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

April is the cruelest month. Unless you like MMA prospects.

If that be the case, then you're about to break into full bloom, or something. After a fairly slow March, MMA is busting out of the soil in April as the lights in the college gyms go dark.

That means a fresh wave of up-and-coming fighters to check out. Here at The Beaten Path, we have our fingers on this particular pulse. For going on three years now, we've been covering MMA prospects, and we know a good month when we see it.

This is such a month, and blue chippers abound. If you've been with us before, you know the drill: no UFC fighters allowed on this list, with Bellator and WSOF competitors included only sparingly.

What follows are the vital statistics, viewing coordinates and information capsules for the five top prospects in action this month. Let us now "spring" into it.

Ramazan Emeev

Division: Middleweight
Age: 28
Record: 13-3
Next Fight: Maiquel Falcao, April 9, M-1 Challenge 65
See It On: m1global.tv

After competing only once in 2013 and again in 2014, Ramazan Emeev grabbed two stoppage wins—and the M-1 Fighter of the Year award—in 2015.

Last April, he avenged his only loss since 2010 and captured the M-1 middleweight title by submitting Vyacheslav Vasilevsky. He then defended the strap by forcing a corner stoppage out of UFC veteran, Luigi Fioravanti.

Yet another talent to emerge from the Dagestan republic of Russia, Emeev's formula is familiar to anyone who knows how MMA is served in that part of the world. He's like velcro on the ground or in the clinch and is a great grappler; his striking is powerful if not overly dynamic.

He has a stiff test in Falcao, a violent but erratic alum of the UFC, Bellator and about everywhere else. If he gets past the Brazilian, then Emeev might officially shed the prospect label, if he hasn't already.

Leandro Higo

Division: Bantamweight
Age: 27
Record: 15-2 
Next Fight: Joey Miolla, April 15, RFA 37
See It On: AXS TV

Speaking of guys who may no longer be considered prospects, Leandro Higo could very well fit that category. Yet, despite a six-fight win streak and years at or near the top of many prospect boards, here Higo is still grinding on the smaller circuits.

Part of that may have to do with his disappointing, injury-hampered run on the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. It summarizes the misfortune that has marked his career, which also included visa difficulties in 2014.

Still, this top-flight jiu-jitsu player and Pitbull Brothers trainee can't (or at least shouldn't) be far away from a real shot in a big promotion.

Higo competed on TUF as a bantamweight in 2015 and that seems to be where he'll stay; it seems the cut to flyweight was simply too much. It's the smart decision, even if it diminishes his size advantage. He has a fun (for us, anyway) opponent in slugger Joey Miolla, but the smart money has Higo running his winning streak to seven. What will it take for him to finally break through?

Vagab Vagabov

Division: Middleweight
Age: 30
Record: 19-0
Next Fight: Nikos Sokolis, April 9, World Fighting Championship of Akhmat
See It On: YouTube

Now for the controversial entry. 

Last September, Vagab Vagabov introduced himself to American audiences by punching Brian Grinnell multiple times after the bell at World Series of Fighting 23. The effort earned him a five-month suspension from WSOF. 

But don't cry for Vagabov, Argentina. He found a soft landing spot in Chechnya, where notable warlord Ramzan Kadyrov runs the Akhmat fighting championships promotion. 

Take note, American brands. This is what synergy looks like.

Jiri Prochazka

Division: Light heavyweight
Age: 23
Record: 16-3-1
Next Fight: Kazuyuki Fujita, April 17, Rizin FF 3
See It On: Spike TV

It's not surprising that Jiri Prochazka didn't have much left for King Mo Lawal.

As a prize for winning a grueling back-and-forth battle with Vadim Nemkov at the inaugural Rizin event, Prochazka got to face King Mo. Unsurprisingly, he looked flat and then fell flat for a knockout loss.

Don't hold it against him too much, though. Prochazka has a great build for the talent-starved light heavyweight division and a deepening skill set to go with it (even if his wrestling still seems underdeveloped). This will be the biggest fight of his career, although a tangle with Kazuyuki Fujita—yes, that Kazuyuki Fujita, the very old one—may not provide his greatest professional test. 

Lowen Tynanes

Division: Lightweight
Age: 25
Record: 8-0 
Next Fight: Koji Ando, April 15, One Championship 40
See It On: onefc.com

If you're not paying attention to Lowen Tynanes, now is the time to change that.

The native Hawaiian is tearing up One Championship with his deep skill set, deeper gas tank and huge size for a 155-pounder. On the feet, he has a diverse arsenal of punches, kicks and knees and works the body well (an overlooked offensive option). What's more, he could take down an elephant and works cracking ground-and-pound and lightning-quick back takes once the fight is horizontal. 

Max Holloway and Louis Smolka have Hawaiian MMA back on the map, but Tynanes is doing his part, too. If he can dispatch Ando, then a title fight with the legendary Shinya Aoki can't be far away.

The Beaten Path is Bleacher Report's series of rankings and interviews with the top prospects in MMA. Scott Harris covers MMA and MMA prospects. For more, follow Scott on Twitter.