We have a look at 5 fighters that could possibly be referred to as as much as the world’s premier combined martial arts promotion, The Final Preventing Championship.
Luke Riley
Initially beginning in boxing and Muay Thai, the twenty-five-year-old from Widnes now boasts a 10-0 MMA document below one of many two UK companions accessible for followers’ viewing pleasure on UFC struggle go: Cage Warriors. They’ve produced over 100 fighters to achieve the UFC, involving a number of the finest ever. Michael Bisping, Conor McGregor, Tom Aspinall, and Ilia Topuria have all donned the well-known yellow gloves, and every has reached famous person standing.
Riley trains out of Subsequent Technology in Liverpool alongside UFC fighters Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett and Molly McCann. He was topped Fighter of the 12 months in 2023 and was concerned in Combat of the 12 months with Alexander Lööf. He’s well-known for his electrical preventing model, the place he loves to face and bang along with his opponents, which has seen him obtain seven ko/tko victories within the ten fights he’s had thus far. Contemplating that he’s solely operated as knowledgeable combined martial artist for thirty-nine months, he has made exceptional strides in following the footsteps of these talked about, pardon the pun.
Luke was because of struggle on Dana White’s Contender Collection final August, however a problem with a visa being granted in time for the promotion scheduled date prevented it from occurring. The UFC are returning to the UK in March and along with his two coaching companions each asserting that they’ve signed contracts to be on the cardboard there are hopes that the undefeated prospect will probably be becoming a member of them.
RILEY VS LOOF. CAGE WARRIORS 2023 FIGHT OF THE YEAR. WATCH HERE: Biggest Combat in CW Historical past! | Luke Riley vs. Alexander Lööf | Cage Warriors Combat of the 12 months 2023 – YouTube
Dakota Ditcheva
At simply 26 years of age, the Mancunian holds a document of 14-0 with twelve finishes, one submission and one resolution win. ‘Harmful’ has obliterated each challenger she’s ever confronted within the Skilled Fighters League and now finds herself as the present world flyweight champion.
In her final outing in opposition to Talia Santos, she saved her 100% end price within the PFL going. Stopping her in spherical two from vicious photographs to the physique after the previous UFC flyweight title challenger had no reply to the puzzle of Ditcheva, who had a visual measurement and vary benefit, towering over the Brazilian, who winced because the punches linked, making it look extraordinarily simple in opposition to an opponent who arguably gave the present UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko her hardest struggle so far.
Santos was seen as Ditcheva’s strongest match-up up to now in her profession. After turning into European and world champion in two years, there are actually a number of main MMA information retailers and followers who’re asking for the die-hard Manchester Metropolis supporters to obtain a telephone name from the UFC.
Losene Keita
A two-weight champion in Oktagon MMA at simply twenty-seven years of age, the Belgian carries a 16-1 skilled document and sits prime of the promotions pound-for-pound rankings listing. A number of studies have revealed that he turned a contract down with numerous different promotions earlier than re-signing with Oktagon in January 2024.
The UFC was reportedly a kind of organizations, and with the one blemish on his document due to a foot harm, he’s nonetheless technically unbeaten, which makes him sizzling property and probably the greatest upcoming fighters on the earth. Together with his thrilling model, ‘Black Panther’ constantly produces these holy sh*t moments that Dana White needs below his banner.
Naturally, the world’s largest promotion will probably be monitoring his state of affairs intently. When requested on the latest Oktagon 65 post-fight press convention if he nonetheless needs to ply his commerce there and if he has accomplished what he needed to attain below his present promotion, he mentioned “I don’t know but, let me go dwelling and loosen up then we’ll discuss that however for now I’m not accomplished with Oktagon but!”
Keita’s contract with the Czech/Slovak outfit is a multi-year deal, but when there was an occasion the place he will get supplied a bundle he can’t refuse from the UFC, then Oktagon will doubtless and hopefully not stand in his method and permit the most popular European expertise transfer onto the world degree. The promotion beforehand granted bantamweight champion Felipe Lima launch from his contract regardless of being scheduled to defend his title in opposition to Jonas Magard in July of final yr till he acquired a call-up on two weeks discover to face Muhammad Naimov on a UFC struggle night time card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Shem Rock
Shem Rock fights out of Subsequent Technology MMA Liverpool and was seen because the face of the UK growth for Oktagon MMA till the promotion put plans to return on maintain. After profitable on dwelling soil earlier this yr in spectacular vogue over Stefano Cattacoli, he adopted that up with a giant win at Oktagon 58 inside the house of Slavia Prague FC. That win got here in opposition to Jaroslav Pokorny, with whom he had a long-standing rivalry after their authentic struggle was cancelled in November 2023. Pokorny was withdrawn on struggle day after Rock landed a kick to the ribs on the weigh-in. Which allegedly induced sufficient injury to drag him from the struggle regardless of no bodily X-ray proof.
Rock discovered combined martial arts when he went on the run for nearly ten years for a criminal offense he didn’t commit. He has since returned to the UK, been arrested, jailed, acquitted, and fought on Europe’s largest MMA promotion quite a few instances. His talent set is excessive calibre, and in his two fights this yr, he has dispatched each opponents within the first spherical. It took only one minute forty-seven seconds to drive Cattacoli to faucet at Oktagon 56 and three minutes six seconds to place Pokorny out chilly six weeks later.
Honing his craft with the aforementioned Luke Riley, they’ve produced massive moments below their respective employer’s banner for a while now. One other widespread determine on the UK MMA scene, Rock, 31, is the quantity 5 ranked light-weight within the UK with Tapology and has made no secret about his need to achieve the UFC sooner somewhat than later. With a very good again story and a preventing model that could be very pleasing to the attention, he would definitely be a fan favorite among the many wider viewers.
Patricio Pitbull
At thirty-seven years of age, a fighter at a distinct level in his profession to these beforehand talked about may nonetheless discover himself with a UFC alternative. That’s as a result of breakdown in communication with PFL, which has seen him stay inactive since March 2024, regardless of being champion of the Bellator banner, which they merged with a few years again.
Pitbull took issues into his personal fingers earlier this yr and continued calling out of the promotion in one other barrage of messages final month on X.
“My administration group had a name with [Pete Murray] tonight, and regardless of making clear my need to depart and a few of my causes, even noticing my contract is up in Could, PFL received’t let me go and intends to carry me in opposition to my will,” Pitbull wrote.
“You say you’re fighters first however determined to maintain me hostage [Donn Davis], [Pete Murray]. It’s actually absurd and disappointing that I’ve to come back on X to voice all this. Do the fitting factor and launch me… I used to be a Bellator fighter and it now not exists. The promotion is gone and so ought to I.”
Pitbull adopted up, “I haven’t fought since March. They need me to struggle in April. Over a yr of my life and profession that I’ll by no means get again.”
Regardless of having miles on the clock, the Brazilian featherweight nonetheless looks like he has loads within the tank, and with him publicly stating that he needs to pursue a chance elsewhere, it stays to be seen whether or not that will probably be with the marquee promotion at this stage of his profession. Nevertheless it nonetheless could possibly be a chance and definitely to not be dominated out; it might be an analogous state of affairs to a different former Bellator fighter, Michael Web page, who debuted with the UFC final yr at 36 years of age after going 17-2 along with his former employer.
