5 championship caliber English prospects to watch out for in the UFC

Throughout the first decade of the UFC's existence, the promotion largely housed talent based out of North America. Today, the world's premier MMA promotion has fighters from all around the world on its roster. England, in particular, has produced some high-level fighters in recent years.

In 2016, Michael Bisping became the first English fighter to be crowned a UFC champion. His stunning KO win over Luke Rockhold in 2016 undoubtedly inspired a whole generation of Brits and the state of MMA in the UK has never been better.

Michael Bisping was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019 [Image via @btsport on Twitter]

The modern era of British MMA is littered with talent. A number of top prospects have joined the UFC roster in recent years and the next generation of English fighters have a bright future ahead of them. On that note, let's take a look at five English championship caliber prospects in the UFC.

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#5. Jake Hadley – UFC flyweight

Jake Hadley is an exciting addition to the UFC's flyweight division. Hadley holds a perfect professional MMA record of 8-0, comprising two KO/TKO and four submission victories. The undefeated Brit is a former Cage Warriors and EFC flyweight titleholder. He has developed a reputation for being a remarkably well-rounded fighter with a killer instinct and mentality.

Hadley's introduction to the UFC brass was far from ideal. Leading up to his outing on season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), he failed to make the flyweight limit of 125 pounds, missing by 2 pounds.

Nevertheless, he produced an incredible performance as he choked out Mitch Raposo in the second round of their bout. Moments after securing a submission victory, he approached Dana White and the matchmakers to apologize for missing weight.

Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, the UFC matchmakers, were unhappy with Hadley’s behavior before his appearance on DWCS. Despite his impressive showing against Raposo, Shelby and Maynard were reportedly against signing the Englishman.

However, Dana White overruled his colleagues and opted to offer the Birmingham native a contract. Before breaking the news to a clearly emotional Hadley, White said:

"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."

He 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 a**hole out of me, Jake! Get over here!”

#4. Paddy Pimblett – UFC lightweight

Paddy Pimblett was already one of the most popular fighters in England before he joined the UFC. The former Cage Warriors featherweight titleholder had turned down the America-based promotion twice before in his career, revealing that he wasn’t ready to move to the world's premier MMA organization at such a young age.

The 27-year-old Liverpool native finally signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2021. He squared off against Luigi Vendramini at UFC Fight Night 191 in his promotional debut. Pimblett, despite being caught numerous times early on in the fight, knocked out Vendramini in the very first round. ‘The Baddy’ picked up a 'Performance of the Night' bonus for his efforts.

In his second octagon outing, Paddy Pimblett took on Rodrigo Vargas at the O2 Arena in London. His walkout blew the roof off the iconic venue and 'The Baddy' had those in attendance eating out of the palm of his hand.

Pimblett put on a sensational performance in front of a raucous English crowd as he secured a first-round submission victory.

While the hype surrounding Paddy Pimblett is undoubtedly high, his championship potential is up for debate. He's a slick grappler with heavy hands, but still needs to work on his striking defense if he is to emerge victorious when he locks horns with the elite fighters at 155 pounds.

With his funky hairstyle and outspoken nature, Pimblett is an incredibly marketable fighter. Having already headlined shows and sold-out venues in the UK, the UFC is certainly aware that they have a new star on their hands.

At 27, Pimblett has a long way to go in his career. If he continues to improve over the next few years, we could have an incredibly entertaining world champion on our hands. For now though, 'The Baddy' will be looking to continue growing his stock. The UFC knows how to slow-play the careers of fighters who they believe have superstar potential. It remains to be seen how things will pan out for the Liverpool native.

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#3. Arnold Allen – UFC featherweight

Arnold Allen has emerged as an ominous presence in the featherweight division in recent years. Although the understated Englishman has struggled with injuries and inactivity, his potential and skills are undeniable.

Allen is currently riding an astonishing 11-fight win streak in his pro MMA career and is unbeaten in the UFC. Unfortunately for the Brit, his tendency to fight just once a year has been detrimental to his popularity among casual fans. Nevertheless, hardcore fans are well aware that 'Almighty' is a real threat to the featherweight throne and is likely just a couple of wins away from a shot at gold.

