Highlights
- UFC fighters debuting in their early 20s are a rarity as most reach the top in their 30s.
- Muhammad Mokaev boasts an impressive record, winning all 23 bouts in the amateur circuit.
- Young talents like Nurullo Aliev from Tajikistan are crucial for the future of UFC and MMA sports.
The UFC has 623 athletes under contract, all competing regularly. Each one made a promotional debut at a different age, but seeing a young fighter inside the octagon is still a rare occurrence.
MMA and Ultimate Fighting Championship are full of fighters who have reached the top in their 30s. However, a young talent pool is required to guarantee the future of the promotion and the sport in general, so it comes as no surprise that UFC’s roster is full of fighters competing in their early 20s.
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10 Muhammad Mokaev Punished All 11 Of His Opponents
The British Fighter Sports An Unblemished Record Of 11 Straight Victories
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Date of birth: |
July 30, 2000 |
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Age: |
23 |
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MMA Record: |
11-0 (1 NC) |
Mokaev honed his fighting skills in the amateur circuit, winning all of his 23 bouts and grabbing the IMMAF World title on two different occasions.
Undefeated in both BRAVE CF and UFC, the Brit finished seven of his opponents either by knockout or submission.
9 Yusaku Kinoshita’s Luck Changed Inside The Octagon
“Wonderboy” Is Still Looking For His First Win In The UFC
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Date of birth: |
August 21, 2000 |
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Age: |
23 |
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MMA Record: |
6 – 3 |
A product of the Japanese MMA scene, a DEEP, Pancrase, and RIZIN veteran, Kinoshita stacked up a 5 – 1 record in his home country. Interestingly enough, that loss came due to fence grabbing during his bout against Ryuichiro Sumimura at the premiere RIZIN Trigger event.
The Japanese welterweight defeated José Henrique Souza at Dana White’s Contender Series to secure his contract with the promotion. With five of his six finishes coming in the first round, Kinoshita entered the octagon with a lot of promise. However, so far, he has found himself on the receiving end of both Adam Fugitt’s and Billy Goff’s punches.
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8 Felipe Dos Santos’s Latest Win Raised Some Controversy
The Brazilian Was Awarded A Split Decision Win Over Victor Altamirano
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Date of birth: |
September 11, 2000 |
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Age: |
23 |
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MMA Record: |
8 – 1 (1 NC) |
The Maceio native made a name for himself by fighting in his home country of Brazil. Finishing seven of his opponents, including Hugo Paiva at LFA 146, Dos Santos made his way to the UFC.
He tasted defeat for the first time after losing to Manel Kape via Unanimous Decision at UFC 293. “Lipe Detona” bounced back by defeating Victor Altamirano at the UFC Mexico City event.
The crowd in attendance showered the Brazilian with boos right after his split decision win announcement. The fans weren’t the only ones to voice their opinion, as a few fellow UFC fighters took to social media to share their thoughts on the topic:
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7 Nurullo Aliev Is The First UFC Fighter From Tajikistan
“Tajik Eagle” Soars High As Undefeated In The Octagon
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Date of birth: |
December 8, 2000 |
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Age: |
23 |
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MMA Record: |
9 – 0 |
Unbeaten in both the amateur and professional MMA circuits, Aliev fulfilled his ambition of becoming the first UFC fighter from his native Tajikistan. Sporting an unblemished record of 7 wins, “Tajik Eagle” received an opportunity to demonstrate his skills in front of Dana White during the 2022 Contender series.
Aliev easily dispatched Josh Wick with a punishing ground and pound, securing a first-round TKO win. This was enough for UFC’s CEO to award him a contract with the promotion.
Aliev continued his winning ways by beating Rafael Alves at UFC Fight Night 220. He was scheduled to face Mateusz Rebecki at UFC 295 but had to withdraw due to a leg injury.
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6 Cameron Saaiman Faced Mixed Luck During His UFC Tenure
“MSP” Is A Former EFC Bantamweight Champion
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Date of birth: |
December 20, 2000 |
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Age: |
23 |
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MMA Record: |
9 – 2 |
The South African fighter began his career in the regional EFC promotion. There, he finished four out of five opponents. In his fifth professional fight, he was awarded both the unanimous decision win over Sindile Manengela and the vacant bantamweight title.
These stellar performances led him inside the octagon, where he KO’d Josh Wang-Kim during the 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series.
