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 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
2025: Idiris Alibi, Eduardo Henrique, Aren Akopyan*, Jack Duffy, Paris Moran
Note: Bold denotes fighter was signed by UFC; * denotes fighter ineligible due to two years on list.
There may not be a more powerful flyweight in the world right now than Brazil’s Marcos Degli. The flyweight powerhouse has used that power in unison with his skill to emerge as a top flyweight prospect in the world that would look great in a UFC fight kit.
Degli is definitely a striker first and foremost, reminding me of a young John Lineker during his UFC days. He throws heat on the feet and doesn’t look for volume. He looks for the kill shot. Degli went 2-0 in 2025, putting down Lincon Santos with a one-punch knockout before blasting through fellow prospect Matheus Severino to cap off the year.
Degli has the style that Dana White yearns for in his fighters, so he has to be a top target for the company. Don’t be shocked if Degli gets the nod from the UFC in the first quarter of 2026.
Kazakhstan is an underrated hot spot in the world of MMA, but one of their best warriors appears to be Dias Erengaipov. He makes his second appearance on this list in a row, proving to be a top 125er outside the UFC.
Erengaipov is as tough as they come and well-rounded to boot, not having lost since 2019. The Kazakh fighter has been dominant since that loss and possesses 12 knockouts and submissions in 18 career wins. He has a strong 2025, tapping wins over UFC vet Jose Torres and Bairam Shammadov by unanimous decision under the Brave CF banner.
Erengaipov is a guy that could likely content in the UFC right now. By that, I mean he’s a guy that could be top-15 right now. Should he get inked to the company, he will be competitive right off the bat and for a while, especially considering he’s 30 years old.
For the second year in the row, Eduardo Henrique graces this prospect list, despite the fact he was already technically signed for The Ultimate Fighter. I will use my own loophole here to include him again, as he never came over to the main roster and had to compete on the Contender Series after failing to win TUF in the last year.
Henrique is a gifted striker who was a favorite going into TUF in 2025, but was quickly dispatched in the first round by eventual TUF winner Joseph Morales. He showed holes in his wrestling in that fight, so he switched camps to go train with Daniel Cormier’s new gym to finish off his 2025. In less than a two week’s span, he blasted through Devon Lozej with a signature standup knockout win before taking a late notice bout on the Contender Series and showing improved wrestling in running a decision over the touted An Tuan Ho.
Henrique’s improvements may not have blown Dana White away, as it was not the most exciting performance, but it showed growth to an already formidable game. Henrique is 29 years old and can definitely compete in the UFC right now, so I think Dana needs to look past the “lackluster” Contender Series performance and give Henrique a shot.
A perfect 10-0 record is a great way to make yourself known to the right people in MMA. That should be the case with Tristar Gym’s Tommy Morrisson, potentially the best Canadian MMA prospect at the current moment.
Morrisson is a solid striker with a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the tutelage of Firas Zahabi. The big knock on him has been a lack of finishes, which is something that could make Dana White hesitant to roster him. That said, he went 2-0 in 2025 in the cage, scoring wins over Christopher Daniel and Alfredo Muaiad.
The UFC still sees Canada as a major market and has to be looking for more Canadian stars to put on their cards. Morrisson, despite the lack of finishing prowess, is a guy that would be a strong addition to the UFC’s flyweight.
Yet another Brazilian on this flyweight list, Alisson Murilo represents the legendary Chute Boxe camp, one etched in the history of MMA. He brings with him an aggressive finishing style that has lent him well in his professional career.
Murilo has 10 finishes in 13 wins, putting four away by knockout and six by way of submission. He has one-punch knockout power in his hands and nasty strangulation power, with his trademark submission being the arm-triangle choke. He scored two wins in 2025, choking out Anderson Silva before knocking out Marcos Paulo in two minutes.
Murilo is just 25 years old and flying under the radar, but that shouldn’t be for long as he’s a finishing machine. He’d add great excitement to the UFC’s flyweight division, as his brand of violence would make him a candidate for Fight Night bonuses frequently.