Next-Gen Fighters: Top 10 Male MMA Prospects 2023
The Future of MMA: The Top 10 MMA Male Fighting Prospects for 2023
MMA or cagefighting in general is the most popular it has ever been. The sport and its stars are followed by millions of fans, who tune in to watch their favourite fighters.
But who are the very best young fighters in MMA right now?
Updated July 2023
There is a plethora of top-ranked promotions today that share this audience, along with mainstream companies sponsoring them.
Plenty of prominent MMA icons have been dethroned in the past two years or so. With that, the question arises: who are the future stars that will carry the sport, and where can you find them?
Like in most sports, the top MMA athletes don’t stick around at the top level for very long, as they’re beaten by the younger and hungrier at some point in time. The title contenders can either overthrow the champions or get beaten by younger upstarts themselves.
Such is the fight game and there’s a handful of up-and-comers who are trying to make a name for themselves in it.
The following piece takes a look at the top 10 MMA prospects that you should keep an eye on. Don’t forget to check out our article on the top prospects in WMMA too!
Note: Most of these are UFC prospects as the company is known to have the toughest competition.
1. Muhammad Mokaev (10-0)
Muhammad Mokaev is a British-Dagestani prospect who makes this list because of his insane wrestling abilities and his undefeated record that comes as a result of them.
This flyweight debuted in the UFC last year, winning Performance of the Night in his first match.
Mokaev is just 23 years old and has competed in several high-profile wrestling championships during his amateur career. This includes the 2018 and 2019 ADCC UK Championships in which he won gold.
2. Bo Nickal (5-0)
After the fall of Paddy Pimblett’s PR, it seems like former freestyle wrestling sensation Bo Nickal has the biggest hype train behind him. He’s considered one of the best UFC prospects today for his grappling skills and an underrated striking ability.
In just one year of his MMA career, Nickal has managed to rack up a 5-0 record, winning all of his fights in the first round. He’s also quite marketable and this is why the UFC is slowly building him up. Meanwhile, fans are already calling for him to face a ranked opponent.
3. Jack Della Maddalena (15-2)
Unlike the first two entries on this list, Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena is a knockout artist. He’s on a 13-fight win streak, with 11 of those wins coming via knockout. Della Maddalena has made his way to the welterweight rankings.
He’s quite exciting to watch as well. In just 5 UFC fights, he’s managed to win 3 Performance of the Night bonuses, and 1 Fight of the Night. If he keeps this up, he’ll be considered a title contender in no time.
4. Jailton Almeida (19-2)
Jailton Almeida is the biggest (and baddest) fighter on this list. The Brazilian heavyweight is a veteran of the sport but got his big break just two years ago, when he joined the UFC.
Since then, the Brazilian orthodox fighter has finished all of his opponents in the 1st or 2nd round.
Almeida’s stock went up with his win over Shamil Abdurakhimov, where he TKO’d the seasoned Russian competitor. But his biggest win is his most recent one over former heavyweight title contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik, where he won by submission in the first.
5. Sharaputdin Magomedov (17-0)
Sharaputdin Magomedov is easily the scariest fighter on this list of top 10 MMA prospects. The Russian middleweight is a striking genius with explosive power.
The undefeated Shara has used these attributes to win 10 of his 11 matches via knockout.
His exploits in MMA are even more remarkable considering that he has only one eye. He lost the vision in his right eye early in his career and had it surgically removed.
Despite this, he’s made it to the world’s toughest 185-pound division and is considered a threat.
6. Ian Garry (12-0)
Ian Machado Gary is nicknamed “the future”, which is quite fitting for someone featured on this list. As a child, Gary was inspired to learn judo by then-rising star and fellow Irishman Conor McGregor.
He’d follow in McGregor’s footsteps and join the UFC at the age of 23.
Garry quickly made a name for himself in the UFC, winning all of his matches and showing off his striking skills. Garry is a former Cage Warriors Welterweight champion.