Saaiman continued his winning ways by defeating Steven Koslow, Leomana Martinez, and Terrence Mitchell. Interestingly enough, he was able to win the first two fights despite a points deduction due to illegal tactics. Later, he was bested by Christian Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 230. In his most recent bout, he was TKO’d by Payton Talbott at UFC Vegas 89.
5 Iasmin Lucindo Is Quite Experienced Despite Her Young Age
The Brazilian Faced Karolina Kowalkiewicz At UFC 301
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Date of birth: |
January 8, 2002 |
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Age: |
22 |
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MMA Record: |
15 – 5 |
Lucindo made her professional MMA debut back in 2017 at 15 years old. Since then, she has risen from the Brazilian regional circuit straight to the UFC.
She made her promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 41 in a losing affair against Yazmin Jauregui. Since then, she returned to the win column by beating Brogan Walker and submitting Polyana Viana. Most recently, she was awarded a unanimous decision win over Poland’s Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
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4 Joshua Van Fearlessly Takes On All Comers
The Former Fury FC Flyweight Champion Rides An Eight-Fight Winning Streak
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Date of birth: |
October 10, 2001 |
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Age: |
22 |
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MMA Record: |
10 – 1 |
“The Fearless” was Fury FC’s mainstay and champion until he signed a contract with the UFC in 2023. He entered the octagon at UFC on ABC 5 and was awarded a unanimous decision win over the much more experienced Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
Since then, he won his two next fights by beating Kevin Borjas at UFC 295 and Felipe Bunes at UFC Fight Night 234.
3 Tereza Bleda Is Yet Another Promising Prospect From Europe
The Czech Fighter Is A Former OKTAGON MMA Women’s Flyweight Champion
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Date of birth: |
November 30, 2001 |
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Age: |
22 |
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MMA Record: |
7 – 1 |
Bleda started competing at the amateur level at 16 years old. She stacked up an impressive nine-fight winning streak in the amateur circuit. A few of her last amateur bouts took place at OKTAGON: Underground series of events, which highlighted amateur talent. That led her directly to OKTAGON MMA’s roster.
She made her professional MMA debut back in 2020. After four consecutive wins, Bleda successfully challenged Mabelly Lima for the women’s flyweight title at OKTAGON 20.
The next step in her career was a fight at the 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series. She was awarded a unanimous decision win over Nayara Maia and received her UFC contract.
She was TKO’d in her promotional debut against Natália Silva, but bounced back by besting Gabriella Fernandes at UFC on ESPN 47.
2 Francisco Prado Knocked Out Ottman Azaitar In A Highlight Fashion
The Argentinian Fighter Is A Former SFH Lightweight Champion
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Date of birth: |
June 16, 2002 |
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Age: |
21 |
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MMA Record: |
12 – 2 |
A product of his home country’s MMA circuit, Prado has been unbeaten in Argentina. He stacked up an impressive eleven-fight winning streak, capturing a lightweight title in his last fight before signing with the UFC. However, his luck drastically changed in his promotional debut at UFC 284, where he lost to Jamie Mullarkey.
He authored a highlight reel TKO win over Azaitar at UFC on ESPN 49. In the late stage of the very first round, Prado hit his opponent with a spinning elbow. After Azaitar went down to the canvas, the Argentinian showered him with continuous elbows and punches, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Unfortunately, in his most recent bout, Prado lost to Daniel Zellhuber at UFC Mexico City.
1 Raul Rosas Jr’s Career Goal Is To Support His Parents
Despite Being Underage, He Received A Fighter’s License From NSAC
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Date of birth: |
October 8, 2004 |
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Age: |
19 |
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MMA Record: |
8 – 1 |
Shockingly enough, “El Nino Problema” made his professional MMA debut back in 2021 at 17 years old. It was all possible thanks to the Nevada State Athletic Commission making an exception for him, as the minimum age was 18. Having only two amateur wins and two grappling bouts under his belt, Rosas Jr. began his campaign to dominate the MMA world.
After five consecutive wins inside the UWC’s cage, he received an opportunity to fight at the 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series. Rosas Jr. made the best of this opportunity, as he dominated the entire fight against Mando Gutierrez. He impressed UFC’s CEO so much that he was awarded a contract with the promotion.
He made his professional debut at UFC 282, where he submitted Jay Perrin. His sole loss came at the hands of Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287. “El Nino Problema” bounced back by TKO’ing Terrence Mitchell at UFC Fight Night 227.
