Sherdog Prospect Watch: Brahyan Zurcher

It looks like the training wheels are about to come off for Brahyan Zurcher.

The undefeated Mexican prospect will draw his most difficult Professional Fighters League assignment to date when he squares off with SBG Ireland mainstay James Gallagher as part of the PFL 9 undercard on Aug. 23 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. Zurcher, 28 has won all nine of his bouts as a pro, seven of them finishes, and sports all the hallmarks of a talent on the rise.

“He’s not one dimensional,” longtime coach Hector “Cobrinha” Vasquez said in a 2023 interview. “Wherever the fight goes, he’ll feel comfortable there. He’s strong in every aspect of MMA. I’ve worked with a lot of fighters, and he’s one of the ones that listens the most to his corner. He makes the adjustments as we tell him through the rounds. He’s just one of those kids that’s not going to give up.”

Zurcher last fought at PFL 5, where he punched out Julian Ruiz in the second round of their June 21 pairing. After a slow start, he made Ruiz pay for carrying his hands low in standup exchanges. Zurcher zapped the previously unbeaten “Aztec Warrior” with a devastating counter left hook just 86 seconds into Round 2. No follow-up shots were required.

“We saw videos of Julian, and in his past fights, we saw that he had a dangerous right hand, but every time he threw it, he kept dropping it,” Zurcher said afterward. “We kept working a lot of left hooks. That’s what we did. [My coaches] were playing a video game with me in the cage. They gave me directions, and that’s what I did.”

Zurcher continues to hone his skills as the Cobrinha Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Las Vegas, where Vasquez—a decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and multiple-time world champion—oversees his training. Prior to his current run in the PFL, he enjoyed cups of coffee in the LUX Fight League, Combate Global and Azteca Fight League promotions.

“He’s doing the right things,” Vasquez said. “He’s taking the right steps. He’s listening to the right people. He’s taking his time, and he’s not rushing.”

Gallagher provides his next test. The 27-year-old John Kavanagh protégé has rattled off five wins across his past seven outings, losing only to reigning Bellator bantamweight champion Patrick Mix and former Legacy Fighting Alliance bantamweight titleholder Leandro Higo. Gallagher has secured nine of his 12 career victories by submission, seven of them via rear-naked choke. He serves as a definite step up in competition for Zurcher, whose nine previous opponents hold a combined record of 39-47-1.

“My ultimate goal in MMA is to build my name [and] build my legacy,” Zurcher said. “I want to be the first Mexican fighter to hold a PFL belt, so when people talk about MMA, they can bring up my name and say that I opened many doors for many other fighters.”