In MMA, there has been debate about when fighters reach their peak. Some people think it's the 20s, while others think the 30s are the golden age. But none of this can stop fans from looking for the best rising stars and eventually seeing where they belong. Now that the media has released the fourth annual ranking of the top 25 fighters in the under-25 MMA, it certainly includes one day being the best fighter in the sport.
Last year's No. 1 fighter was Chinese fighter Song Yadong, whose performance in the UFC octagon captivated fans. In September, Song Yadong's talent was on full display in a battle with former bantamweight title challenger Cory Sandhagen. Of course, Yadong, who just turned 25, is no longer in this list because of his overage.
For now, the highlight may be "Problem Child" Raul "El Nino Problema" Rosas Jr. He is the youngest fighter ever to appear on this list, and earlier this year, he became the youngest signing fighter on the UFC roster. After making history by winning a contract on Dana White's Contender Series, the rising rookie became the youngest fighter on the list by finishing Jay Perrin, who had been defeated by mainland fighter Ao Riqi in the just-concluded UFC 282, in the first round at 2 minutes and 44 seconds.
1. Usman Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA)
Bellator Men's Lightweight Champion
Age: 24 years old (25 years old on April 17, 2023)
This will be Nurmagomedov's last year on this list, but note that he will most likely appear on the P4P list in the future. The Russian Dagestani native and cousin of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov "Kittyhawk" has just won the Bellator lightweight title, defeating Patricky "Pitbull" Freire with his all-around MMA skills. There may be no upper limit to Nurmagomedov's potential at all. Usman stands out among a team of talented fighters who will carry on the proud name of Nurmagomedov for years to come.
2. Erin Blanchfield (10-1 MMA)
UFC women's bantamweight
Age: 23 years old (25 years old on May 4, 2024)
While she's currently in second place, don't be surprised if we see Blanchfield at the top of the list next year. She is a female fighter with incredible talent. A long-time Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Blanchfield gained a lot of practical experience before joining the UFC. He has won four straight in the UFC, including a 3:37 stop against British MMA star Molly McCann in the first round of UFC 281 in November. By stringing these wins together, she was quickly able to stand out in a class of magnitude that didn't have much strength star.
3. Muhammad Mokaev (MMA record 9-0)
UFC men's flyweight lightweight
Age: 22 years old (25 years old on July 30, 2025)
In March, Mokaev made his debut in the octagon when he finished Cody Durden 58 seconds into the first round, and then won two more games to end 2022 unbeaten. Now, he has made it his goal to break the record for the youngest UFC champion ever made by Jon Jones. While he's not the first to try to do so, and won't be the last, he probably has the best chance. While on the face of it, Mokaev has only nine professional MMA wins, his amateur MMA record is a staggering 22-0. He has to break Jones' record by March 2024, and if he does, he's still only 23 years old, a situation that's just crazy for fans.
4. Michael Morales (Michael Morales MMA has a 14-game winning record)
UFC men's welterweight
Age: 23 years
In 2021, Morales secured a UFC contract at the Challenger Series at White, making his Octagon debut in January and TKO Trevin Giles in the first round. He then TKO Adam Fugitt in July and will face Rinat Fakhretdinov on December 17. Both Morales and his rival Rinate have positive prospects, but if the undefeated Morales ends this year with another victory, he will be one of the sport's hottest young fighters.
5. Maycee Barber (11-2 MMA)
UFC women's flyweight division
Age: 24 years old (25 years old on May 18, 2023)
Barber is expected to become the UFC's hottest female fighter and a promotion to the youngest female flyweight title in history. But two defeats in 2020 and 2021 have left fans skeptical about her prospects. Despite being just 24 years old, the Colorado-based fighter has already won three straight and is on track to compete for the title in 2023. Don't be surprised if you see Barber battling the UFC women's flyweight title in the next year and a half, as she's constantly improving.
6. Christian Lee MMA 17-4)
ONE Men's Lightweight and Welterweight Champions
Age: 24 years old (25 years old on June 21, 2023)
After that minor setback in 2021, Lee succeeded in revenge by TKO of Ok Rae Yoon in August and reclaimed the ONE lightweight title. Born in Vancouver, Canada, raised in Hawaii and famous in Singapore, the Chinese-Korean-American became a ONE Championship double champion this year. Last month, he rose to challenge welterweight champion Kiamrian Abbasov and knocked out his opponent to win the welterweight title. His older sister, Angela Lee, is also one of ONE Championship's top fighters and one of the best young fighters in the world. Their 18-year-old sister, Victoria Lee, also followed with a 3-0 MMA record.
