Paul Capaldo
Pro record: 4-0
Amateur record: 5-0
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 23
Fighting out of Middletown, New Jersey, US
Paul Capaldo surprisingly is 32-years-old but despite that, he’s young in fighting years and it seems like he’s already in his prime. He fights for Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC) and they have really developed him into a must-watch prospect. He already has everything you look for in a fighter and is someone I’m sure will have a breakout year in 2020.
“I bring something different than any other fighter. I have so much self belief in myself and my ability in the cage. I believe I can beat anyone in the world. I will be in the UFC in the future. It’s been my dream ever since I was a kid. I’m so close to achieving that, I know with hard work and dedication I can accomplish anything I want in the world.” -Paul Capaldo
Garry Tonon
Pro record: 5-0
Amateur record: 0-0
Weight class: Lightweight
Age: 28
Fighting out of South Brunswick, New Jersey, US
Garry Tonon is well-known in the world of BJJ as he holds accomplishments such as IBJJF Pan-American No-Gi Champion, IBJJF World No-Gi Champion, EBI lightweight champion, and much more (look here). Tonon has looked stellar in his MMA career and has even done well on his feet.
John Gotti III
Pro record: 5-0
Amateur record: 5-1
Weight class: Welterweight
Age: 27
Fighting out of Oyster Bay, New York, US
John Gotti III is best known as the grandson of the infamous John Gotti, the Italian-American gangster known as the “Teflon Don.” John Gotti the third is going down a different path, going into MMA, and has looked really good so far. He’s a knockout artist who recently went the distance for the first time. That’s a plus, for him to get that in early in his career.
Alex Polizzi
Pro record: 5-0
Amateur record: 6-0
Weight class: Light-heavyweight
Age: 28
Fighting out of Madison, Wisconsin, US
Undefeated as a pro and as an amateur going 11-0 combined, Alex Polizzi has the recipe to be a big prospect in the 205lb weight class. Polizzi was a D1 wrestler at Northwestern University from 2010-2015 and was a state champion. In his most recent bout, he beat and finished former UFC fighter Daniel Jolly.
“MMA has brought fun challenges to my life. I just hope that I can afford to give that same feeling back to the sport with my unique fighting style. Violence in a cage doesn’t always have to be so serious. I think that’s where I can bring a couple courses to the figurative table.” -Alex Polizzi
Emillio Trevino
Pro record: 5-0
Amateur record: 1-0
Weight class: Light-heavyweight
Age: 24
Fighting out of Boise, Idaho, US
Emilio Trevino is still a bit unknown due to only fighting pro for three years, and his lack of a busy schedule. Without much experience, he’s still fought for both LFA and Bellator MMA. Trevino fights out of a karate stance and is a fighter who fights behind his kicks. He actively switches stances and throws from different angles as well. He’s still green but has the toolset to go far.
“I just hope to keep the winning going. I’ve dedicated my life to martial arts, I hope one day I can demonstrate my skill set on a large stage. what I bring to the table is a high level fight IQ, a quick explosive style based from my wrestling and karate background. I fight for my son, to be an example for him. I’ve only ever trained & fought for one gym. Jet House Martais arts. The gym is my home. The goal since the beginning has always been to be the greatest that ever lived.” -Emillio Trevino
Mitch Raposo
Pro record: 4-0
Amateur record: 6-0
Weight class: Bantamweight
Age: 21
Fighting out of Fall River, Massachusetts, US
Mitch Raposo is only 3-0 as a pro but went 6-0 as an amateur and won two titles as an ammy. Raposo hasn’t been fighting the best competition but has performed as expected. At only 21-years-old, this youngster has a bright future. He trains with Joe Lauzon, Calvin Kattar, and Rob Font. He moved up from flyweight to bantamweight while staying very active.
“I belong in the UFC. At 21 years old I’m one of the best prospects in the world and I’m going to prove that in 2020. #UFC2020 April 4 I make my flyweight return against a great opponent !!!.” -Mitch Raoso
Carlos Ulberg
Pro record: 2-0
Amateur record: 0-0
Weight class: Light-heavyweight
Age: 29
Fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand
Carlos Ulberg is a product out of City Kickboxing with the likes Brad Riddell, Shane Young, Kai Kara-France, and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Ulberg isn’t only a fighter but also an actor and a model. Known for his background in kickboxing Ulberg is a two-time King of the Ring tournament winner, the same tournament Adesanya won three times.
Tafon Nchukwi
Pro record: 3-0
Amateur record: 3-0
Weight class: Light-heavyweight
Age: 25
Fighting out of Hyattsville, Maryland, US
Tafon Nchukwi is a WKA 2016 National champion, WKA 2017 national champion, and a WKA 2016 World champion. Nchukwi made waves in the MMA community when he beat UFC development deal holder William Knight last November. Knight was highly-touted, and Nchukwi finished him via strikes in round one. He’s only 3-0 but went 3-0 as an amateur and has a good team behind him at Team Lloyd Irvin.
“Eerrr body in the heavyweight and light-heavyweight division catching these paws and the 185ers better pray and hope I remain lazy cause they can catch it too. P.s I like potatoes” – Tafon Nchukwi
Gabriel Alves Braga
Pro record: 5-0
Amateur record: 0-0
Weight class: Featherweight
Age: 21
Fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In my opinion, Brazil is the strongest talent when it comes to young rising fighters. Gabriel Alves Braga fights for top Brazilian promotion Future FC and there’s a good chance the promotion’s gold is in his future. Only 21-years-old, it’s awesome that everyone he’s fought had a winning record. Braga is very technical as he loves to throw from all different kinds of angles. He throws a bit of everything and has some wrestling/BJJ to fall back on.
Christian Edwards
Pro record: 2-0
Amateur record: 3-0
Weight class: Light-heavyweight
Age: 21
Fighting out of Yukon, Oklahoma, US
Christian Edwards is one of the hottest prospects today coming out of JacksonWink MMA, and is a sparring partner of UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones. He’s 2-0 in the Bellator cage with a highlight-reel head kick knockout win in his latest fight. A young kid but he has the attributes to go really far in this sport.
“I’m a 2-0 Bellator prospect fighting out of Albuquerque, New Mexico and representing the famous JacksonWink MMA gym. My goal in this sport is to be one of the best to ever do it. And I won’t stop until I reach that goal.” -Christian Edwards
