Future UFC Stars Who Aren't In UFC Yet

Lets hear about some good prospects...

I'll start with 2 I think could be contenders and maybe Champions in the UFC at 145 lbs and 155 lbs.  One has had 4 pro fights and one has had 8 pro fights...but they both unbeaten and have big time talent.  Another interesting thing is they are training partners.

1) Gregor Gillespie 155 lbs. (4-0....4 1st rd stoppages)  Was a 4 Time All American and D1 National Champion wrestler.  Interesting story and has a similar buzz of dominance like Chris Weidman had a few years ago when he was 4-0 as a Ring Of Combat fighter from Long Island before getting his UFC call.  Gregor trains with Keith Trimble at Bellmore Kickoxing/MMA around guys like Costas Philippou, Ryan LaFlare, Dennis Burmudez, World Champion Boxer Chris Algieri and many others.  Great talent, great coaching...I believe he could make a big noise sooner than later despite only having 4 fights.

2)  One of the others Gillespie trains with is his training partner undefeated 145 lber Andre Harrison Former Ring Of Combat Champion now in Titan FC.  Andre was 6-0 as an amateur and is currently 8-0 as a professional. He was a 2X All American D2 wrestler and is a physical specimen who is athletic, big and strong for that weight class.  Andre is fighting 17-3 Cody Bollinger March 20th in Titan 33. Keep an eye on him and Gillespie.   (Recent videos below)    

Where is Julio Cesar , Ex-Bellator fighter who is 30-1?

Not  sure if you could call this guy a ufc prospect or even an mma prospect , but if he did one day,  get into mma, he would be an absolute destroyer    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davit_Chakvetadze

PXC 50, Thursday.

-FW, Alex Volkanovski(10-1): He definitely fits his nickname very well "The Hulk" he is very strong in the weightclass he is very good at closing distance and able to throw huge power in the short distance with 6 of his wins by tko he would be hard for any fighter to fight. He fights Yusuke Yachi who is a very good fighter he cad do it all and is a solid test.

-BW, Roman Alvarez(7-0): Haven't seen much of him but of what ive seen he looks to be a overall good fighter he starts fast and goes for the kill he has good kicks and wrestling seems good and also a finisher. He fights Mark Abelardo who is a great fighter who i thnk has the better striking.

Bellator 147, Friday.

-FW, AJ McKee(2-0): Alot of hype behind this guy he is vert talented he has good striking and ground game his TDD is great just I see no holes in his game. He fights John Donaldson who I cant find any footage on but im sure McKee will win.

Legacy FC 49, Friday.

-Fly, Matt Schnell(8-2): This gut was on a reality show on MTV about hometown fighters going threw their career and he did decent but I thought  he wasn't going to be much at all but he has really developed since then his ground game is really good where he can get any kind of submission and his standup developed very well he is very fast he just became a very good fighter. He fights Jonathan Martinez who I really cant find any footage on.

ONE Championship, Saturday.

-LW, Lowen Tynanes(7-0): His wrestling is where he is very solid he can get the fight to the mat fairly easy and once he is there he stays on top he is very heavy on top, his striking is not bad he just dont open up enough but his striking defense is so good he is alright. He fights Rasul Yakhyaev who likes to wrestle as well but he is no where near the level as Tynanes.

Jungle Fight 84, Saturday.

-WW, Handesson Ferreira(7-0): I like his standup mainly cause his kicks he utilizes the body kick very good as if he dont finish the fight he will make you feel it he also throws alot of high kicks and his hands are just as dangerous and his ground game I haven't seen much of put he seems to have heavy ground and pound and a background in jiu-jitsu. He fights Elias Silveira who is coming off a reease from the UFC and when fighting there I thought he was too slow and had terrible cardio this should be a big win for Ferreira.

1 Round Combat, Sunday.

-FW, Jonas Bilharinho(6-0): My prospect, I love a fighter that can use his reach and he does very well with his kicks and is also very dangerous with his kicks he a complete fighter that can do anything. He fights Amaury Junior who I cant find any footage on.

One prospect that I am very intrigued by is Norwegian Welterweight Thomas Robertsen.  While he has only three pro fights under his belt, he has won every pro fight he has had and all of them have been finishes in the first round (2 KO's and 1 SUB). 

Here is a video of Robertsen's win in his pro MMA debut against Nathias Frederick: 

That's the beauty of mma is that people from all over fight just like in boxing. It spread throughout the world pretty quickly.

Flyweight Jarred Brooks looks like a great prospect that could do well in the UFC.  At the age of 22, Brooks has an undefeated record of 7-0 as a pro, with most of those wins coming by way of decision.

