Ilia Topuria was nothing more than a prospect on the rise in 2023. Still, in the second pay-per-view event of 2024, the Spanish/Georgian representative has taken the MMA world by storm by defeating Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 298, despite being a slight underdog at the top UFC sportsbooks.
It just goes to show how much difference a year can make for up-and-coming talent competing under the UFC banner. With that said, let’s dive straight into our top UFC prospects to keep an eye on in 2024 – Part Deux!
If you missed part one of our top UFC prospects for 2024, be sure to check it out.
Jailton Almeida
Let’s take the easy route and begin our list of top contenders where we started last week, and that’s by gauging the ever-growing talent that’s flooding out of Brazil. And who better than the Salvador, Bahia native Jailton Almeida?
Boasting a professional MMA record of 20 wins and just two losses, behind a UFC record of six consecutive wins and an 83% finish rate (KO & Submission), it could be argued that Almedia has already surpassed the “prospect” category as he’s already established himself as a top-ranked heavyweight contender.
However, regarding high-profile contests, Derrick Lewis is the only big name on his resume. This, however, could be settled at UFC 299 in March 2024 (one of our top events to look forward to), as the Brazilian brute will get his shot at former title contender Curtis Blaydes, and in victory, don’t be surprised to see him next in line for a championship opportunity of his own.
Vitor Petrino
Another Brazilian powerhouse, you say, why not?
Move on over, Vitor Belfort, because there’s a new Vitor in town and he’s already sent shockwaves through the MMA landscape with a 10-0 unblemished record and seven knockout victories.
Let’s be honest: the light heavyweight division has been in turmoil since Jon Jones moved up a weight class, and there’s no doubt that early signs of Petrino reaching the top rankings look very probable.
Petrino caught the UFC’s attention when he blasted Rodolfo Bellator with a left hook on Dana White’s Contender Series. Since joining the LHW rankings, he’s won three consecutive fights, with two of those ending inside the distance.
Vitor Petrino just closed the show with a 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆 💥 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/50hERe24la
— UFC (@ufc) September 7, 2022
Power, speed, respected grappling, and clear fishing ability from Petrino will be displayed next week at UFC Vegas 87, where he’ll enter a co-main event position versus Tyson Pedro.
Should another lopsided victory occur, it won’t be long before Alex Pereira has a fellow countryman fighting to take his place at the top of the division.
Ikram Aliskerov
If one area of mixed martial arts has been showcased and, more often than not, dominant in the octagon, it’s the sport of combat sambo. Regularly practiced in Russia, the likes of Islam Makhachev, Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov utilized this as their base, and the next Russian in line boasting these skills is Ikram Aliskerov (15-1-0, 6 KOs, 5 submissions).
Not only is Aliskerov a four-time Combat Sambo World Champion, he’s currently training with the best in the world at American Top Team and KHK MMA and wrestling has been an afterthought during his UFC career, which has delivered two consecutive knockout victories.
Sambo specialists are scary, but once you combine knockout potential, the division is put on notice. The weight class in question is middleweight, and Aliskerov won’t be wasting time as he’s already collected two victories over noteworthy opponents in Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves.
Of all the prospects on our list, Aliskerov intrigues me the most. His lone career loss was against Khamzat Chimaev back at Brave CF 23, and should a potential rematch ever surface, I wouldn’t be quick to predict the same outcome happening twice over… he’s that damn good!
Erin Blanchfield
It’s about time we put some respect on women’s MMA, and of course, there’s a plethora of fresh-faced female fighters we could highlight as a top prospect, but none of them quite compare to Erin Blanchfield (12-1-0, 2 KOs, 4 submissions).
Regarding breakthrough stars of 2024, it’s hard to deny Blanchfield of taking these honors. No disrespect to the current women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, but if there’s one female competitor with the best chance of becoming the next new champ, look no further than the 6-0 UFC record of Blanchfield, who effortlessly ran through the opposition to date.
Thoughts On Erin Blanchfield’s #UFC5 Stats? pic.twitter.com/KydZDs6on6
— Combat eSports Media (@CombatESportsM) October 18, 2023
With just two years of experience competing on the big stage, she’s collected a 50% submission rate in six bouts, thus gifting her the second-most women’s flyweight submission wins in the promotion’s history. It’s safe to say she’s a BJJ ace, and when combined with an unblemished UFC record, the New Jersey native is now taking closer steps to championship gold with every win she collects.
A UFC Atlantic City main event position on March 30, 2024, could be Blanchfield’s chance to reach No.1 contender status as she’ll put her #2 women’s flyweight ranking up against the #3-ranked Manon Fiorot. It’ll be a battle of the elite prospects, and with such a slick ground game, don’t overlook the product of MK Muay Thai in her quest for greatness.
Mateusz Rebecki
Wasting no time to make his name known, 2023 was a busy and prosperous year for Poland’s Mateusz Rebecki (19-1-0, 9 KOs, 7 submissions), who stormed the lightweight division with three consecutive wins. One decision, one KO/TKO, and one submission proved his versatility in the octagon, and as far as unranked prospects go, he’s one we should all pay attention to.
Aged 31, the UFC employed the services of Rebecki during the prime of his career. He’s no amateur and has competed on the professional regional scene for the last decade. His only loss came during the year of his pro debut in 2014, and since then, he’s gone on a 16-fight win streak.
Many fighters boost the chance of gaining UFC attention by padding records, but not Rebecki; the combined record of his previous eight opponents before fighting on DWCS was 113-29-3. He’s a stud in the cage, durable, and possesses excellent wrestling and submission skills. While his striking can be sporadic at times, he has the power to put lightweights to sleep.
