Here we are, fight fans, standing at the base of the mountain, ready to ascend to the peak to reveal MMA’s best heavyweight mixed martial arts talent. I’ll be frank. It’s more of a hill than a mountain. But there is potential in many of the prospects we’ve picked to grace our report this year.
Illinois-native David Oliva (6-0) begins the countdown, claiming the #10 spot on this year’s report. Undefeated in six professional bouts, Oliva has been on an extended layoff since defeating Chuck Hoskins at an event in Milwaukee in August of 2010. He was scheduled to face Justin Lemke at Bellator 29 in September of the same year, but experienced weight issues in the lead-up to the bout, forcing him to withdraw.
A little over a year later, in November, Oliva resurfaced to battle 2011 Scouting Report prospect Shamil Abdurahimov at Pro FC 37 in Russia. The bout never happened, continuing Oliva’s dry spell into 2012.
Before his lengthy absence, Oliva was gaining attention as one of the few heavyweight prospects in the talent pool with the wrestling skills to smother legitimate opposition. He worked over 2011 Scouting Report prospect Konstantin Gluhov at KSW 13 in May, slamming him to the ground with incredible strength and controlling him for three rounds. He did the same to the majority of his opponents.
Oliva lacks the size and stand-up skills to be considered a well-balanced mixed martial artist. He does, however, know how to play to his strengths. A powerful wrestler with sufficient conditioning and an iron will, Oliva is capable of relentlessly powering through his adversaries. If he can resolve the weight problems and gain a submission game, there’s no doubt Oliva will have some momentum heading into tougher fights. It doesn’t take much to get interest from the UFC or Bellator if you’re a heavyweight, and a little consistency and a few wins can go a long way in helping Oliva sign a major league contract this year.
Oliva is scheduled to fight Karol Bedorf on February 25 at KSW 18.
Footage of David Oliva after the jump…
| Flyweight | Bantamweight | Featherweight | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – |
#1 – Rony Mariano #2 – Aljamain Sterling #3 – Chris Holdsworth #4 – Josh Hill #5 – Fabiano Fernandes #6 – Claudio Ledesma #7 – Sirwan Kakai #8 – Kyoji Horiguchi #9 – Leandro Hygo #10 – Pedro Munhoz |
#1 – Hacran Dias #2 – Joey Gambino #3 – Brandon Bender #4 – Lance Palmer #5 – Jim Alers #6 – Anthony Gutierrez #7 – Max Holloway #8 – John Teixeira #9 – Cody Bollinger #10 – Bubba Jenkins |
#1 – Fabricio Guerreiro #2 – Alessandro Ferreira #3 – Adriano Martins #4 – Justin Salas #5 – Neilson Gomes #6 – Eduard Folayang #7 – Zorobabel Moreira #8 – Anton Kuivanen #9 – Jordan Rinaldi #10 – J.P. Vainikainen |
| Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – Andrey Koreshkov #2 – Dhiego Lima #3 – Brandon Thatch #4 – Nordine Taleb #5 – Hernani Perpetuo #6 – Brock Jardine #7 – Alan Jouban #8 – Mohsen Bahari #9 – Andre Santos #10 – Stephen Thompson |
#1 – Antonio Braga Neto #2 – Marcelo Guimaraes #3 – Claudio Silva #4 – Bojan Velickovic #5 – Ildemar Alcantara #6 – Michal Materla #7 – Elvis Mutapcic #8 – Tor Troeng #9 – Jack Hermansson #10 – Tim Ruberg |
#1 – Wagner Prado #2 – Phelipe Lins #3 – Tom DeBlass #4 – Misha Cirkunov #5 – Kyle Cerminara #6 – Robert Drysdale #7 – Artur Alibulatov #8 – Thiago Perpetuo #9 – Steve Bosse #10 – Juha Saarinen |
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – David Oliva |
David Oliva vs. Konstantin Gluhov
Daniel Omielańczuk vs David Olivia
David Oliva vs. Lee Defoose
David Oliva vs. Matt Hirsch
David Oliva vs Unknown – 09/26/2009
David Oliva vs. Unknown – 06/20/2009
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