Top 20 Unranked UFC Prospects (Patreon)

In this piece, it's all about the future. This is twenty prospects in the UFC still on their first UFC contract (four fights and under). These fighters I believe will one day be ranked and if not be a fixture in the UFC for years.

Bantamweight, Felipe Lima (13-1):
Lima recently signed to the UFC and made his debut a few weeks ago. He stepped in on short notice up a weightclass. He fought Muhammad Naimov who was significantly bigger and had quality wins over Jamie Mullarkey and Nathaniel Wood. Born in Brazil, Felipe Lima lives in Stockholm, Sweden, and has been training at Allstars Training Center for years. After making his debut in 2015 where he came up short, he hasn’t lost since. His striking his his vocal point but his ground game is slept on. He did end up finishing Naimov in the third with a RNC. He looked that good without a normal camp and up a weightclass so the future is bright.

Welterweight, Gabriel Bonfim (15-1):
A lot of people are writing off Bonfim after losing his last fight to Nicolas Dalby. Dalby is such an underrated vet that doesn't get his deserved respect. He almost finished Dalby in round one but blew his gas tank and got finished in round two. From a skillset standpoint, Bonfim is still a top talent. Bonfim is a national boxing champion but the majority of his MMA wins are by submission. He's still really good even though people think he's overrated.

Lightweight, Mauricio Ruffy (10-1): 
Ruffy had one of the best UFC debuts in years when he annihilated Jamie Mullarkey last May. He looked as a video game character the way he was fighting. Ruffy is fighting out of the Fighting Nerds gym which is a surging team out of Brazil. Ruffy was someone I was high on back in 2019. He suffered a loss to Manoel Sousa and took nearly a three-year layoff. He's been great since he's came back and has absolutely leveled up recently. He's got the personality and sighting style to be a huge star for the UFC.

Lightweight, Myktybek Orolbai (13-1-1):
Orolbai has exceeded expectations since coming to the UFC. He beat a taled Uros Medic with ease and beat the very tough Elvis Brenner in his sophomore UFC fight. Orolbai is a strong wrestler who could just muscle guys around. I don’t rate his grappling all too high but he’s mauling with ground and pound and is heavy on top. Once he gets on the inside with his hands locked he’s a problem to get away from. He can fight at a hard pace for three rounds as shown in his last fight. His striking isn't pretty but he will overwhelm guys with his pressure and his power. Orolbai didn't fight anyone good outside the UFC but his two UFC fights prove he belongs.

Middleweight, Bo Nickal (6-0):
Nickal is the most obvious one on this list. Not that he is the most talented but he has the most hype. With just six pro fights and three UFC fights he's known among casual viewers which is a huge deal. Nickal is an NCAA Division I wrestler out of Penn State that gave him all this hype before stepping into the MMA world. He's been getting softballs in the UFC but there is no reason he should get rushed. Nickal has an extremely high ceiling and has champion potential.

Strawweight, Yazmin Jauregui (11-1):
Jauregui came into the UFC with some hype and gathered even more winning her first two UFC fights. She lost a lot of steam when she was beaten in twenty seconds by Denise Gomes. She did win again after that and probably beat Gomes more times than not. Jauregui has a credible ground game but is a super serious striker. Her hands are sharp but it’s her pace and volume that sets her apart. She does a lot of bouncing in and out and fighting in flurries. Jauregui is never throwing single strikes and always throwing in volume. She’s not throwing just in twos but throws multiple strikes at a time. Doing that while also mixing in kicks as well. She really throws everything including the kitchen sink. I think Jauregui has top-five potential at strawweight.

Strawweight, Josefine Knutsson (8-0):
Knutsson was highly touted by many including me prior to her UFC career. She's won both her UFC fights but hasn't performed to her best abilities. Knutsson has obvious gaps in her game but with little work she can be a star. Her striking is already top-notch and has a credible ground game for a decorated striker. She needs to work with her takedown defense and work off her back. If Knutsson can get that fixed, watch out

Welterweight, Michael Morales (16-0):
Morales has been on an upward trajectory since signing with the UFC in 2021 following his contender series contract. In his four UFC fights, he's beaten veterans in Trevin Giles, Jake Matthews, and Max Griffin. I believe I was one of the first people to know about Morales and he's done nothing but excel. He's well-rounded and you can see that he's still growing as a fighter but is still beating guys with way more experience. Morales continues to get his steady push as Neil Magny is set to be his next opponent.

Bantamweight, Farid Basharat (12-0):
Coming into the UFC Farid was known as the brother of Javid Basharat. Now that Javid is coming off a loss all the attention is on Farid. 3-0 in the UFC and wins over Da'Mon Blackshear and Taylor Lapilus. People like to discredit the Basharat brothers because they like to play it safe but they have legit skill sets. Basharat has excellent kickboxing and a wide diverse attack. He’s stronger on the mat and to get it there he has a good single leg and trips along the cage. Jiu-jitsu is his best weapon even if that is just with control or winning important scrambles.

Bantamweight, Rinya Nakamura (9-0):
Nakamura is the winner of the first season of Road to UFC at bantamweight. Going into the show and the UFC Nakamura had some hype because he was a decorated wrestler with a lot of experience before transitioning to MMA. He won a bronze medal at the 2011 Cadet World Championship, a 2016 & 2017 Meiji Cup champion, and the 2017 U23 World Championship, and has a 37-10 freestyle record. He's been getting favorable matchups in the UFC against Carlos Vera and Fernie Garcia but didn't finish either. He dominated both though and that's good enough. For a wrestler his striking is coming along. He doesn't have the grappling like he does the wrestling but has excellent control and floats on top. He hasn't got that big finish outside the RTU final but it's coming.

