5 best UFC fighters you've most likely never heard of

UFC fighters, like all professional athletes around the world, have to earn their status as superstars.

A fighter’s journey from unknown prospect to championship contender comprises a ton of hard work and sacrifice. Hardcore MMA fans can sometimes spot a diamond in the rough and identify future champions long before they reach their full potential.

Brandon Moreno was largely an unknown fighter when he appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 24. He lost his very first fight on the reality show, but nevertheless received a UFC contract. After going 1-2 in his next three fights, he was cut from the promotion. At this stage, nobody expected what was to come from ‘The Assassin Baby’.

Moreno returned to the UFC in 2019. He put together a four-fight unbeaten streak to earn a shot at gold in the flyweight division. The Mexican put on a hearty performance against then-champion Deiveson Figueiredo, earning a draw for his efforts in a ‘Fight of the Year’ contender.

The duo squared off in a rematch at UFC 263, where Moreno shocked the world. He choked out Figueiredo in the third round to become the new flyweight champion.

That said, we thought we’d look at five championship-caliber fighters you’ve most likely never heard of. Keep an eye out for these individuals in the coming years. Honorable mentions include Taila Santos, Guram Kutateladze, Mark O. Madsen and Terrence McKinney.

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#5. Luana Pinheiro – UFC strawweight

Luana Pinheiro joined the UFC in 2020. Pinheiro has a similar skillset to the reigning champion of the women’s strawweight division, Rose Namajunas.

Both fighters are excellent strikers with elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Namajunas and Pinheiro have had analogous careers so far, purely in terms of their in-cage performances. Both strawweights started as submission specialists before eventually developing kickboxing skills. Pinheiro is arguably a superior grappler to the reigning queen at 115 lbs.

Pinheiro owns a professional record of 10-1, including two wins by way of KO/TKO and five by submission. Out of her 10 victories, seven were first-round finishes. She plied her trade in the Brave CF promotion between 2018 and 2020 before getting the call from the UFC.

The 28-year-old broke onto the scene with a stunning appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series. She secured a scintillating TKO victory over Stephanie Frausto to earn a contract with the world’s premier MMA organization.

Since joining the promotion, Pinheiro has gone 2-0 in the strawweight division. Following her most recent victory over Sam Hughes at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate, she broke into the rankings at 115 lbs. Keep an eye out for this well-rounded Brazilian in the coming years.

#4. Jake Hadley – UFC flyweight

Jake Hadley is the latest addition to the UFC's flyweight division.

The undefeated Englishman is a former Cage Warriors and EFC flyweight champion. He has developed a reputation for being an incredibly well-rounded fighter with a killer mentality.

Hadley's introduction to the UFC brass was not ideal. Leading up to his appearance on season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series, he failed to make the flyweight limit of 125 lbs, missing weight by 2 lbs.

Nevertheless, he produced a sensational performance as he choked out TUF alum Mitch Raposo in the second round. Immediately after the finish, he approached UFC president Dana White and the matchmakers to apologize for missing weight.

Matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard were unhappy with Hadley’s behavior before the fight. Despite his impressive showing against Raposo, Shelby and Maynard were reportedly against signing the Birmingham native to the UFC.

However, Dana White overruled his colleagues and opted to offer the Brit a UFC contract. White had this to say before breaking the news to a clearly emotional Hadley:

"He didn’t make weight, which is a really big deal here. If you don’t make weight now, trying to get into the UFC, what’s it going to be like when you get to the UFC? The other thing was, there were a lot of other issues with Jake this week, behind the scenes."

White added:

"I think that Jake Hadley is special. I think this kid is super talented. I asked him who’s your jiu-jitsu coach that you’re only a purple belt, you know? Don’t make an assh*le out of me, Jake! Get over here!”

Haldey holds a perfect professional record of 8-0, comprising two KO/TKO and four submission victories. He is scheduled to make his UFC debut in March at the O2 Arena in London, where he is set to take on Allan Nascimento.