7. Tatsura Tatsuro (Tatsuro Taira MMA record 12-0)
UFC men's flyweight division
Age: 22 years old (25 years old on January 27, 2025)
The UFC took Tatsuro Hira's potential very seriously, and instead of passing the Ultimate Fighter Tryout, nor did he go through the Challenger Tournament of Haku Daina, he signed him directly, simply because he has a bright future, and he has now won 2 consecutive victories in the UFC.
8. Hassan Magomed Sharipov (Magomedsharipov MMA 7-0)
Bellator men's featherweight
Age: 22 years old (25 years old or older on October 6, 2025)
Hassan, the younger brother of retired former UFC star fighter Zabit Magomedsharipov, doesn't fight as often as he fights and only fights once in 2022, but his technique and potential are clear. His most recent match was in February, when he defeated Jose Sanchez by unanimous decision at Bellator 275. If Bellator fights him against a high-ranking fighter, don't be surprised if he's generally favored, because he does have the strength. In all but two of his seven MMA matches, the other five have finished opponents, and so far he has been almost perfect in his career.
9. Cory McKenna (7-2 MMA)
UFC women's strawweight
Age: 23 years old (25 years old on July 7, 2024)
McKenna missed all of 2021 due to injury and ended a four-game winning streak by Elise Reed in the first game of 2022 by a split decision. But McKenna submitted to his opponent at 1:03 in the second round of UFC fight night in August and will end the year with Cheyanne Vlismas on December 17. McKenna, despite being young, began his amateur MMA career at the age of 15 and has a 2-1 record after making his UFC debut at the age of 21.
10. Yazmin Jauregui MMA 9-0
UFC women's strawweight
Age: 23 (25 years old on February 28, 2024)
A future pillar of the UFC women's strawweight division, the Mexican-born fighter impressed in her UFC debut, defeating Iasmin Lucindo by a difficult unanimous decision in August before knocking out Istela Nunes earlier this month. Prior to this, the undefeated Yazmin Hauregi established his reputation in Combate Global events, winning the title on August 13, 2021, defeating three female fighters in a row in one night in one of the organization's tournaments, including two KO/TKO. Yazmin Horeggi is from Tijuana and is a teammate of UFC interim flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.
11. Chinese fighter Ma Heshat (MMA record 9-1)
UFC Men's Lightweight
Age: 23 (25 years old on December 1, 2024)
Next match: 17 December against Rafa Garcia
The Chinese fighter has won seven fights in a row, most notably a one-handed knockout to Steve Garcia in his UFC 275 debut in June. UFC's outreach has expanded to East Asia, and they are eager to develop another Asian martial arts star. So when Mahasat competes in the last MMA event of the year on December 17 this year, all eyes will be on him.
12. Raul Rosas Jr. MMA record 6-0
UFC men's bantamweight
Age: 18 years old (25 years old on October 8, 2029)
Recently, at UFC 282 in Las Vegas, Raul Rosas Jr. made UFC history by subduing Jay Perrin in the first round at 2 minutes and 44 seconds, successfully replacing Joe Lauzon as the youngest fighter in UFC history. Rosas was already eyeing him quite a bit early in his career (and life), but the pressure seemed to have allowed him to build his confidence and successfully sign for the UFC by beating Mando Gutierrez in the 2022 Dana Barner Challenger Series.
13. Chase Hooper (Chase Hooper MMA record 11-3-1)
UFC men's featherweight
Age: 23 (25 years old on September 13, 2024)
Hooper is a talented fighter who finishes three fights in the UFC. However, Hooper's performance so far has been unstable, with a 3-3 UFC record since his 2019 debut. Hooper has the talent and technique to beat his opponents in fighting, and if he continues to improve his striking skills, he has a chance to do well in the UFC.
14. Nick Maximov (MMA record 8-2)
UFC men's middleweight
Age: 24 years old (25 years old on December 23, 2022)
Maximov trained with the Diaz brothers, which means he is a fighter with skilled Jiu-Jitsu techniques. He is unbeaten in his first eight professional MMA matches, but recently Maksimov has lost two straight matches. As a young wrestling and grappling style fighter, he has the opportunity to excel in middleweight fights. If he can continue to add tools to his arsenal, he will be able to go further.
15. Chinese boxer Fu Master (MMA record 19-5)
UAE Warriors men's lightweight competition
Age: 22 years old (25 years old on March 7, 2025)
He came to the UFC last year with an 11-game winning streak, but did not have a good record in the UFC, making a losing debut, followed by a 1-1 win in the next two fights, and suffered consecutive weight loss problems, and was released by the UFC in May. The Tibet-born fighter has since signed with Emirates Warriors and won his first TKO fight. Will the Lord of the Mushroom still be able to return to UFC, the highest hall of MMA?
