Welcome to Year 13 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 bantamweight division, a weight class that is loaded with good, young talent. It is rapidly becoming one of the most entertaining divisions in the UFC.
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: Jimmie Rivera, Josh Hill, Yusup Saadulaev, Nick Mamalis, Matt Smith
2013: Josh Hill, Kyoji Horiguchi, Gustavo Falciroli, Jonathan Mackles, Rodolfo Marques
2014: Thomas Almeida, Anthony Birchak, Leandro Higo, Zeilton Rodrigues, James Brum
2015: Brett Johns, Luke Sanders, Julio Arce, Jonas Bilharinho*, Toni Tauru
2016: Brett Johns, Ricardo Ramos, Boston Salmon, Jonas Bilharinho*, Luis Rafael
2017: Tom Duquesnoy, Said Nurmagomedov, Magomed Magomedov*, Raufeon Stots, Dominic Mazzotta
2018: Petr Yan, Jose Torres, Bekbulat Magomedov*, Rustam Kerimov*, Jesse Arnett
2019: Jack Shore, Nathan Maness, Rustam Kerimov*, Magomed Magomedov*, Patrick Mix
2020: Timur Valiev, Victor Henry, Umar Nurmagomedov, Khusein Askhabov, Askar Askar
2021: Zviad Lazishvili, Jack Cartwright*, Denis Lavrentyev*, Levi Mowles*, Herbeth Sousa
2022: Khusein Askhabov, Luan Lacerda, Jack Cartwright*, Denis Lavrentyev*, Levi Mowles*
2023: Muin Gafurov, Jean Matsumoto, Austin Bashi, Luis Rodriguez, Dwight Joseph
2024: Austin Bashi, Felipe Lima, Luis Rodriguez, Evgeniy Ignatiev, John Sweeney
2025: Lee Louis Scott, Mehdi Baidulaev, Asaf Chopurov, Mitchell McKee, Rodrigo Vera
Note: Bold denotes fighter was signed by UFC; * denotes fighter ineligible due to two years on list.
There has been a contingent of Russian fighters that call Turkey their home, and that group of fighters has been very impressive. There may be none more impressive than Dzhamaludin Aliev, a 26-year-old who is undefeated thus far and has rarely ever looked on his back foot.
Aliev is a rounded fighter who has a strong wrestling base to go along with some unheralded kickboxing skills. He is powerful on both the takedown and with his strikes, making him an all-around danger. He ran a 3-0 record in 2025, scoring first-round knockouts over UFC vet Francisco Figueiredo and 30-fight vet Cleverson Silva before choking out 25-plus-fight vet Michel Lima to finish off his year.
Aliev is a dangerous man, and while guys from his neck of the woods seem to have chosen ONE Championship or Middle Eastern/Russian MMA companies, I think this guy is very talented and has a shot to be someone on the UFC roster. His finishing prowess, violence and aggression would make him somebody to watch.
For the second year in a row, Asaf Chopurov has made this list and for good reason. The Chingiz Allazov disciple remains undefeated in this sport and is one of the best young fighters outside the UFC right now.
Chopurov is definitely known for his wrestling and submission prowess, but his work with Chingiz Allazov on his striking has really made him a rounded weapon. He had a strong 2025, running a 3-0 record which included winning the UAE Warriors title. He choked out Wanderley Junior to start to year. He followed that up by knocking out Joao Pedro Saldanha before getting the biggest win of his career over former EFC Champion Demarte Pena.
At just 23 years old, Chopurov is the definition of a blue chip prospect and a potential UFC title challenger in a few years. If he keeps rounding out his game and gaining cage experience, he is a real threat for any 135er in the division.
For the second year running, Mitchell McKee makes this list and for good reason. The former University of Minnesota wrestler has been dominant in the cage, making him an undeniable top bantamweight prospect in the world.
His wrestling base is seen in the cage, as McKee relies heavily on setting up his takedowns and shooting. He does so at a high percentage rate. However, he’s shown improvements all around, including in his striking, which has made him even more dangerous. He started off 2025 with a dominant decision over Greg Fischer before ending his 2025 with a brutal knockout of UFC veteran Pedro Nobre.
At 27 years old, McKee is hitting his athletic prime and appears to be a guy that can contend in the UFC in the coming years. With a great gym like Kill Cliff FC in his corner, the improvements will continue and he will become a formidable 135er in the UFC.
The Latin American MMA scene has greatly improved in recent years, especially in South America outside of the powerhouse that is Brazil. Perhaps the best non-Brazilian prospect from South America is Rodrigo Vera of Peru, who graces this list for the second year in a row.
Vera is an exciting, violent striker who has won most of his bouts by way of knockout. He has good outside and inside striking, making him tough to deal with on the feet at any distance. Vera fought twice in 2025, scoring unanimous decision victories over Jonathan Caetano and Joao Oliveira for the LFA and Shooto Brasil organizations, respectively.
Vera has proven that he can hang with UFC level talent, especially considering he owns victories over now-UFC fighter Juan Diaz and Contender Series vet Rickson Zenidim. He’s also immensely experienced, which means the only place for him to go is the major leagues, at this point.
Since France legalized MMA, the country has sent a bevvy of top prospects out to the rest of the world that have been impressive. One of the best prospects to come from that country is Aboubakar Younousov, an undefeated fighter who has a highlight reel to back up his hype train.
Younousov is extremely well-rounded possessing a very strong wrestling game and a flashy, effective striking game to boot. Five of his eight wins have been by finish, including finishes with a spinning back elbow twice. That includes his first win of 2025, where he put down Maycon Alcino with said spinning back elbow. He finished the year with another quick knockout of UFC veteran Gustavo Lopez, who he put down with a violent hook combo.
Younousov is likely the best prospect in France by a mile, so he should be a top priority before the PFL goes after him successfully like other European prospects. He’s still young, so imagining him three to four years from now has contender written all over him.