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#3. Alexander Romanov – UFC heavyweight

Alexander Romanov is a Moldovan mixed martial artist. He is undefeated in his professional career and is a nightmare stylistic matchup for most of the fighters in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

Romanov compiled a record of 11-0 while competing in his native Moldova, primarily at Eagles Fighting Championship, where he became the champion of the heavyweight division.

He subsequently joined the UFC in 2020 and made his promotional debut against Roque Martinez at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill. He secured an arm-triangle choke in the second round, forcing his opponent to tap.

‘King Kong’ has since picked up three more wins in the UFC and his professional record now stands at 15-0.

Romanov has an incredibly unique style. Unlike most heavyweights, he cuts down to the 265 lbs weight limit. He puts his background in freestyle wrestling to good use in almost every fight and likes to slam his opponents onto the canvas.

Once his counterpart is on the ground, he uses his formidable top pressure to either secure a submission or finish the fight with heavy ground and pound strikes.

Romanov’s ‘forearm choke’ is his signature submission. Essentially, the Moldovan places his forearm on the neck of his grounded opponent and presses down with his entire bodyweight, forcing the tap. He has three such submissions on his record.

He is slated to take on MMA veteran Ilir Latifi in his next bout.

#2. Mohammad Mokaev – UFC flyweight

Mohammad Mokaev joined the UFC in 2021. The 21-year-old is an unbelievably exciting addition to the promotion’s flyweight division.

Mokaev’s journey to mixed martial arts has been tumultuous, to say the least. He and his father fled Russia with just a bag of clothes and no money in the summer of 2012. They ended up at a refugee center in Liverpool, England, for 28 days. From there, they were relocated to Wigan.

His father encouraged him to go to the Wigan Youth Zone every day so he could keep him off the streets and away from the wrong crowd. There, Mokaev was introduced to wrestling and combat sports. He went on to become the British champion in wrestling and the European champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

After winning back-to-back junior bantamweight titles at the IMMAF World Championships in 2018 and 2019, Mokaev turned pro in 2020. He accumulated four wins in his first year as a professional, three of which came via finish.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that Mokaev will struggle in the UFC because of his record of just 5-0. ‘The Punisher’ owns a 23-0 amateur record and has been mapping out his career since he was a young teen. He fought his first amateur fight at just 14 years of age and has ripped through every opponent he’s faced ever since.

Interestingly, Mokaev DM’ed UFC president Dana White in 2018, saying he would be joining the promotion very soon. The Russian-born Brit has come through on his promise and is expected to make a splash in the 125 lbs division.

Mokaev will undoubtedly enter the title picture at 125 lbs in the coming years. In a division brimming with strikers, the grappling phenom could emerge as a long-reigning UFC champion. He is set to make his promotional debut against Cody Durden at the O2 Arena in London in March.

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#1. Shavkat Rakhmonov – UFC welterweight

Shavkat Rakhmanov is an ominous presence in the UFC’s welterweight division. Think Khamzat Chimaev, without all the hype.

Rakhmonov joined the UFC in 2020 and has won two fights since making his debut at UFC 254. The Kazakh phenom boasts an unblemished professional record of 15-0. He has finished all of his fights so far in his career, winning eight by way of KO/TKO and seven by submission.

‘Nomad’ has been likened to UFC superstar Khamzat Chimaev. The duo are very similar in their fighting style as both possess impeccable wrestling, elite submission skills and one-punch knockout power. The only difference between the two is the way they carry themselves. Chimaev’s outspoken nature is a stark contrast to Rakhmonov’s soft-spoken demeanor.

The UFC has been looking to push Chimaev up the ladder at 170 lbs at an unprecedented pace, considering his performances and the way ‘Borz’ has resonated with the fans. However, the promotion has a fighter just as good as the Chechen star in Rakhmonov, who is primed to take over the welterweight division in the coming years.

At just 27 years of age, Rakhmonov has a long way to go in his UFC career. Expect him to break into the rankings in the next year or so.