Should he be able to defeat the established killers in the UFC 170-lb division, he could have a chance at the title.
7. Raul Rosas Jr. (7-1)
Raul Rosas made history as he became the youngest UFC fighter and winner of all time. Rosas immediately became one of the most talked-about fighters in the company, and has even expressed a desire to become a 3-division champion and also the youngest UFC champion.
He’d win his first two outings in the company, but lose the third to another up-and-comer in Christian Rodriguez by decision.
Rosas does have some holes in his game that he needs to work on to survive in such a tough division like bantamweight.
However, time is on his side and he’s still considered one of the best UFC prospects today for fighting at the top level at the tender age of 18.
8. Archie Colgan (11-0)
Archie Colgan is the only Bellator prospect on this list. Colgan is known for his striking abilities and has finished most of the fights in his 11-0 record by knockout. Colgan was also a distinguished collegiate wrestler, representing the University of Wyoming.
He has made it to the Bellator lightweight top 10 rankings, having beat former featherweight title contender Emmanuel Sanchez in his previous matchup. Now, Colgan has to climb up the ranks of arguably the toughest division in Bellator even further.
9. Javid Basharat (14-0)
Javid Basharat is a British-Afghan prodigy who made his UFC debut last year and has won all of his fights by decision.
He competes in the bantamweight division where he’s recognized as an exciting and technically sound fighter with solid striking essentials.
He has shown how good he is against a variety of opponents ranging from strikers to wrestlers. With such impressive showings, he might be pitted against a ranked opponent very soon.
10. Michael Morales (15-0)
Ecuadorian prodigy Michael Morales also makes this list for his amazing and flamboyant striking. Morales competes in the welterweight division and isn’t far from entering the division’s rankings.
This is impressive considering his young age and the fact that he debuted last year.
He has a spotless record of 15-0, with three of the wins coming in the UFC. Morales’s latest win was a unanimous decision over veteran Max Griffin, his toughest test to date.
Previous Top Prospects from 2021 Included:
Michael ‘Venom’ Page (19-1)
UK’s Michael Page (MVP) is one of the most polarizing fighters in MMA today, yet he’s one of its most entertaining. Page has multiple kickboxing world championships under his belt and is undefeated in both boxing and kickboxing.
Page has been competing in MMA for almost a decade now and has had only one professional loss up till now. He is well-known for taunting his opponents till they start shedding tears, and then knocks them out. He then adds even more insult to injury as he celebrates besides the dropped competitor. For instance, he celebrated in outrageous fashion after cracking Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos’s skull.
MVP does have a loss against the current Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima, which is not shameful at all. Since then, he has been building up his win streak again.
Khamzat Chimaev (9-0)
If this list had been made last year, Khamzat would’ve been on the top of it. This is not just because of the Swedish fighter’s wrestling and striking talents, but also his promotional abilities. He famously beat two fighters within a span of ten days, and in two divisions.
This is a record in modern UFC, and Khamzat got everyone talking about it. He then called out many fighters and was even booked to face fellow welterweight hotshot, Leon Edwards. However, not even a killer like Khamzat was safe from Covid-19 and he battled the disease successfully. Unfortunately, the post covid symptoms have held him back for a while now.
UFC president Dana White has high hopes for Khamzat and he’s scheduled to be back. If he’s any good as he was last time, then the entire welterweight roster is in trouble.
Logan Storley (11-1)
Bellator has a lot of blue chipper fighters and Logan Storley is one of their best prospects. He is an acclaimed collegiate wrestler that is currently number 5 in the company’s welterweight rankings. Logan racked up 6 wins in a row in a little more than 2 years of fighting.
Logan is a four-time All-American as far as his amateur exploits are concerned. But despite his wrestling background, he’s a knockout artist with 8 of his 11 wins being via TKO. Logan is in his twenties and is expected to accomplish a lot more. His only loss in MMA came as a split decision war to Yaroslav Amosov. More on him later in the article.
