It’s that time of year again: the UFC has wrapped up for the season, and it’s time to look to the future and what’s to come. In this piece, we will go through every country and give one prospect from each that the UFC should sign. This does not necessarily mean signing them now, as many will be young pros or even unproven MMA fighters. But, fighters the promotion should sign at some point.
There will be a lot of countries that will be skipped because the talent just isn’t in every area, so take “every country” as meaning out of those with a viable pool of prospects. For the most part, we’ve tried to stay away from talent with every other major promotion (PFL/Bellator, ONE Championship) to be as realistic as possible.
Afghanistan
Right now in the UFC, we have the Basharat brothers who are representing Afghanistan, both of whom are set to become bright stars in the years to come. Years ago we had Siyar Bahadurzada, who went 4-4 in the UFC and was in the promotion for over seven years.
There were a few options to choose from as the best to represent Afghanistan but I decided to go with Milad Ahady (6-1). Not sure how Ahady went under my radar since he’s 3-0 in Cage Warriors. Ahady is a talented enough guy that the UFC could sign him right now. He’s a big featherweight at 5’11” who is a better striker but is well-rounded. Ahady is a skilled striker with accuracy especially from his left side. His left hand is his best weapon and once he mixes in his kicks he’s a problem. I believe the UFC should take a look at Ahady right this minute.
Albania
There has never been any UFC fighter from Albania to my knowledge but there are a few options the promotion could go with. The one that stands out to me is Vilson Ndregjoni (8-3). He may be close to the UFC but would be closer if he didn’t lose his CFFC title because he missed weight. Still, Ndregjoni was a fireball of explosion throwing with a lot of power. He dropped his opponent with a left hand in the first. As the guy came in blindly Ndregjoni landed a check right hand putting him on his face. Ndregjoni landed the follow-up hammer fist putting the guy out. Ndregjoni is starting to get a good run going currently, but just needs to get the weight under control if it is an issue.
Angola
The UFC is still in need of their first Angola-born fighter. There are a few options, mainly ones in the amateur ranks getting ready to go pro. The one that sticks out the most is somebody I’ve had my eyes on for a while; Shido Boris Soto Esperanca (8-1). Soto has competed in kickboxing, Muay Thai, and in many grappling tournaments such as the IBJJF. He is a BJJ and kickboxing blackbelt. Watching him what can be seen is strong slams, thunderous ground and pound, superb athleticism, and aggression. Soto has a huge problem with his cardio which would hold him back to winning the bigger fights. If he can fix that he would be a dangerous fighter.