16. Lucas Brennan (7-MMA record)
Bellator men's bantamweight
Age: 22 (25 years old on June 3, 2025)
All the names on this list are likely to be tested sooner rather than later. Early success comes more stress and more challenges. Brennan is probably the best example, as after a hot start to his career, all but one decision ended the game. But so far he has not faced an opponent with more than 10 fights of experience, and currently he is Bellator's 10th-ranked featherweight fighter, which should be interesting for Brennan in the near future, and his MMA journey is just beginning.
17. Kay Hansen (MMA record 7-6)
Invicta FC women's strawweight
Age: 23 (25 years old on August 14, 2024)
Hansen began her UFC career by joining the UFC after her success at Invicta FC. After making her UFC debut and winning in 2020, she left the sport for nearly two years. Hansen returned to the Octagon in January, but consecutive defeats led to her being released from her contract by the UFC. Hansen is now back in Invicta FC, you're young, you're growing and have huge potential, can she get back to the top level of mixed martial arts?
18. Christian Rodriguez (Rodriguez MMA record 8-1)
UFC men's bantamweight
Age: 24 years old (25 years old on December 17, 2022)
Rodriguez has been in the spotlight for years, as he has achieved something both amateur and professional. Recently, he has been able to present himself on a bigger platform, competing in the Dana Blanc Challenger and signing in 2021 and playing two more UFC events in 2022. On UFC fight night in October, he knocked out Joshua Weems at 4:07 in the first round, his first UFC victory.
19. Brady Hiestand MMA 7-2
UFC men's bantamweight
Age: 23 years old (25 years old on April 30, 2024)
Fans should have known him in the finale of Season 29 of Ultimate Fighter. At that time, Histein conquered everyone with his excellent wrestling ability. When you watch him play, it's obvious that he has a wrestling background. In general, wrestlers must constantly hone their striking skills if they want to make a good transition into MMA. So far, he has managed to bring his opponents to the ground, but as he faces more competition, he will have to evolve a richer skill base.
20. Aviv Gozzali (Aviv Gozali MMA record 6-1)
Bellator Men's Lightweight
Age: 22 (25 years old on November 29, 2025)
Gozzali won all five of his first five career fights, each of which was a first-leg finisher, only to be finished by Bobby King in February. He injured his leg in that match and has not competed since. When Gozzali returns to Bellator, it will be interesting to see if he can continue to win and if his striking skills can be greatly improved.
21. Simon Powell (7-0 MMA)
PFL men's light heavyweight
Age: 23 (25 years old on February 6, 2024)
This year, PFL is aggressively sourcing and signing young talented fighters from the UK, including Powell. Powell has a Muay Thai background, and his athleticism and physical condition make him stand out in the light heavyweight division. The native of England is strong and he has beaten all his opponents with his style. Of course, he needs more experience, but he already has the capital to become famous in 2023.
22. Iasmin Lucindo MMA 13-5
UFC women's strawweight
Age: 20 years old (25 years old on January 8, 2027)
Lucindo is expected to be on this list for a long time. In August, the 20-year-old Brazilian made his UFC debut against Yazmin Jauregui, who is also a potential UFC champion. Lucindo lost his debut by unanimous decision, but his performance was impressive. Her ability to move with feet and punch hard is far beyond her age. Although she is only 20 years old, she already has 18 professional MMA fights, and she has been a professional fighter since she was 17 years old.
23. Norbert Novenyi Jr MMA (5-0)
Bellator men's middleweight
Age: 23 years old (25 years old on October 6, 2024)
Novoni did not compete in 2022 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in the second half of 2021. The Hungarian-born British middleweight fighter hasn't fought since finishing Laid Zerhouni in the first round in October 2020, but Novigni's potential remains interesting. He needs to play more often, or at a high enough level of events, to really measure his abilities, but 7 of his 8 pro/amateur matches (amateur and pro) have ended his opponent, which shows that the upper limit of his ability is high.
24. Darragh Kelly (MMA record 2-0)
Bellator Men's Lightweight
Age: 24 years old (25 years old on April 6, 2023)
Also from SBG Ireland, Dharg Kelly may not be the kind of future star Conor McGregor once hyped up, but the young Irish fighter will win plenty of MMA fights. Trained under John Kavanagh and Dave Roche, Kelly went unbeaten in 11 fights in all but one, both professional and amateur, finishing with knockouts or submissions in all but one. He is a three-time Irish amateur champion. Bellator was definitely wise to sign him so early.
25. David Martinez (9-1 MMA)
Men's Bantamweight Champion at Combate Global
Age: 24 (25 years old on August 3, 2023)
David Martinez is Combate Global's best fighter and biggest star, and Martin is following in the footsteps of his sister Melissa Martinez, who has now signed with the UFC. The Mexico-born fighter has won five straight after suffering his first career defeat in April 2021, including four flashy knockouts, and a one-night double at the Combate Global Championship on May 29, 2021. David Martinez became Combate Global lightweight champion in October after a fourth-round TKO of Axel Osuna.