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The UFC has always been built on the back of its star fighters. Right now, the promotion’s biggest drawing cards include the likes of Conor McGregor, Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya.
With a number of up-and-comers and newer champions on its roster, the UFC is always looking for fresh stars who could become big drawing cards in their own right – so who stands out right now?
The promotion does have a number of fighters who might well develop into major money fighters. They also have some who, despite having tremendous skills in the octagon, might struggle in this area.
With that in mind, here are five UFC fighters who could become big drawing cards – and five who might struggle to catch on with the fans.
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#5. Sean O’Malley – UFC bantamweight contender
One fighter who certainly has the charisma to become a major drawing card for the UFC in the near future is bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley.
‘Sugar’ has already used a combination of his skills in the octagon and his skills on the microphone to make an impact. While he hasn’t yet headlined an event for the promotion, it’s clear that Dana White and company see him as a fighter to watch closely. He’s received multiple main card slots – even stealing the show to an extent on a Conor McGregor-headlined event in 2021.
The big question around O’Malley right now is less about his potential to become a big draw and more around whether he’s got the ability to mix it with the best fighters in his weight class.
The bantamweight division is definitely one of the most stacked in the world right now. Killers such as Petr Yan, Merab Dvalishvili, Cory Sandhagen and former champion Henry Cejudo all looking to push for a shot at current titleholder Aljamain Sterling.
Whether ‘Sugar’ would be able to beat any of those aforementioned fighters is definitely a fair question to ask, but if he can pull it off – and he’s almost certain to be given the opportunity – then there’s no doubt about his potential to become a huge drawing card for the promotion.
#4. Mackenzie Dern – UFC strawweight contender
The UFC has a number of female fighters who could develop into major drawing cards for the promotion, but right now the one who really stands out is strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern.
While women’s MMA has come a long way from the days when Dana White proclaimed female fighters would never compete in the octagon, it’s probably safe to say that looks still play a major part in deciding which female athletes become stars.
Dern, therefore – who is one of the most popular UFC fighters on Instagram with over a million followers – has an advantage over some of her peers already thanks to her model-level good looks.
Thankfully, though, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt can also fight brilliantly inside the octagon. Not only is she the most credentialed – and probably the most dangerous – grappler in the strawweight division right now, but her striking has also come on leaps and bounds since her 2018 octagon debut.
That makes Dern a massively dangerous foe for any 115lber, and given that she’s won five of her last six bouts – including a victory over tough veteran Tecia Torres – it’s probably fair to proclaim her a title contender.
With all of this considered, if Dern can continue to find success in the octagon, there’s definitely no reason why she can’t develop into a high-level drawing card for the UFC, akin to other female stars such as Rose Namajunas and Amanda Nunes.
#3. Tai Tuivasa – UFC heavyweight contender
He may not be the most skilled fighter in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but it’s arguable that right now, the big man with the most potential to become a genuine draw for the promotion is Australia’s Tai Tuivasa.
After all, some of the UFC’s biggest ever drawing cards – the likes of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, for instance – never managed to hold a title for the promotion. They were able to become huge stars thanks to their blend of an exciting fighting style and plenty of charisma.
Tuivasa, of course, has both of those things in spades. From a technical standpoint, his ground game is lacking and he arguably relies on his granite chin far too often when trading with his foes, but it’s hard not to admire his straightforward, heavy-hitting fighting style.
More to the point, ‘Bam Bam’ is one of the most charismatic fighters on the roster right now. His walk-outs – which usually involve a classic power ballad playing him to the octagon – are legendary at this point, and his infamous “shoey” celebration has already gone viral across the internet.
Most of the fighters on this list will probably need to keep winning bouts if they want to become big drawing cards, but that might not be the case for Tuivasa. If he can put himself into a position to be a regular headliner for the UFC, then it’s likely that his popularity will soar regardless.
#2. Jiri Prochazka – UFC light heavyweight champion
Winning a UFC title doesn’t ensure that a fighter will go onto become a major drawing card – just ask the likes of Demetrious Johnson and Frankie Edgar, who simply didn’t catch on with the fans – but in some instances, it can definitely help.
That’s why current light heavyweight kingpin Jiri Prochazka definitely has a chance of becoming a fighter who can draw big money, particularly in Europe.
Even prior to his recent title victory over Glover Teixeira, ‘Denisa’ always had the potential to become a major star thanks to his unique, eccentric personality and wildly exciting fighting style largely based around his explosive striking game.
Now that he sits at the top of his division, though, it’s hard to imagine him failing to become a true drawing card for the promotion, particularly if he can hold onto his title for a while.
Put simply, the Czech native is a fighter who isn’t likely to struggle to pique the interest of the fans, and the only reason he hasn’t quite caught on yet is the fact that his rise to the top of the 205lbs division has been so sudden.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev – UFC welterweight contender
The fighter who definitely has the best chance of becoming a major drawing card for the UFC in the future, once he invariably begins to headline events, is welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev.
Put simply, no fighter since Conor McGregor has shot up the card as quickly as ‘Borz’ has. Incredibly, the Sweden-based Chechnyan has only made five appearances inside the octagon, and yet he’s already seen as not only a major star, but a likely future titleholder.
Like former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the thing that gives Chimaev so much star power is his sheer self-belief and confidence. Even after his first fight in the octagon, which saw him dominate John Phillips en route to a submission win, he stated that he’d smash everyone put in front of him. Thus far, he’s largely lived up to that promise, beating everyone he’s faced.
