We take a look at 5 fighters that could possibly be referred to as as much as the world’s premier blended 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 report beneath one of many two UK companions accessible for followers’ viewing pleasure on UFC combat move: Cage Warriors. They’ve produced over 100 fighters to succeed in the UFC, involving a few of the greatest 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 Battle of the 12 months with Alexander Lööf. He’s well-known for his electrical combating 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 to this point. Contemplating that he’s solely operated as knowledgeable blended martial artist for thirty-nine months, he has made exceptional strides in following the footsteps of these talked about, pardon the pun.
Luke was resulting from combat on Dana White’s Contender Sequence final August, however a difficulty with a visa being granted in time for the promotion scheduled date prevented it from taking place. The UFC are returning to the UK in March and along with his two coaching companions each saying that they’ve signed contracts to be on the cardboard there are hopes that the undefeated prospect shall be becoming a member of them.
RILEY VS LOOF. CAGE WARRIORS 2023 FIGHT OF THE YEAR. WATCH HERE: Best Battle in CW Historical past! | Luke Riley vs. Alexander Lööf | Cage Warriors Battle of the 12 months 2023 – YouTube
Dakota Ditcheva
At simply 26 years of age, the Mancunian holds a report 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 towards Talia Santos, she stored her 100% end price within the PFL going. Stopping her in spherical two from vicious pictures to the physique after the previous UFC flyweight title challenger had no reply to the puzzle of Ditcheva, who had a visual dimension and vary benefit, towering over the Brazilian, who winced because the punches related, making it look extraordinarily straightforward towards an opponent who arguably gave the present UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko her hardest combat so far.
Santos was seen as Ditcheva’s strongest match-up so far in her profession. After changing into European and world champion in two years, there are actually a number of main MMA information shops and followers who’re asking for the die-hard Manchester Metropolis supporters to obtain a cellphone 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 report and sits high of the promotions pound-for-pound rankings listing. A number of reviews have revealed that he turned a contract down with varied different promotions earlier than re-signing with Oktagon in January 2024.
The UFC was reportedly a type of organizations, and with the one blemish on his report due to a foot damage, he’s nonetheless technically unbeaten, which makes him sizzling property and among the best upcoming fighters on the planet. Together with his thrilling model, ‘Black Panther’ constantly produces these holy sh*t moments that Dana White desires beneath his banner.
Naturally, the world’s greatest promotion shall be monitoring his scenario intently. When requested on the current Oktagon 65 post-fight press convention if he nonetheless needs to ply his commerce there and if he has accomplished what he wished to attain beneath his present promotion, he stated “I don’t know but, let me go residence and chill out then we are going to discuss that however for now I’m not completed 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 provided a package deal he can’t refuse from the UFC, then Oktagon will possible and hopefully not stand in his manner and permit the most well liked European expertise transfer onto the world stage. The promotion beforehand granted bantamweight champion Felipe Lima launch from his contract regardless of being scheduled to defend his title towards Jonas Magard in July of final 12 months till he obtained a call-up on two weeks discover to face Muhammad Naimov on a UFC combat evening 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 successful on residence soil earlier this 12 months 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 towards Jaroslav Pokorny, with whom he had a long-standing rivalry after their unique combat was cancelled in November 2023. Pokorny was withdrawn on combat day after Rock landed a kick to the ribs on the weigh-in. Which allegedly brought about sufficient injury to drag him from the combat regardless of no bodily X-ray proof.
Rock discovered blended martial arts when he went on the run for nearly ten years for against the law he didn’t commit. He has since returned to the UK, been arrested, jailed, acquitted, and fought on Europe’s greatest MMA promotion quite a few occasions. His talent set is excessive calibre, and in his two fights this 12 months, 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 large moments beneath their respective employer’s banner for a while now. One other common 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 want to succeed in the UFC sooner fairly than later. With a very good again story and a combating model that may be very pleasing to the attention, he will surely be a fan favorite among the many wider viewers.
Patricio Pitbull
At thirty-seven years of age, a fighter at a special level in his profession to these beforehand talked about might nonetheless discover himself with a UFC alternative. That’s because of the 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 arms earlier this 12 months and continued calling out of the promotion in one other barrage of messages final month on X.
“My administration workforce had a name with [Pete Murray] tonight, and regardless of making clear my want to go away and a few of my causes, even noticing my contract is up in Could, PFL gained’t let me go and intends to carry me towards 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 correct factor and launch me… I used to be a Bellator fighter and it not exists. The promotion is gone and so ought to I.”
Pitbull adopted up, “I haven’t fought since March. They need me to combat in April. Over a 12 months 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 a lot within the tank, and with him publicly stating that he needs to pursue a possibility elsewhere, it stays to be seen whether or not that shall be with the marquee promotion at this stage of his profession. Nevertheless it nonetheless could possibly be a risk and positively to not be dominated out; it might be an identical scenario to a different former Bellator fighter, Michael Web page, who debuted with the UFC final 12 months at 36 years of age after going 17-2 along with his former employer.
