Fight fans are familiar with Ultimate Fighting Championship’s top stars, but what about those young UFC fighters who are on the rise and could be the next Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, and Sean O’Malley?
The MMA world leader is always looking for the next big thing, but athletes don’t become cage-fighting superstars overnight. It takes a lot of fight minutes against fellow prospects and established veterans to forge a new potential UFC contender.
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It is difficult to predict who will be the promotion’s next superstar, but fans need to keep an eye on these UFC fighters because they are the best 25-year-old and under prospects on the roster today.
Best age 25 and under UFC fighters on the roster right now
25. Francis Marshall – 24
- 7-2 (1-2 UFC)
Francis Marshall got off to a fast start in his UFC career by earning a contract with the top promotion in the world in 2022 and then starching Marcelo Rojo in his promotional debut. However, competing at the highest level is difficult for athletes with limited experience and after starting his career 7-0, he has suffered back-to-back losses inside the Octagon.
The Gulf Coast MMA product will be feeling the heat in his UFC return because he will likely be fighting to keep his spot on the roster. But he has the talent to win and grow as a competitor all in one fell swoop.
24. Mateus Mendonca – 24
- 10-1 (0-1 UFC)
Mateus Mendonça quickly made a name for himself by thrashing Ashiek Ajim in his contract-winning bout on the Contender Series in 2022. Unfortunately, the Brazilian was handed his first MMA loss to fellow prospect Javid Basharat in his promotional debut. The Future FC veteran has grown a reputation as a finisher and is one of the many UFC fighters that shows the absurd depth and multi-level talent of the promotion’s bantamweight division.
23. Dennis Buzukja – 25
- 11-3 (0-1 UFC)
Former Ring of Combat featherweight champion Dennis Buzukja has been a notable talent on the Northeast regional scene for some time. However, the company has been hesitant to add him after splitting his two opportunities on the Contender Series. But in August he finally got the call to be a short-notice replacement versus Octagon veteran Sean Woodson.
It was a difficult spot to begin a UFC career, but “The Great” comes from a strong camp and has an unusual amount of experience for a 25-and-under fighter. Don’t be surprised if he comes back with a vengeance in his second bout if allowed a full camp to prepare.
22. Maheshate Hayisaer – 23
- 9-3 (1-2 UFC)
China’s Maheshate Hayisaer is a part of the massive wave of talent that has invaded the UFC roster as the promotion looks to build its brand inside the second-biggest economy on the planet. He is also another Contender series competitor who has quickly found out how difficult it is at the highest levels after losing his first two scraps inside the Octagon.
The saving grace is his defeats came against well-respected talents in former Combate Global champ Rafa Garcia and talented Russian prospect Viacheslav Borshchev. So his job security isn’t in danger but he needs to show his potential in his return to action.
21. Yusaku Kinoshita – 23
- 6-2 (0-1 UFC)
Yusaku Kinoshita is a veteran of the Japanese MMA scene, having fought for the likes of DEEP, Pancrase, and Rizin FF. Win or lose, every one of his fights has ended with a finish, including his contract-winning bout on the Contender Series and his debut loss to Adam Fugitt. He is an action fighter and that is exactly what the promotion wants in their talent. Which means he has staying power potential in the MMA world leader.
20. Nurullo Aliev – 23
- 9-0 (1-0 UFC)
Nurullo Aliev is another Eastern European beast who has taken MMA by storm and made a statement in the promotion by getting a very nice debut win versus Rafael Alves. The “Tajik Eagle” needs more minutes in the cage against some Americans but he has shown in just nine fights he is another suffocating grappler from a part of the world that has been a factory for developing future UFC talent.
19. Yazmin Jauregui – 24
- 10-1 (2-1 UFC)
After working her way up through the ranks of the premiere Latin MMA organization in the world, Combate Global, and becoming their strawweight champ, Mexico’s Yazmin Jauregui immediately proved her UFC worth by off two quick wins inside the Octagon. However, her 20-second loss to fellow prospect Denise Gomes was a major setback.
Nevertheless, she is one of the best competitors Combate has ever produced and is a major talent to watch at 115 pounds.
18. Denise Gomes – 23
- 8-2 (2-1 UFC)
Outside of a hard-fought loss to super-underrated fighter Loma Lookboonmee in her promotional debut, Denise Gomes has proven to be a notable prospect in the strawweight division. She has competed all over the sport and even made a successful one-fight stint in the all-women’s league Invicta FC. After her debut loss, she has tallied two dominant wins, including over former Combate Global strawweight queen Yazmin Jaurequi.
