Welcome to Year 12 of the annual “Prospects the UFC Should Sign” series, in which we’ll examine five MMA prospects per division the UFC should sign in the upcoming year.
This series started during my time as a writer for Bleacher Report, continued through my tenures at Today’s Knockout and FanSided, and now it stays alive another year here at Combat Press.
Let’s examine the flyweight division, a weight class that has come close to eradication from the UFC. Despite signs of what appeared to be its imminent demise, it’s still hanging on for now.
In picking these prospects, I’ll try my hardest to stay away from fighters who are currently in top organizations, such as ONE Championship or the Professional Fighters League, but a couple may pop up. In the past, I’ve had some great picks on the list, and some that haven’t worked out. Below are the previous year’s selections, followed by the five men the UFC should offer roster spots to in the coming year.
2013: Sergio Pettis, Josh Sampo, Alptekin Ozkilic, Darrell Montague, Sean Santella*
2014: Henry Cejudo, Alexandre Pantoja, Pietro Menga*, Sean Santella*, Czar Sklavos
2015: Alexandre Pantoja, Hiromasa Ogikubo, Allan Nascimento, Pietro Menga*, Nildo Nascimento
2016: Hiromasa Ogikubo, Adam Antolin, Bruno Menezes*, Nick Urso, Rany Saadeh
2017: Jarred Brooks, Deiveson Alcantara, Askar Askarov, Bruno Menezes*, Yuki Motoya
2018: Jonathan Martinez, Askar Askarov, Yoni Sherbatov, Riley Dutro, Sid Bice
2019: Casey Kenney, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Askar Askarov, Felipe Bunes, Velimurad Alkhasov*
2020: Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Malcolm Gordon, Brandon Royval, Yunus Evloev, Jared Scoggins
2021: Jake Hadley, Juan Puerta, Azamat Kerefov*, Murad Magomedov*, Nate Smith
2022: Charles Johnson, Juan Puerta, Azamat Kerefov*, Charles Henrique, Phumi Nkuta*
2023: Asu Almabaev, Lucas Rocha, Victor Dias, Kurban Gadzhiev*, Murad Magomedov*
2024: Aren Akopyan, Velimurad Alkhasov*, Kurban Gadzhiev*, Phumi Nkuta*, Marciano Ferreira
Note: Bold denotes fighter was signed by UFC; * denotes fighter ineligible due to two years on list.
Making this list for his second time, Aren Akopyan continues to be one of the best flyweight prospects outside the UFC. He has been a star on the Absolute Championship Akhmat roster, which itself has some of the best prospects on their roster in the world.
Akopyan is a solid striker, but it’s his wrestling and grappling which is the bedrock of his MMA game. Seven of his seventeen wins come by submission, but he does also have some TKOs via ground-and-pound. In 2024, he scored two more big wins, knocking out Giliarde da Silva with an elbow before scoring a convincing decision win over fellow prospect Alan Gomes.
Akopyan is now 31 years old, so he’s entered his prime. The UFC needs to strike while the iron is hot and bring this guy on the roster, as he could be competitive now. He’d add depth to a decision in constant need of depth.
Kazakhstan is a country that has exploded with top-end prospects in recent years, with a good number of their best prospects heading to the UFC. Potentially one of the best from that country is Idiris Alibi, an undefeated flyweight who has looked untouchable since becoming a pro.
Alibi is a good mixture of strong wrestling and flashy, powerful striking, which has given him a reputation as a fighter that not many want to share the cage with. He possesses five knockouts and one submission, which is a good finishing clip for a 125er. He fought just once in 2024, as getting opponents for him is tough, pounding out Edilson Santos Jr. in just over three minutes with nasty ground-and-pound. The highlight reel on his record was the fight previous to that one, where he knocked out Contender Series vet Erisson Ferreira with a brutal spinning back kick.
Alibi is a young, impressive fighter that has more than proven himself against experienced opponents. My guess is if they UFC can nab him, he will quickly ascend the ladder at 125-pounds.
Jack Duffy burst onto the scene in 2024 with an appearance on the Contender Series, showing off an excellent skill set. And despite taking a controversial loss on that episode, Duffy still shot up in most scout’s rankings and has become a top 125er outside the UFC.
Duffy showed off an excellent, rounded skill set in his appearance on the Contender Series. In taking on a top-level wrestler, Duffy showed off good takedown defense while completely outclassing Nick Piccininni on the feet. He also showed good grappling off his back. Despite all of that, the judge’s shockingly gave Piccininni the win, something most, including Dana White, disagreed with. That said, Duffy’s other fight in 2024 was a win over Devon Jackson.
With Team Alpha Male in his corner helping him with his wrestling, Duffy is going to be a real problem at 125 pounds. He should still be undefeated and possibly in the UFC at this point, however, should he get another win to start of 2025, he should earn a contract quickly after.
Typically, if a fighter is to win a championship belt for a major regional promotion like the LFA, a call to the UFC is not far behind. Eduardo Henrique is the LFA Flyweight Champion, and based on that and the fact he’s a great fighter, he should be a guy that the UFC should employ.
Henrique is a solid all-around fighter, though his striking is the best part of his game. He has solid power for a 125er, as he does damage with both his kicks and punches. After winning the LFA title with a knockout in 2023, he fought just once in 2024, quickly knocking out Igor Siqueira to retain that gold.
Henrique is approaching his prime at 28 years old, so he is ready to kick this up to the next level. Given he’s a major regional champion and he’s beaten who he has, he should be atop the UFC’s flyweight targets.
A two-division Fury FC Champion, Paris Moran ventured up to 135 pounds in 2024 to score his second belt with the company. However, I think his future lies in the 125 pounds, where he has risen to a top flyweight prospect in the world.
Moran is a good-sized flyweight at 5’8” tall, using his length and size to get advantages on the feet and the mat. He has a solid all-around game with good set-up striking, solid takedowns and a submission arsenal. He has just five finishes (3 TKO, 2 SUB), but has a track record over some strong flyweight competition including Contender Series vet Nate Smith and Alberto Trujillo. In 2024, Moran ran a 3-0 record, scoring a clear decision over Shameek Harvey, a tapout of Freddie Rodriguez and a 31-second TKO of Peter Caballero.
It was shocking to me that Moran was not a part of the Contender Series this year, nor has he been directly signed. However, it would shock me even more if he didn’t score a UFC contract in 2025. He can potentially do so in winning his January title fight for Fury FC against Alden Coria.