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 welterweight division, a weight class that is loaded with talent.
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.
2012: Gunnar Nelson, Alex Garcia, Kenny Robertson, Chidi Njokuani, Gregor Gracie
2013: Jim Wallhead, Cathal Pendred, Ryan Ford*, Tyler Stinson, Assan Njie
2014: Nicolas Dalby, Ryan Ford*, Eduard Vartanyan*, Gael Grimaud, Ali Arish
2015: Danny Roberts, Max Griffin, Nicolas Dalby, Eduard Vartanyan*, Borys Mankowski*
2016: Belal Muhammad, Alexey Kunchenko, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Anatoly Tokov*, Khusein Khaliev*
2017: Muslim Salikhov, Alexey Kunchenko, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Borys Mankowski*, Mukhamed Berkhamov*
2018: Sean Brady, Mukhamed Berkhamov*, James Nakashima*, Roberto Soldić*, Alex Lohore
2019: Sean Brady, James Nakashima*, Roberto Soldic*, Magomed Magomedkerimov*, Austin Vanderford
2020: Magomed Magomedkerimov*, Vinicius de Jesus, Matt Dixon, Mark Lemminger, Adam Proctor
2021: Benoit Saint Denis, Abdoul Abdouraguimov*, Jarrah al-Silawi*, Ramazan Kuramagomedov*, Amiran Gogoladze
2022: Abdoul Abdouraguimov*, Jarrah al-Silawi*, Eldar Eldarov*, Handesson Ferreira, Abubakar Vagaev
2023: Carlos Leal, Eldar Eldarov*, Ramazan Kuramagomedov*, Cezary Oleksiejzcuk, Magomed Umalatov*
2024: Adrian Bartosinski, Baysangour Chamsoudinov, Boris Medvedev, Samandar Murodov, Magomed Umalatov*
Note: Bold denotes fighter was signed by UFC; * denotes fighter ineligible due to two years on list.
There have not been many stars of MMA that have come from the country of Serbia, but 30-year-old Nikola Joksovic looks to be the next guy. The undefeated FNC Champion has dominated the European scene, now becoming the likely top contender for the Ares FC Welterweight Championship.
Joksovic is a strong all-around fighter, though his submission game seems to be the strongest part of his game. Fourteen of his sixteen wins come by way of finish, with nine by submission and five by TKO. In addition to wins over UFC veterans Carlo Prates and Jorge de Oliveira, Joksovic went 2-0 in 2024, choking out Stefan Nefucic before scoring a Performance of the Night triangle choke over fellow top prospect Ramazan Mustafaev.
Joksovic stays dangerous in all rounds of the fight, which explains his come-from-behind win against the aforementioned Mustafaev. With sixteen wins and no losses, that kind of record should draw him to the UFC. He would strengthen their welterweight division even more.
Making his second appearance on this prestigious list, Russia’s Boris Medvedev is a juggernaut of the uber-tough Russian regional scene. He has a trophy case filled with the scalps of notable fighters and veterans, showing he’s ready to step up to the big leagues.
Medvedev is a very well-rounded fighter, possessing strong submission wrestling (like many Russians) in unison with some strong kickboxing skills. In fact, he has some pro kickboxing experience, showing the roundedness of his game. He fought twice in 2024, choking out UFC veteran Gadzhi Omargadzhiev and decisioing Alexander Butenko. In addition to Omargadzhiev, Medvedev also has defeated UFC veterans Gleison Tibau and Glaico Franca.
Medvedev is more than ready to prove his skills in the UFC. He could compete with many in the top half of the UFC welterweight division right now.
One would think that if a fighter were to win two times in front of the UFC brass, they would be signed immediately. That is not the case with Tajikistan’s Samandar Murodov, who has won twice on the Road to UFC cards and still remains a free agent.
Murodov is a dominating submission wrestler, getting takedowns with good frequency and moving toward the finish. Seven of his eleven fights have ended in finish, with his choke ferocity ending a good potion of those bouts. After a 2023 that say Murodov finish an opponent on the Road to UFC show, he went 2-0 in 2024, finishing Bobur Kurbonov in UAE Warriors before scoring another Road to UFC win over American prospect Jonathan Piersma.
Murodov is only 25 years old, so he does have some time to keep developing. That said, the UFC would be wise to get him signed ASAP, especially since he’s proven himself twice on the Road to UFC series.
Making his second appearance in three years on this list, Cezary Oleksiejczuk continues to be a top welterweight prospect. The brother of UFC fighter Michal Oleksiejczuk, he has a similar style, which is a crowd-pleasing style that the UFC brass obviously like.
Like Michal, Cezary has excellent striking, specifically boxing skills. He does throw some solid kicks as well, but his hands are his bread and butter. He also has some solid submission skills, though his weakness will be against aggressive, wresting-heavy opponents. His 2024 saw to TKO wins for the Pole, as he scored the FEN Championship over Bauyrzhan Kuanyshbayev and took out longtime veteran Piotr Strus in the first round.
Dana White and the matchmakers clearly like Cezary’s brother given his style, so there’s no reason they shouldn’t bring in Cezary as well. He has talked about entering through the Contender Series, and although I think he could be signed directly to the UFC roster, I would not argue featuring Cezary on the 2025 installment of the Contender Series.
Born in Cuba but calling thet United States his home, Ernesto Rodriguez is a welterweight who is flying under the radar on scout’s lists. However, he should not, as he’s a top welterweight prospect, in my estimation, and one of the few American 170-lb prospects that could fight in the UFC tomorrow.
Rodriguez has a strong wrestling base and is very physically strong, which aids him in his grappling conquests. His striking has improved as well, which makes sense considering he has a strong camp in Xtreme Couture in his corner. He’s a veteran of big shows such as Tuff-N-Uff, LFA and Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat, showing he has quality cage time. In 2024, he scored two victories, TKOing Edson Marques before scoring a decision over 30-plus fight veteran Alexandre de Almeida.
Most of his wins come by decision, so more finishes would certainly help his cause of getting in the UFC. However, he has used the UFC Performance Institute and trains in Las Vegas, so he’s a short call away from the UFC if needed. I think he’s got the skills to give it a go.