In this piece, it’s all about the future. Twenty prospects in the UFC that still on their first UFC contract (four fights and under).
These are fighters we believe will one day be ranked and if not be a fixture in the UFC for years. There’s some very familiar names, and a lot of talent that shows just how deep the promotion’s roster truly is.
Let’s get to it, in no particular order.
Bantamweight, Felipe Lima (13-1):
Lima recently signed to the UFC and made his debut a few weeks ago. He stepped in on short notice up a weight class. He fought Muhammad Naimov who was significantly bigger and had quality wins over Jamie Mullarkey and Nathaniel Wood. Born in Brazil, Felipe Lima lives in Stockholm, Sweden, and has been training at Allstars Training Center for years.
After making his debut in 2015 where he came up short, he hasn’t lost since. His striking is his focal point but his ground game is slept on. He did end up finishing Naimov in the third with a RNC. He looked that good without a normal camp and up a weight class so the future is bright.
Welterweight, Gabriel Bonfim (16-1):
A lot of people are writing off Bonfim after losing his fight to Nicolas Dalby. Dalby however is such an underrated vet who doesn’t get his much deserved respect. Bonfim almost finished Dalby in round one but blew his gas tank and got finished in round two.
From a skillset standpoint, Bonfim is still a top talent. Bonfim is a national boxing champion but the majority of his MMA wins are by submission. He’s still really good even though people think he’s overrated. He’s coming off a recent win over Ange Loosa.
