinas (-125)
Vitor Costa, Brazil, 25 Years Old, 8-1
Costa is a balanced fighter with 3 KO/TKO wins, 3 Submission wins, and 2 decision wins. He has 5 first round finish. His lone loss was a round 1 KO in his first pro fight against future UFC fighter César Almeida. He has won 2 belts in Jungle Fight, defending his belt once in between. He also has 1 win in the LFA.
Damian Pinas, “The Babayaga”, Aruba, 23 Years Old, 7-1
Pinas, once scheduled to fight Murtaza Talha in the Contender Series before getting replaced by Baisangur Susurkaev, now gets his chance. He has 6 KO/TKO victories and 1 submission. His lone loss was via disqualification due to an illegal kick in the first round. He has fought some decent fighters, according to their win-loss record.
Prediction:
Costa is more balanced, but I think Pinas wins this fight via KO in the 1st round. This is another fight where I like both fighters as prospects and wouldn’t mind them both in the UFC at some point. I think either fighter gets a contract with a win in the main event, barring a boring decision.
Power Rankings
- Kurtis Campbell
- Rashid Vagabov
- Damian Pinas
- Eliezer Kubanza
- Vitor Costa
- Paulo da Silva
- Magno Dias
- Demba Seck
- Christopher Alvidrez
- Louis Jourdain
