Author: Around the Felt Sports
Like Thanos, Thomas “The Time Bomb” Blackorby is all but inevitable. At 5-0, the undefeated rising welterweight is hitting his stride at the right time. At age 24, he will find himself making his LFA debut on October 23rd against Devan Worth, a dangerous finisher. Yet Blackorby is arguably more dangerous in his own right, finishing four of five pro bouts. Holding an amateur and professional welterweight belt in regional promotions, Blackorby is an absolute riptide. His nickname is fitting; he will patiently pick his opponent apart until there is nothing left to pick at. Death by a thousand cuts…
The Flyweight division, lately, has finally started to get the respect it deserves. Super Saiyan levels of speed and technique, yet the only drawback is that finishes via knockout can be hard to come by. The prevailing view is that smaller athletes lack the power to separate someone from consciousness. Jarret Betancourt is a refreshing rebuttal to that argument. The 9-0 Florida-based Flyweight has had eight wins come via finish, five by KO/TKO, and three by submission. Seven of eight finishes have come in round one, and he currently rides a five-fight finish streak. At CFFC 159, his most recent…
The prospect scene is an absolute gold mine right now, and so many athletes we have covered in the past have signed with the Contender Series or UFC, such as Sean King, Stan Dorsainvil, and many more, who have made real strides since we last covered them. It just goes to show that we at least know talent when we see it. As proud as we are of all of them, we have more to bring. The subject of this week’s piece has already signed to the Contender Series, and he is one of the most UFC-ready athletes you can…
Attending an MMA card in person is unlike any other venue I have experienced. There is nothing like seeing someone go stone-cold unconscious mere feet away from you. Watching from the couch does the sport a disservice; in person, there is so much more detail. The magnitude of the moment seems brighter, and the fan reactions to certain fighters are far more apparent. On my part, it gave me a chance to see other unfamiliar prospects perform. Attending CFFC 159 in Philly with the guys reminded me how much there is to love about this sport, on any level. We…
Where there is smoke, there is fire. And what a spark Jason “All Smoke” Asher has been thus far in his young career. The budding featherweight possesses a 5-0 professional record, all by way of finish (strikes), and all but one coming in the opening round. Similarly to his teammate, Sean King, Asher’s stand-up game is an art form, fast and cat-like. The Mid City/LeBros MMA fighter embodies the fighting spirit of Louisiana every time he steps into the cage, and, coming off a win over former Fury featherweight champion Cameron Graves, better things are on the horizon. Though known…
The CFFC fighters, much like Fury, seem to have their own fraternity. Whether it’s gentlemen on the same team, card, etc., they can be a close bunch, much like a college football team. This week, we have a fighter I’ve had my eye on for a hot minute, Christian Bobe. Training out of Marquez MMA alongside Jeremiah Delgado, I admire the direction Bobe has gone in his fighting career. The rising featherweight is 27 years of age, old enough to be coming into his physical prime, yet not so young that he may fall victim to taking on too much…
I realize that our job is to promote the best mixed martial arts prospects we currently have, and that it may seem disingenuous to heap on praise as much as we do. Yet, it is impossible not to when we consider what talent Fury FC has been holding recently. Let me introduce Ricky Rojas, undefeated at 6-0 (and 5-0 amateur). His last four bouts and upcoming fifth on August 14th have come under Fury, and he has flourished under their lights. We have another fighter who not only wins but rarely even looks vulnerable. Not to say he can run…
It is said that history often repeats itself, or that great minds think alike. For this week’s piece, I cannot help but think about how much this fighter’s career path has resembled that of Sebastian Oyervidez, whom we covered in the last article. Let me introduce you to one of the brightest Bantamweight stars in Jay “Crack” Alderete. Like Oyervidez, he is a young prospect (aged 19) who has fought exclusively in the Fury FC cage. Also undefeated at 5-0 (and 4-0 amateur), he has amassed four finishes, three of which came in the first round. Jay is not just…
If you are looking for an athlete on a speed run, it is hard to find a fighter who has accomplished so much in as little time as Sebastian Oyervidez. The only feather missing from his cap is that of a regional title, but with such a relatively short time in the game, that can’t be held against him. How overpowered he has been cannot be overstated, but let me attempt to organize it in a way that is not word salad. Oyervidez is in his early twenties and made his amateur debut in October of 2023 and his professional…
Of the many prospects we have been covering over the last several months, few have been as ready as Cameron Sandoval. Recently winning A1 Combat’s Bantamweight strap in March, he’s looked every bit the part of a consummate champion. He has the experience in droves, an undefeated record, and an exciting style as a high-output grappler. While he won his first three professional bouts by submission, the finish has been eluding him since, though he won all subsequent fights in dominant fashion. While the word grappler can have a negative, boring connotation to some, that doesn’t apply here. Sandoval is…