Here is a video of Jarred Brooks beating C.J. Hamilton by decision at IT Fight Series 30:

One heavyweight that I would like to see in the UFC, or any major promotion for that matter, is Luc Ngeleka.  Standing at 6'4" and typically weighing in at 253 lbs mark, the 25 year old from Switzerland has a record of 4-1, with all of his wins coming by KO and his only loss coming against current UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou.  From what I've seen, Ngeleka has some real potential.  On the ground, he controls top position very well and uses ground and pound very effectively.  In terms of stand up, there isn't much out there to get a full picture; since most of his fights seem to go to the ground.  However, I will say that, from what I have seen, he has power to KO guys. 

Here is a video of Ngeleka's KO victory over Sead Kahrovic: 

I am waiting for more Russian fighters. I know that some of them are signed to other events but I hope they eventually come over. I know he is on hiatus or retired but I would like to see Shamhalaev in the UFC if he fought again.

Tajikistan's Murin Gafurov would be a nice addition to the UFC.  The 20 year old has a perfect record of 6-0, with all of his wins being finishes (1 KO, 5 SUB), and just won his first fight in ONE Championship. 

Here is a video of Gafurov's most recent victory against Casey Suire: 

Nice finds hornet

Thanks Wizzard. :)

Btw I think Jarred Brooks might be dropping to Strawweight. I'm pretty sure I have seen him mention it as a possibility before and he is fighting on the WSOF Global Japan card against Sarumaru (I haven't seen a weight class listed yet but Sarumaru is a top 10 Strawweight. I could be wrong but I don't think he has ever fought above Strawweight either).

* Edited at 12.21.2015, 12:48 AM ET *

One fighter that I think is definitely get picked up by the UFC real soon is former Titan FC and Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion Brett "The Pikey" Johns.  The 23 year old from Swansea, Wales has proven himself on the big stage and has done so in convincing fashion, as he has a 12-0 record with half of his wins being finishes (2 KOs and 4 Subs).  One thing I noticed off the bat about Johns game is movement.  He's a very mobile fighter that can close the distance for strikes and takedowns, while also using that speed to get out of trouble.  He also is very good in takedowns, ground and pound, and making transitions in grappling.  In fact, his ability to make transitions played a big part in how he won the Bantamweight belt in Titan FC, as he speedily took Walel Watson's back to get the submission victory by a standing RNC.

Here is Johns Unanimous Decision victory over James Brum at Cage Warriors 67: 

* Edited at 12.21.2015, 1:02 AM ET *

Lots of potential from the ex-Soviet republics.

Yeah Johns should be in the UFC along with Ivan Buchinger

Is Minakov a free agent?

@rappinpap  Nope.  He is still Bellator's Heavyweight Champ. 

One Brazilian prospect that has recently caught my eye is Flyweight fighter Thiago Ferrari.   Originally starting his career out as a Bantamweight fighter, the 24 year old from Sao Paulo has a record of 7-1 with almost all of his wins coming by KO.  From what I've seen, Ferrari is a decent prospect in the making.  In terms of his stand up, Ferrari not only packs a lot of power in his punches, but is a great counter puncher as well.  Furthermore, he has good TDD defense and is very good in the clinch.  In terms of his ground game, while there is very little in terms of footage, when Ferrari does gets taken down he is relatively quick to get up. 

Here is a video of Thiago Ferrari's KO victory over Antonio Silva:
 

* Edited at 12.23.2015, 1:46 AM ET *

Another Brazilian fighter that needs to be in the UFC is Luis Rafael "Japa".  At the young age of 23, "Japa" has been dominant in the regional Featherweight and Bantamweight scene going a perfect 31-0; with the majority of his wins being finishes (9 KOs and 19 Subs).  From what I've seen, Luis Rafael is a very good fighter.  On the ground, Rafael is very skilled.  He is very active from up top and in guard, is capable of getting take downs at will, and is able to go for submissions at the drop of a hat.  Furthermore, Rafael is also able to stay on his opponent in terms of stand up grappling.  In terms of striking, "Japa" is very unorthodox as he tends to throw more kicks than punches and go for more riskier techniques that could backfire on him if he was facing a more experienced fighter.  Despite this, he is still able to push a pace in a fight.

Here is a video of Luis Rafael's Unanimous Decision victory over Claudir Dutkevis: 

He seems like Julio Cesar Neves in that he had a huge undefeated record full of local talent.

* Edited at 12.23.2015, 7:44 AM ET *