17. Joshua Van – 21
- 8-1 (1-0 UFC)
While he eked out a win in his UFC debut, former Fury FC flyweight king Joshua Van is one of the best prospects in the weight class and has collected pelts inside the distance his entire nine-fight career. In a division that is always wide open, Van is definitely a fighter to watch, because even though he didn’t look spectacular in his first bout in the UFC, scoring a win over the always-tough Zhalgas Zhumagulov is still a nice way to start a UFC career.
16. Daniel Zellhuber – 24
- 13-1 (1-1 UFC)
Daniel Zellhuber is another Mexican prospect with some Combate Global experience under his belt. Like many on this list, he earned his way onto the roster via the Contender Series with a hard-fought win over rock-solid prospect Lucas Almeida. Although he fell in his promotional debut to Trey Ogden, he bounced back in a major way with a massive win over proven UFC vet Lando Vannata.
Zellhuber is well rounded and the Lux Fight League alum is only getting better.
15. Brady Hiestand – 24
- 7-2 (2-1 UFC)
While Brady Hiestand was not able to win the Season 29 “Ultimate Fighter” trophy at bantamweight, he bounced back from the disappointment with a pair of solid wins inside the Octagon. TUF is not the factory for elite UFC talent that it used to be, but there are still gems that come from the series, and reaching the finals shows a level of dedication and fortitude that bolds well for UFC success.
Hiestand still has areas in his game where he needs to get better but he is a very sound prospect with serious upside.
14. Raul Rosas Jr. – 18
- 7-1 (1-1 UFC)
There has been a ton of hype surrounding Raul Rosas Jr. But that’s to be expected when an athlete is the youngest athlete on the best MMA roster in the world. After a roaring start to his career when he scored a first-round submission win over Jay Perrin in 2022, he was humbled in his follow-up booking against fellow prospect Christian Rodriguez.
Rosas Jr. was soundly beaten at UFC 287 and showed he still has a long way to go in his overall MMA game, but at 18, he has so much time to get better and prove he is the genuine cage-fighting prodigy many suspect him to be.
13. Francisco Prado – 21
Former Samurai Fight House lightweight champion Francisco Prado has quickly shown during his short UFC stint that there is some legit talent being developed in one of Argentina’s top MMA promotions. In his debut with the MMA world leader, he was given a tough matchup against battle-tested veteran Jamie Mullarkey. While he suffered a defeat in his first UFC go-around, Prado bounced back with a dominant win over another Octagon vet, Ottman Azaitar.
“Bulldozer” is one of several fighters that is helping to put the South American nation on the MMA map.
- 12-1 (1-1 UFC)
12. Christian Rodriguez – 25
- 9-1 (2-1 UFC)
CFFC and LFA veteran Christian Rodriguez was an afterthought when he faced Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC 287. However, it wasn’t long before he proved he was the real prospect to keep an eye on. That dominant victory moved his record to 2-1 in the Octagon, and his lone loss was by decision against Jonathan Pearce. A fighter who has wins over featherweight stars Makwan Amirkhani and Darren Elkins.
The Roufusport fighter is one of the better prospects in the sport at 145 pounds and is worth checking in on when he makes his Octagon return in October.
11. Chase Hooper – 23
- 13-2-1 (4-3 UFC)
Like Rosas Jr., Chase Hooper drew a whole bunch of attention when he landed on MMA fans’ radar by being a teenage competitor on the Contender Series. Once he was given the greenlight to compete in the fabled Octagon he made a big splash with a dominant win over Daniel Teymur. However, he has had mixed results since then.
“The Dream” is 3-3 since his debut win, and the holes in his striking have been badly exposed in all of his losses. However, at only 23 he still has room to grow and his fantastic grappling is a great starting point to build a championship-level fighter off of.
10. Ignacio Bahamondes – 25
- 14-5 (3-2 UFC)
Ignacio Bahamondes has fought all over the MMA map, including in Lux Fight, LFA, Combate, and even Island Fights. And everywhere he has competed he has proven to be the type of action fighter the UFC absolutely loves to have. While he may never fight for a belt, don’t be shocked if he turns into the Chilean version of Tim Means and ends up having a very long and successful tenure inside the UFC.
9. Edmen Shahbazyan – 25
- 12-4 (5-4 UFC)
It was not long ago when Edmen Shahbazyan seemed headed on a path to being a future UFC middleweight title challenger. He was one of the first stars of the Contender Series and opened his Octagon run with four straight wins. However, he has struggled since and lost four of his last five bouts. Which has cast doubt on if he can ever reach his potential.