Another big factor, of course, is the fact that ‘Borz’ is already a favorite of the promotion’s brass. His willingness to fight seemingly anyone at any time in any weight class was always likely to earn the respect of Dana White, and so the Chechnyan has also received quite the promotional push, too.
Essentially, following his win over Gilbert Burns earlier this year, it’s highly likely that Chimaev is now considered one of the promotion’s biggest stars by both the fans and management, and so it seems like only a matter of time before he’s headlining pay-per-views and drawing big money.
#5. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC light heavyweight contender
While Jiri Prochazka is clearly a talented fighter, the current UFC light heavyweight champion may not actually be the best fighter in the world at 205lbs. There’s definitely an argument that the best fighter in the division could well be Magomed Ankalaev.
The Dagestani has been with the promotion since 2018, and right now he’s on one of the longest winning streaks around, having defeated a total of eight opponents in a row. If he can overcome Anthony Smith in his next bout, a title fight is likely to be next for him.
However, while Ankalaev is clearly a phenomenal fighter, the likelihood of him developing into a major drawing card for the promotion seems relatively slim.
That’s because, to put it bluntly, he’s also one of the most stoic fighters on the roster. Usually cutting an entirely emotionless figure, it’s rare that the Dagestani even speaks on the microphone, let alone talks trash to build up his fights.
Sure, stoic fighters have become big stars before – Fedor Emelianenko comes to mind – but unless Ankalaev’s personality comes to the forefront soon, it’s hard to imagine him taking off with the fans in the post-McGregor era.
#4. Arnold Allen – UFC featherweight contender
Not all fighters need to talk trash in order to become big stars. Former UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre, for instance, preferred to remain largely respectful, and became a drawing card by essentially shutting his more vocal opponents up.
However, right now, skills on the microphone are seemingly more important than ever, and that means that featherweight contender Arnold Allen might struggle to become a star with the fans unless he changes his approach a little.
‘Almighty’ has already stated that he knows he’s been overlooked due to his lack of work on the microphone. He then went onto say that talking trash just wasn’t his style and so the fans shouldn’t expect him to start any time soon.
Allen is a largely exciting fighter to watch when he’s in action; his most recent knockout of Dan Hooker, for instance, was fantastic. However, if he can’t get the fans invested in his fights beforehand, then the native of the UK is likely to struggle to become a drawing card for the promotion, however high he climbs up the ladder.
#3. Belal Muhammad – UFC welterweight contender
It’s one thing to be able to talk a good game, but in the world of the UFC, being able to put on exciting fights is just as important as anything else when it comes to developing into a genuine drawing card.
With that considered, despite his current unbeaten run of eight fights, welterweight contender Belal Muhammad might struggle a little to become a superstar in the eyes of the fans.
‘Remember the Name’ is excellent on the microphone and definitely possesses charisma, but his fighting style, which is largely based around his powerful wrestling and clinch work, often doesn’t entertain all that much.
Muhammad’s current streak has seen him go the distance in six of his wins, with the only outlier being his 2019 submission of Takashi Sato. While his recent win over Vicente Luque was a decent fight, it’s arguable that it was more down to the Brazilian’s attempts to resist Muhammad’s takedowns than anything else.
Overall, Muhammad might catch on with the fans if he can change up his fighting style slightly and look to entertain in the octagon more – but it’d be a huge risk for him as his current approach is clearly effective. Therefore, it’s unlikely that he’ll develop into a big draw soon.
#2. Alex Pereira – UFC middleweight contender
It’s been proven numerous times in UFC history that fighters don’t tend to become stars by osmosis, and even defeating a major drawing card doesn’t tend to make someone into an instant draw themselves.
With that in mind, even if he defeats current middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya in their likely title bout in the near future, whether Alex Pereira can become a true megastar for the promotion is still very much up in the air.
Unlike Adesanya, who clearly relishes the spotlight, is willing to build his fights through trash talk, and loves to make a crazy entrance to the octagon, ’Poatan’ is far more stoic in his approach – preferring to let his fists do the talking.
Sure, it’s likely that the UFC’s fanbase will be blown away if Pereira can dispatch Adesanya in the same way that he did in their kickboxing bout, but that may still not be enough to turn him into a superstar.
After all, Holly Holm and Chris Weidman both knocked out huge drawing cards and didn’t quite reach that level in their own right – so there’s no guarantee that Pereira will, either.
#1. Aljamain Sterling – UFC bantamweight champion
As was mentioned earlier, simply winning a UFC title doesn’t always turn a fighter into a bonafide star and drawing card – there are other, more intangible things that can contribute. One such thing is the fighter’s relationship with the promotion itself.
With that in mind, it’s hard to see current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling becoming the kind of star that he probably ought to be right now.
‘The Funk Master’ has literally everything that a fighter should need to become a major drawing card. He’s got natural charisma, a largely exciting fighting style, and he’s more than willing to work the microphone to build up his bouts.
However, he’s also found himself at odds with the UFC over various things before – most notably his pay – and when you add in the controversial way that he won his title via disqualification, it’s easy to see why he hasn’t received a huge push from the promotion yet.
This may well change in the future – particularly if Sterling becomes more of a company man – but right now his title reign can probably be compared to Tyron Woodley’s time as welterweight champion. Without the promotion firmly behind him, he may struggle to reach superstardom.
