Bantamweight, John Sweeney
Simpsonville, South Carolina, US
29-years-old
14-3
4 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions
Combined opponents’ record: 83-39
I feel if Sweeney didn’t miss weight in his last fight he’d be in the UFC. Although he still won that fight he was stripped of his LFA title unfortunately. Sweeney has fought strong competition in the last three years. Along with a fun style he talks a lot of trash which can be super-marketable. Sweeney is labeled more as a wrestler but likes to strike. Sweeney is the type of fighter who will walk guys down talking trash while putting hands on you.
“Former LFA bantamweight champion 2x, 14-3-0 current professional fight record, Upstate karate black belt, BJJ brown belt, IKR kickboxing world champion, three years hard work wrestling head coach. Father of two beautiful kids who deserve the world. I’m a man of faith and have the ability to see the best in people and how to bring it out. Thank you for the opportunity and for the chance to reconnect with my community and give back in a positive way. Also the ability to connect with everyone no matter their religion race or background my family is my backbone with their support I wouldn’t be the man I am today A true problem solver and conflict resolution expert” – Sweeney
Featherweight, Harry Hardwick
Middlesbrough, England
30-years-old
12-3-1
3 KO/TKOs, 4 Submissions
Combined opponents’ record: 95-36-4
Hardwick has never been taken too seriously among hardcore MMA fans. It’s largely because fans get fixated on who is the better prospect between two brothers; his brother being George Hardwick. I believe Harry shut up many of his naysayers in his last fight beating Keweny Lopes. In that fight, he beat down Lopes to retain his Cage Warriors title. Hardwick is a volume-based fighter that excels in mixing it up to the body and head while mixing in kicks as well. His pace is what breaks guys. He would be an excellent action fighter to have in the UFC.
Lightweight, Amru Magomedov
Kyzyl-Yurt, Russia
25-years-old
8-0
1 KO/TKO, 5 Submissions
Combined opponents’ record: 34-9-1
Magomedov is one of the best prospects in the world. He trains out of Team Khabib and is the current UAE Warriors champion. With the striking, it’s a lot of kicks mainly going to the legs. The UFC doesn’t usually sign the best Russian prospects so it would be a shame if they dropped the ball with Magomedov. He’s well-round with an emphasis on grappling. He’s won five times by an RNC but a menace with ground and pound.
Light heavyweight, Abdulrakhman Yakhyaev
Chechnya, Russia
23-years-old
6-0
2 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions
Combined opponents’ record: 17-4
Yakhyaev had a big 2024 winning and defending the Ares FC 205-pound title. His last three wins are against solid names in Jacky Jeanne, Paulin Begai, and Nikolay Kovalenko. Already a much better resume than 99% of the light-heavyweight prospects today. Yakhyaev fights with a lot of pressure. His striking isn’t technically good but he throws a lot of volume to get on the inside. He is a good wrestler and aggressive once he gets the fight grounded. On the mat is where he’s best. Yakhyaev throws good GNP and for a 205er he’s a good submission threat. At 205 and being a champ for a bigger promotion of UFC Fight Pass I’d say Yakhyaev is a shoo-in for the UFC in 2025.
Bantamweight, Asaf Chopurov
Volgograd, Russia
23-years-old
6-0
2 KO/TKO, 3 Submissions
Combined opponents’ record: 35-6
As a pro and amateur career, you can’t really beat the resume of Chopurov. He went 31-1 as an amateur and was a three-time Russian champion and an IMMAF Junior world champion. The dude beat Denis Lavrentyev when he was 3-0 and Denis is a legit fighter. Chopurov has it all. He’s a good wrestler and a slick grappler. It seems inevitable he’s going to be in the UFC in 2025.