But with him being only 25 and making a needed move to an elite gym like Xtreme Couture, there is still a great deal of untapped potential in “The Golden Boy.” MMA is a sport that has seen many surprising peaks and valleys from its fighters, and Shahbazyan has the talent to where he could easily be at the starting point of a major positive shift in his young career.
7. Tatsuro Taira – 23
- 14-0 (4-0 UFC)
Former Shooto flyweight king Tatsuro Taira is showing that there is still a lot of life left in what used to be one of the top hotbeds for MMA stars, Japan. The grappling ace has been dominant during his 14-fight career and has continued his unbeaten ways with four-straight wins inside the Octagon.
So far, he has proven he is better than most prospects, and in October he will get to show if he is worthy of a ranking when he faces David Dvorak. If he wins that, you could be hearing his name in the championship conversation in 2024.
6. Casey O’Neil – 25
- 9-1 (4-1 UFC)
Casey O’Neil is one of the young fighters that continues to show Scotland has some world-class MMA talent. The Eternal MMA product got off to a fast start in her UFC career by winning her first four, including sending fan favorite Roxanne Modafferi into retirement with a loss. While she fell to Jennifer Maia in her recent fight, there is no shame in losing to a former title challenger after just 10 bouts in the sport.
“King” is a talent that should be in serious title contention at flyweight sooner than later.
8. Michael Morales – 23
- 15-0 (3-0 UFC)
Welterweight prospect Michael Morales is the latest in an impressive wave of cage-fighting killers coming out of Ecuador in recent years. After winning a contract on the Contender Series, he put the division on notice with TKO victories to begin his UFC career. However, scoring a win over veteran Max Griffin in his most recent appearance said a lot about his talent and upside at just 24 years old.
Morales is a fighter to keep an eye on at 170 pounds over the next year.
5. Maycee Barber – 25
- 13-2 (8-2 UFC)
Maycee Barber is a perfect example of how hard it can be to maintain momentum in the UFC. “The Future” seemed on the cusp of a title opportunity in 2021 after scoring three consecutive finishes to start her stint in the company. But a pair of losses set her back and let the voices of the naysayers grow louder.
However, the former LFA star has roared back to prominence with five straight wins, is proving the hype around her was always real, and that her setbacks have only made her a better fighter and flyweight. If Barber isn’t in a title fight in the next couple of years that would be stunning.
4. Muhammad Mokaev – 22
- 10-0 (4-0 UFC)
Dagestani fighter Muhammad Mokaev has quietly taken the 125-pound division by storm and earned a spot in our UFC flyweight rankings in just four fights. While the division has some amazing talent, it is always wide open, and in just 10 pro fights Mokaev is already among the best in the world. If he can score a definitive win over Tim Elliot in October, it may not be long before the top prospect in the game at flyweight is competing for a belt in the top promotion on Earth.
3. Song Yadong – 25
- 20-7-1 (9-2-1 UFC)
It is wild to realize that Yadong Song already has 12 fights in the UFC and is only 25. But that is the kind of bantamweight prospect he was when the Chinese star entered the company back in 2017. He has fought many of the best fighters in the division during that time, and beaten quite a few of them.
The only reason “Kung Fu Kid” is not at the top of this list is he has been lucky with the judges several times in fights some MMA observers believe should have gone the other way. So there is still much to prove for the Team Alpha Male product, but if he is in a title fight in the next year it shouldn’t surprise anyone.
2. Erin Blanchfield – 24
- 12-0 (5-0 UFC)
Erin Blanchfield is the women’s flyweight division’s fastest-rising star after scoring Ws in her first five fights in the promotion. Some originally doubted if she had the well-rounded game needed to compete at the higher levels of the division. But she has put those fears to rest with resounding victories over Molly McCann and former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade in her last two.
“Cold Blooded” has been exactly that during her short run in the company and has forced herself into the title fight conversation in an impressive amount of time.
1. Ian Machado Garry – 25
- 12-0 (6-0 UFC)
If you didn’t know about Ian Machado Garry yet, the Irishman has done all he can to be his own personal hype man. But while his brash and boastful personality has rubbed some the wrong way, the hype is very real and he showed how dangerous and dominant he can be by making easy work of well-established UFC welterweight veteran Neil Magny at UFC 292.
After reigning over Cage Warriors — the United Kingdom’s top MMA promotion — as their 170-pound king, he has won his first six in the Octagon and has met very little resistance in that time. While his victory over Magny was very impressive, scoring a May knockout win over Daniel Rodriguez — a fighter who had never been knocked out in 19 previous bouts — put the weight class on notice.
Garry is here to stay and is the fastest-rising star in one of the sport’s toughest divisions.