Yearly MMA Prospect Awards: 2022 in Review, Part 3

Most exciting prospect of the year: Sharaputdin Magomedov (17-0)

Sharaputdin Magomedov is the most electrifying fighter in the world and 2022 only improved his stock. There is no disguise to the style of Magomedov; he’s not going to be someone to shoot takedowns, but instead will chip away from all angles on the feet. The best thing Magomedov brings to the table is diversity. He literally throws everything in the kitchen at you and throws in different varieties. Magomedov’s hands, knees, legs, elbows; he’s always implanting into his game. Seeing him fight is like using a fighter in the EA games. But nothing or no one does it as smooth as Magomedov. He has excellent dexterity in his legs. He throws a ton of sidekicks, hook kicks, crescent kicks, ax kicks, and wheel kicks. Nobody fights like that guy in the UFC, Bellator, PFL, ONE, or anywhere else. Some may have a similar style, but nobody perfects it as he does.

Amateur prospect of the year: Fergus Jenkins (13-1)

Jenkins is a standout IMMAF fighter that had a breakout year in 2022. In one week he won five fights and was crowned the IMMAF middleweight world champion. He then went on to win the IMMAFA South Pacific middleweight championship. Jenkins also won the XFC middleweight title and he accomplished all this just this year. This year altogether Jenkins went 9-0. There is no doubt that this 21-year-old kid from New Zealand was the best amateur this year.