The Beaten Path: 5 Top MMA Prospects to Watch in September

If you like MMA prospects, you've come to the right month.

The sport is snapping out of the summer doldrums in a big way, and the result is a glut of events, regional, international and otherwise. That makes for a good problem as far as we see it: How do we narrow the prospect field to just five?

Luckily, we have the chops to make the cuts. We do it with surgical precision. We are The Beaten Path, your home for prospect interviews and lists and stuff. We're always on the lookout, always seeking the next big thing for you, the discriminating mixed martial arts consumer.

So gangway, everybody. The doors are opening. Keep your shoes off the mink and don't let the cane catch your toes. These are the five best up-and-coming fighters in action in the month of September. Video clips and viewing coordinates included.

If you've been here before, you know the rules. No UFC fighters allowed. Bellator and WSOF only under extenuating circumstances. We try not to repeat fighters we've mentioned before. With that, here they are, ranked based on record, level of competition and estimated future potential.

5. Pannie Kianzad

Division: Women's bantamweight
Age: 23
Record: 8-0 
Next Fight: Tonya Evinger, Invicta FC 14, September 12 
See It On: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)

Pannie Kianzad just got thrown in the shark tank.

Evinger is not the first tough opponent that Kianzad has ever faced, but she's probably the toughest. Evinger also happens to be Invicta's bantamweight champion. Lots of moving parts here for the prospect.

Is she up to the challenge? You're darn right.

Kianzad knows how to beat people up and wear people down. I wouldn't call her a brilliant striker, but she's a good athlete who moves well, hits hard and hits often. She has deceptive strength that she uses to impose her will in the clinch, land takedowns, maintain top control and hunt for submissions.

The experienced and popular Evinger is a tall order for anyone, though. We'll see what Kianzad is made of.

(And by the way, yes, I am aware that Deanna Bennett is also on the card. But we've profiled her before; let me make this interesting for myself.)

4. Andrew Todhunter

Division: Middleweight/Welterweight
Age: 26
Record: 7-0
Next Fight: Dylan Smith, Legacy FC 45, September 11 
See It On: AXS TV

You may remember Andrew Todhunter from such films as The UFC Signed Me and Then Released Me After I Couldn't Complete A Drastic Weight Cut on Short Notice. Went straight to video, that one did.

Legacy seemed to have no qualms about welcoming Todhunter back, and it's little wonder. His aggressive meat-and-potatoes game isn't graceful, but it's eye-catching nonetheless.

Wondering what his specialty is? He has seven professional fights under his belt with seven submission victories to his name. He's seen the second round twice. So, yes.

3. Julio Arce

Division: Bantamweight
Age: 25
Record: 8-0
Next Fight: Mike Pope, Ring of Combat 52, September 25 
See It On: Ring of Combat

Ring of Combat might be the most prestigious MMA show in America not on cable TV. I hope we can remedy that some day.

In the meantime, the East Coast stalwart promotion that spawned Chris Weidman and Frankie Edgar looks like it's sitting on another winner in Julio Arce. 

The Queens, New York, native is a converted boxer, and that's evident in his style, which is heavy on, you know, boxing. He's a southpaw, and when he spots an opening, his left hook hisses with danger.

His arsenal is rounded out by solid takedown defense and an opportunistic submission tool box. Arce is really polished for as young as he is, and there's no reason to think that trend line won't continue for the Tiger Schulmann trainee.

2. Timur Valiev

Division: Bantamweight
Age: 25
Record: 9-1 
Next Fight: Tito Jones, World Series of Fighting 23, September 18 
See It On: NBC Sports Network

What is it about Timur Valiev? Is it that he fights for WSOF? Is it his somewhat undistinguished strength of opposition? Is he overshadowed by his more famous fellow Dagestanis? Is it because he looks like a character from The Office?

I don't know, but for whatever reason, people are snoozing on this young bantamweight, who is ready to break out. You can see it in the way he destroys broken-down Bellator veteran Ed West in this video. 

The Jackson-Winkeljohn charge is also still fairly new to the big scene; this is only his third fight for WSOF. But he's making a big impression, mainly thanks to his Tasmanian Devil stand-up. If the video wasn't enough, check out his WSOF debut, which ended with a flying knee.

His nickname is "Lucky," but his opponents don't seem so fortunate, if you take my meaning. Watch this guy fight and then put him next to your existing faves from the North Caucasus, before he does it for you. Consider yourself warned.

1. Tom Duquesnoy

Division: Featherweight
Age: 22
Record: 10-1 
Next Fight: Brendan Loughnane, BAMMA 22, September 19
See It On: BAMMA YouTube

See? This month is the epitome of stacked.

With Cage Warriors in the chiller, BAMMA is arguably the best European show going and certainly tops in the United Kingdom. It has a pretty good show coming our way this month, and it culminates with probably the hottest name on the MMA prospect scene today.

That's right, it's Tom "Fire Kid" Duquesnoy. He's as explosive an athlete as they come and knows MMA from the inside out (a national champion-level combat sambo base will do that for you). He has a full array of trips and throws, flowing top control and wicked ground-and-pound. His stand-up is great, too, mixing in thudding kicks (especially low kicks) with crisp punch combinations.

The best part, though, is just how badly he wants to beat the other man's organs out of his body. He wants to puree and pulpify, and he's not satisfied until that comes to pass. A killer instinct is what they called it back in the old days.

Loughnane should be to Duquesnoy what the hurdles were to Edwin Moses, only if Edwin Moses was a wolf and the hurdles were made of T-bones and he wasn't obligated to jump over them. You want to watch this fight. Find a way. Do it for you. 

Scott Harris writes about prospects and other MMA topics for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter. 

Record information provided by Sherdog.com.