Welterweight, Carlos Prates (19-6):
Prates is a high-level striker that's carved out two knockouts in his UFC career. He first slept Trevin Giles with a left hand and then Charlie Radtke with a brutal knee to the body. Prates has grown into a very dangerous fighter over time. His biggest issue in the past was his takedown defense. He has tightened that up over time. In his last eight fights he was only taken down once and he popped right back up. Prates is an excellent striker. He has top-notch kickboxing and dangerous Muay Thai practitioner. Someone with his distance control and level of striking is a dangerous man to stand across.

Welterweight, Danny Barlow (8-0):
Barlow has been a breath of fresh air in the welterweight division. When Barlow was set to compete in the contender series I thought it was too soon because he had fought lackluster competition prior. He beat a former CFFC champion in Raheam Forest knocking him out in round one. To build off that he had a superb debut against Josh Quinlan. Barlow is a technical striker who uses a ton of feints to create openings. He has five KO/TKO's and it's not because he's letting it go but because he's patient and breaks down every move bit by bit. Sure, there is questions about his ground game but it hasn't held him back yet.

Flyweight, Josh Van (10-1):
Van has been such a fun addition to the UFC flyweight division since making his debut. 3-0 in the UFC and three strong performances. He's been so good that it's been tough for his fights to stick because his opponents eventually pull out or miss weight. Van is all business in the cage. Van is constantly pressing on the feet looking for striking lanes to exploit. He has the power and speed to score the finish at any time. I call him an opportunist because he knows when to attack. He doesn’t throw anything with wasted motion. Van is exciting and a fan favorite and will definitely be ranked by the end of the year.

Bantamweight, Payton Talbott (9-0):
Talbott is a special talent. He gets compared to Sean O'Malley a lot. I was on that boat as well but Talbott is his own fighter and a damn good one at that. His striking is top-notch whether people wanna like him or not. He had questions about his defense early on but that's about out the window now. He's the type of striking that likes to download data and pour it on more aggressively as the fight goes on. He's capable of getting the quick finish but excels as the fight goes. Talbott is a superstar and his stock is only gonna rise.

Flyweight, Rei Tsuruya (10-0):
Tsuruya is the flyweight winner of season two of the Road to UFC. He's coming off a win over Carlos Hernandez in his UFC debut. As a few thought Hernandez won that's a bit absurd since Teuruya controlled rounds one and two. What's so impressive about Tsuruya is he's only 22. I've said before he was a future top-15 flyweight and I still believe it. It's not all perfect with Tsuruya because his striking is still a gray area. His ground game on the other hand is so good. He's such a tricky unique grappler who's tying his opponent in knots. Tsuruya takes a lot of risks because he can fight out of any position. The sky is the limit for Tsuruya.

Bantamweight, Jean Matsumoto (15-0):
Matsumoto is a talented 135er who adds a lot to the division. He was put to test in his UFC debut against Dan Argueta. Matsumoto had to be on his game as Argueta is non-stop pressure. Matsumoto was on point defensively and kept composed. He eventually caught Argueta in a guillotine in round two. Putting together punches, leg kicks, and body shots is something he does very well. With how good he is on the feet, he’s looked even better on the mat. Matsumoto is only 24 and already so good everywhere.

Lightweight, Daniel Zellhuber (15-1):
Zellhuber is the star from Mexico that the UFC should be excited for. To me at least, he has a higher ceiling than Raul Rosas Jr. Zellhuber did lose in his debut but it was an odd fight where he didn't throw anything. In his last three fights, he's looked great. Improved defense all around and a big threat offensively. On the feet, he's good at range using his reach and blasting kicks from the outside. It's not as talked about but Zellhuber does have a slick submission game. He did submit Christos Giagos last year. Zellhuber is coming off two bonuses so he's coming into his own.

Flyweight, Assu Almabayev (20-2):
Almabayev was a respected flyweight when he signed to the UFC last year. He had a lot of experience fighting some good fighters and winning titles. Since coming to the UFC he's 3-0 and earned a POTN bonus in his debut. He's beaten the guys at the bottom of the division but has so in a convincing fashion. I have high hopes for Almabayev in the UFC. So much hope that I think he’s a future top 15 fighter. He has the speed, cardio, wrestling, and grappling to be a big problem in the division. He’s getting better and I think it’s only going to be up from here.

Bantamweight, Vinicius Oliveira (21-3):
Oliveira got into the UFC with a knockout on the Contender Series. He then made his debut and scored a highlight-reel flying knee which is still the knockout of the year so far. He then got the push after that getting matched up with Ricky Simon who is an established UFC fighter. Oliveira beat Simon pretty clearly as a +210 underdog. Oliveira is an all-action freestyle-type athlete who will always put on a show. Being the diverse athlete he is, the Brazilian loves to go for broke throwing a lot of switch kicks, wheel kicks, going off the cage, and flying knees. The way he fights he can get clipped at any moment because he has in the past.

Lightweight, Manuel Torres (15-2):
There was a lot unknown with Torres coming into his contender series fight. He started off in the UFC showing off his striking knocking out Frank Camacho and Nikolas Motta. In his last fight he fought Chris Duncas who was gonna test his wrestling and ground game. The jiu-jitsu of Torres is what stood out to me post-UFC and showed he had it submitting Duncan in the first. Torres in his three UFC fights has won a performance of the night bonus. He's a potential big star in Mexico. I like his fighting style and his personality and also the fact he's a threat everywhere. Still a lot of questions to be answered but he's a threat nonetheless.