In his most recent outing, Allen made a resounding statement in the co-main event of UFC London, where he put away perennial lightweight contender Dan Hooker in the very first round.

Arnold Allen's all-round game makes him a challenging stylistic matchup for any fighter at 145 pounds. Training with the likes of Georges St-Pierre, one of the greatest and most well-rounded mixed martial artists of all time, has undoubtedly rubbed off on 'Almighty'. Still just 28, Allen has all the tools to make it all the way to the top and stay there.

Following his win over Hooker, Allen called out Calvin Kattar. Eyeing a spot in the top five of the featherweight rankings, the Ipswich native will be looking to enter the upper echelons at 145 pounds later this year. Expect him to potentially feature in a five-round contest next time around as he continues to rise up the ranks.

#2. Muhammad Mokaev – UFC flyweight

Muhammad Mokaev joined the UFC in 2021. The 21-year-old is a promising addition to the promotion’s 125-pound division.

Mokaev’s journey to professional MMA has been tumultuous, to say the least. He and his father fled Russia with just a bag of clothes and no money in 2012. They ended up at a refugee center in Liverpool, England, for nearly a month and were relocated to Wigan soon after.

Mokaev's father encouraged him to go to the Wigan Youth Zone daily so he could keep him away from the wrong crowd and off the streets. There, he was introduced to combat sports and wrestling.

Mokaev turned pro in 2020 after winning back-to-back junior bantamweight titles at the IMMAF World Championships in 2018 and 2019. He accumulated four victories in his first year as a pro MMA fighter, three of which came via stoppage.

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that Mokaev will struggle in a top-tier MMA promotion considering he's had only six professional fights. ‘The Punisher’ boasts a 23-0 amateur record and has been mapping out his pro MMA career since he was a young teen. He fought his first amateur bout at just 14 years of age and has ripped through every fighter he’s faced ever since.

Interestingly, Mokaev DM’ed UFC president Dana White in 2018, saying he would be joining the promotion in the near future. He has come through on his promise and is expected to make a splash in the 125 pound division in the coming years.

Mokaev will undoubtedly enter the title picture at 125 pounds very soon. In a division brimming with strikers, the wrestling phenom has the potential to emerge as a long-reigning champion. He made his promotional debut against Cody Durden at the O2 Arena in London in March and bagged a submission victory inside the very first minute of the fight.

At just 21, Mokaev's skills are already incredibly fine-tuned. The sky's the limit for 'The Punisher' and we might just have the youngest champion in UFC history on our hands.

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#1. Tom Aspinall – UFC heavyweight

Tom Aspinall made his promotional debut against Jake Collier at UFC Fight Island 3 in 2020. The towering Brit needed just 45 seconds to put away his opponent, earning the 'Performance of the Night' bonus after securing an impressive finish.

Subsequently, the former Cage Warriors fighter took on Alan Baudot and former heavyweight champion Andre Arlovski. A TKO win over Baudot and a submission-victory over Arlovski saw the Brit make his way into the UFC heavyweight rankings.

It was his next bout, however, that got the fans and the media fantasizing about how a potential fight between Aspinall and the top heavyweights in the world would play out. Aspinall took on Sergey Spivac last year in a matchup that many believed would be a tough test for the Brit.

He made light work of Spivak, knocking him out in the first round.

While Aspinall was making light work of every opponent he faced, he revealed his desire to have a slow rise to the top as he continues to improve. As it turns out, the promotion wasn't on the same page and he was booked to headline London's O2 Arena in 2022.

He took on former Bellator champion Alexander Volkov in the main event of UFC London. Many believed that Volkov would pose a dangerous threat to Aspinall and that the Brit would finally have a real test on his hands.

In yet another flawless performance, Aspinall came away with a first-round submission victory to propel himself into the top five in the heavyweight division.

Tom Aspinall is part of a new breed of heavyweights who are taking over the sport. With the emergence of Ciryl Gane, the former interim heavyweight champion, many believe that heavyweights who move like welterweights are the future of the division.

At just 28, Aspinall has a bright future ahead of him. Expect him to be in the title mix in the near future.