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 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, Austin Vanderford, James Nakashima*, Roberto Soldic*, Magomed Magomedkerimov*
2020: Matt Dixon, Magomed Magomedkerimov*, Vinicius de Jesus, 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, Cezary Oleksiejzcuk, Eldar Eldarov*, Ramazan Kuramagomedov*, Magomed Umalatov*
2024: Adrian Bartosinski, Baysangour Chamsoudinov, Boris Medvedev*, Samandar Murodov*, Magomed Umalatov*
2025: Cezary Oleksiejczuk, Boris Medvedev*, Samandar Murdov*, Nikola Joksovic, Ernesto Rodriguez
Note: Bold denotes fighter was signed by UFC; * denotes fighter ineligible due to two years on list.
The Central Asian MMA scene has been booming with talent in recent years, so it should come as no shock that Uzbekistan’s Khotom Boynazarov has emerged as a top prospect in the welterweight division.
Boynazarov is an overwhelming grappler with strong wrestling and the ability to finish via submission or ground-and-pound. His 2025 saw him score two wins in two outings, winning the UAE Warriors Championship against UFC vet James Llontop before scoring a 21-second knockout of Mohamed Hassan Badawy.
Boynazarov’s style isn’t always the most exciting, but he’s highly effective and competent. He has a strong style that makes him a tough out for anybody he could prospectively share the Octagon with.
Likely my biggest dark horse of all of the fighters in this prospect series this year, Isaac Moreno has quietly put together a strong MMA resume which includes an undefeated amateur and now pro career.
Moreno is a solid all-around fighter, having solid boxing and a scrappy grappling game. He scored two wins in 2025, both over UFC veterans, which has solidified his resume. He battered Melvin Guillard to start off his 2025 campaign before beating the first round clock in his knockout of Darian Weeks.
Moreno may be one of the more underrated prospects in the United States right now, but he’s clearly shown he is capable of fighting at the next level. I wouldn’t be shocked if he makes the Contender Series and earns his way in the UFC that way.
Nikola Joksovic was linked to the Contender Series in 2025, but ultimately ended up not fighting on the show. He instead inked with Brave CF, but should be a guy that sees the UFC in the nearest future as possible.
Joksovic is a very well-rounded fighter, possessing solid wrestling, submissions and striking in unison. He fought just once in 2025, which was a 74-second knockout of Jose Barrios Vargas under the Ares FC banner.
Joksovic is undefeated through 17 fights, which is highly impressive any way you look at it. That kind of success warrants a call from the UFC, as he can be a great threat in the welterweight division.
It’s been an interesting ride for English fighter Felix Klinkhammer in MMA. In 2022 he was linked to the Contender Series, but that fight fell through for him. He’s since fought just once a year since then, which has kind of dimmed his prospect star, but Klinkhammer is still a highly interesting prospect that has earned a shot at big league recognition.
Undefeated as an amateur and professional, Klinkhammer has been very impressive, especially as a submission fighter on the mat. Eight of his eleven wins come by submission, though he’s also been shown to have solid ground-and-pound. He fought just once in 2025, though it was a beautiful kneebar of Mate Kertesz under the Oktagon banner.
The London Shootfighters rep is perfect through eleven pro fights in a division that is not exactly the easiest to navigate. He has more than warranted another look from Dana White and co. in the UFC given his successes, especially recently.
Going into last year’s season of The Ultimate Fighter, Shamidkhan was a favorite to win that tournament and score a UFC contract. That did not happen, though, so he was forced to go back to the drawing board and rebuild himself, re-emerging as a top prospect in the process.
Magomedov is a good striker with strong wrestling, owning six knockouts and four submissions. He defended his LFA title to start off 2025, choking out Vanilto Antunes before ending the year vacating that title to fight for UAE Warriors, scoring a highlight-reel head kick knockout over Marcos Santana.
His connections to the Middle East, in unison with the UFC’s endeavor to that area, makes him an attractive get for the roster. He’s a finisher with an exciting style that’s clearly already on the UFC’s radar given his TUF appearance, so I think he’d be a good bolster to the roster.