The current featherweight division in the UFC is stacked with some killers. The champ Alexander Volkanovski looks spectacular. The top contenders: Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez, Kalvin Kattar, and Brian Ortega – all look great. Josh Emmett and Giga Chikadze are up there as well. Yet, a significant number of these fighters are now over 30 and some of them might finish their careers in the next few years. Fortunately, the featherweight division has some amazing fighters that are still young and developing into more complete warriors. In this article, we will discuss the best featherweight prospects in the UFC.
Bryce Mitchell
27-year-old Bryce Mitchell has already established himself as one of the best fighters in his division. Bryce is ranked number 9. The Arkansas native made his UFC debut in 2018 beating Tyler Diamond via Majority decision. From here on out, Bryce added 5 more wins to his resume. His recent win was against the UFC veteran Edson Barboza. Bryce mauled him for 3 rounds and got the decision victory. Mitchell’s style intensely relies on his wrestling and grappling skills. He likes to take opponents down and try submissions and ground and pound. But it’s worth mentioning that Bryce’s striking game also evolves fight after fight, as he managed to knock down Edson Barboza, who is an elite kickboxer. Mitchell’s record is 15 wins and 0 losses, which is an amazing achievement. If you enjoy watching young UFC fighters and making bets, 22Bet Tanzania is a good choice for you.
Arnold Allen
The British warrior Arnold Allen signed with the UFC in 2015 and strangled his first opponent via guillotine choke. After securing another 8 wins, Allen is ranked number 6 and viewed as one of the contenders for the belt. Arnold is a universal, good on the feet and on the ground. Despite having most victories by decision, in the recent fight against Dan Hooker, he proved his ability to finish fights. Arnold is 28 years old and holds the record of 18 wins and 1 loss.
Movsar Evloev
Movsar Evloev is yet another young prospect in the UFC division. After making his debut in 2019, Movsar secured 6 consecutive wins and is ranked number 10. His resume contains 16 wins and 0 losses. Movsar is from Russia and just like many other Russian fighters, has astounding wrestling and grappling abilities. However, his striking game is noteworthy as well. Movsar uses his wrestling and pace to tire his opponents and proceeds to outstrike them on the feet. The only minus in his game is the lack of finishing instinct, as all of his UFC wins were decisions.
Ilia Topuria
The Georgian-Spaniard fighter has already gotten the attention of the western audience. Ilia was born and spent his youth years in Georgia After moving to Spain, he started to train in MMA. In 2020, Ilia made his debut on short notice against Youssef Zalal and won the fight via decision. After a few months, Ilia was booked against Damon Jackson. Ilia knocked his opponent out in the first round in a brutal fashion. In July 2021, Ilia faced Jiu-Jitsu prodigy and undefeated fighter Ryan Hall. Once again, Ilia delivered another highlight reel by first-round knockout. In 2022, Ilia was booked against another young prospect Movsar Evloev, but the fight was off because of Evloev’s health Issues. Due to weight cut problems, Ilia was booked against British fighter Jai Herbert in the lightweight division. This was the first serious test for the Georgian, as Jai knocked him down in the first round. Nevertheless, Ilia made adjustments and knocked his rival out in the second round. Many analysts view 26-year-old Ilia as a future top contender. Topuria has everything: good wrestling, great Jiu-Jitsu, and the cannons in his hands.