Logan was to get back in the win column at Bellator 258 but both of his scheduled opponents couldn’t make it.
Sean O’ Malley (13-1)
Like Khamzat, this one’s no surprise as Sean O’ Malley is one of the UFC’s most famous up and comers. O’Malley was picked up by Dana White in his contender series and rightfully so. Fighting in the bantamweight division, “Suga” Sean has quite the punching power and the funkiest haircut in the UFC.
Despite being known for knocking his opponents out in spectacular fashion, O’Malley is also good at grappling. He has won four of his five matches in the UFC till now. His one loss came to Marlon Vera by TKO which made O’Malley much more popular for not taking it well. He didn’t take long to bounce back and knocked Thomas Almeida’s brains out at UFC 260.
Still around his mid-twenties, O’Malley is one of the most controversial and outspoken fighters in the UFC. But he can become a bantamweight superstar should he keep the wins going.
Cory Sandhagen (14-2)
Speaking of prospects, here’s the number two ranked bantamweight in the world. Cory Sandhagen made his UFC debut in 2018 as an undefeated prodigy and has caused quite a bit of ruckus during his time with the company.
He is a kickboxer that has transitioned into MMA, so he knows how to drop his opponent. Sandhagen is also aware of when and how to submit his opponents because of his BJJ exploits as well. He has won 7 of his last 8 fights. He has wins over world-beating big names such as Raphael Assunção, Marlon Moraes, and former UFC lightweight champ, Frankie Edgar.
Sandhagen destroyed Edgar not long ago via a flying knee in just 28 seconds. His only UFC loss is against current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Sandhagen should appear in the title picture soon enough.
Ciryl Gane (9-0)
The most fun part about the UFC heavyweight division is the punching power that the fighters often possess. This is the case with Ciryl Gane, who is currently ranked third in the UFC’s heavyweight category. Gane comes from a Muay Thai background and has won all seven of his kickboxing fights.
The French fighter made a transition to MMA and ended up at the UFC in August of 2019. Since then, he has won all 5 of his matches. Gane’s victims include one of the heavyweight GOATs in Junior Dos Santos, and he’s the last man that the former world champion has faced. His last win was against the contender, Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Gane is now scheduled to face Alexander Volkov. A win should mean that he’s a serious title contender.
Jiri Prochazka (28-3)
Jiri Prochazka is one of the most popular fighters in the world today. He’s an eccentric personality who has got an exciting fighting style. Jiri has a great reach and is an accomplished kickboxer. He is in his late twenties, yet he’s established himself an MMA veteran with more than thirty fights under his belt.
Jiri is currently on a 12-fight win-streak with wins against many prominent MMA light-heavyweights. He debuted in UFC last year and shattered Volkan Oezdemir’s hopes of a title fight. He recently did the unthinkable and pulled off an upset over Dominick Reyes by destroying him with a spinning back elbow. Jiri is now ranked at number two in the light-heavyweight division.
Should the Czech sensation keep this going, his cool fighting style should lead to the fans getting a title fight for him.
Yaroslav Amosov (25-0)
Finally, we get to the biggest prospect in MMA, Ukraine’s Yaroslav Amosov. Amosov is said to be Khabib’s replacement in MMA not only because of his unblemished record but his Sambo background. Amosov is the number one ranked welterweight in Bellator. He is an accomplished Sambo combatant.
Amosov is an allrounder who has won most of his fights by stopping his opponent, either by submission or knockout. He is just 27 years old and has picked up wins over accomplished wrestlers such as Ed Ruth and the aforementioned Logan Storley. Naturally, he is booked to face the current welterweight kingpin, Douglas Lima.
It is disappointing that Amosov isn’t mentioned enough. MMA currently doesn’t have someone with a record like he does. Khabib (29-0) has retired, while the middleweight king Israel Adesanya (20-1) just got a dent on his undefeated record. The underpromotion exists because Yaroslav is not someone who likes to talk. He lets his skills speak for him. Regardless, he’s destined to become an MMA great.
