African prospect of the year: Losene Keita (9-0)
Keita had a huge step up in competition his last fight, taking on the 46-fight veteran Ivan Buchinger. Keita stopped him inside one round and won the Oktagon lightweight title. That fight alone earns him this award. The lightweight in 2022 went 2-0 and has stamped his name at the top of the best lightweight prospect list. Keita was supposed to fight on the UFC Paris card but had Visa issues. 2022 was a great year but 2023 will look even better for him.
Australia/Oceania prospect of the year: Kaleb Rideout (7-2)
Not the most talent-rich area for fighters at the moment, but Australia’s Kaleb Rideout stands out. He went 2-0 this year and is known for his exciting fighting style. Beating an 0-0 guy is no big deal but he did also beat Kevin Jousset. Jousset is a solid fighter and the only other fighter to beat him is Jack Della Maddalena. Rideout has been putting on exciting fights over in Australia for the last few years. Each year he’s improved and this year he’s had his best effort year.
