5 UFC prospects who were pushed too hard and too fast

In the world of the UFC, working up the ladder as a prospect is hard. Unlike in boxing, top prospects don't often get much protection.

With that said, some prospects in the UFC don't have a long road to the top, and over the years, some have been pushed simply too fast up the ladder.

Most of these prospects looked good to begin with, giving fans the hope that they could crack the top level quickly. Unfortunately, that hope then turned out to be wrong.

Here are five UFC prospects who were pushed too hard and too fast.

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#5. Erick Silva - former UFC welterweight contender

When Erick Silva signed with the UFC in the summer of 2011, it appeared that the promotion had inked a potential future star.

Sporting a Justin Bieber-style haircut and an impressive 12-1-1 record, 'The Tiger' debuted in the octagon with a violent win over Luis Ramos, knocking him out in just 40 seconds.

A controversial disqualification loss to Carlo Prater didn't slow the Brazilian's hype train at all. When he then dispatched veteran Charlie Brenneman with ease too, it was hard not to think he was destined for the top.

However, Dana White and company probably jumped the gun with Silva when they matched him with former title challenger Jon Fitch in his fourth fight with the promotion.

Sure, Fitch was coming off a KO loss to Johny Hendricks and hadn't fought in a lengthy period, but he was still considered one of the world's top 170 pounders and had tons more experience than 'The Tiger'.

Indeed, Silva ended up suffering a hellacious beating from Fitch in the bout, and although he survived the distance, his career was never really the same afterwards.

He was still given a substantial push by the UFC, but losses to the likes of Dong Hyun Kim and Matt Brown kept him out of any kind of title contention, and in the end, he washed out in 2017.

Quite what he could've achieved had the promotion taken things a little more slowly with him remains a fair question.

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#4. Nate Quarry - former UFC middleweight contender

Whether Nate Quarry should've been considered a "prospect" when he arrived in the UFC in 2005 is still a fair question.

'The Rock' was actually 33 years old at the time of his octagon debut and had been fighting professionally for just over three years.

However, he'd never competed at the top level, and along with his inaugural TUF castmates, was seen as a future star more than anything else.

Despite that, after just three wins in the octagon - one of which, against Pete Sell, was highly controversial - Quarry found himself in the middleweight title picture.

Quite why he was chosen to face champ Rich Franklin remains a mystery, with most observers believing it was purely due to his TUF popularity.

Either way, it was painfully clear that he was out of his depth, and midway through the first round, 'The Rock' suffered an all-time brutal knockout loss.

His career never recovered at all, and while he continued to float around on undercards, he eventually retired in 2010.

Realistically, Quarry was never ready for the shot he was given, and he's a classic example of someone who was pushed far too quickly by the promotion.

These days of course, he's more well-known for being part of an antitrust lawsuit against the UFC that was settled for $375m earlier this year.

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#3. Brandon Thatch - former UFC welterweight contender

The UFC's welterweight division always seems to produce plenty of hot prospects, and just over a decade ago, there were none hotter than Brandon Thatch.

With a huge frame for a welterweight, a seemingly brutal striking game and an apparently strong ground game too, 'Rukus' seemed to have all the tools. His adopted father had even been a high-level martial artist in his own right.

After putting together a 9-1 record, Thatch exploded into the octagon by destroying Justin Edwards with a salvo of strikes in the summer of 2013. He then followed that by stopping Paulo Thiago a few months later.

However, while he clearly had plenty of potential, at 28 years old, there was no reason to rush 'Rukus' to the top.

Unfortunately, the UFC did just that. After being sidelined for the entirety of 2014 with injuries, Thatch probably should've been eased back into action in 2015. Instead, he was thrown into a headline bout against former lightweight champ Benson Henderson.

Sure, 'Smooth' had never fought at 170 pounds before, but he was still a ridiculously high-level opponent for a prospect who was still very raw.

Indeed, while 'Rukus' put up a good fight, he succumbed to a fourth round submission loss, and found his career off the rails afterwards.

Thatch lost his next three bouts in a row and found himself cut from the roster, and from there, his career basically ended.

Although he's not officially announced his retirement, he now hasn't fought since 2016, leaving him as one of MMA's ultimate "what if?" questions.

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#2. Ikram Aliskerov - UFC middleweight contender

A fighter on the UFC's current roster who was clearly pushed too quickly is middleweight prospect Ikram Aliskerov.

While the Dagestani was first widely known as one of Khamzat Chimaev's early victims, fans were given a glimpse of his talents when he shone on Dana White's Contender Series, submitting his foe with a kimura.

That was enough to earn him a UFC contract, and when he then destroyed Phil Hawes with a brutal combination, it was hard not to get excited.

However, fans were still largely surprised when the promotion matched him with former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa for his second visit to the octagon.

When Costa was forced out, though, Aliskerov was faced with a much more appropriate foe in Warlley Alves. The Dagestani duly knocked out Alves in violent fashion, and was then matched with Andre Muniz, and when Muniz withdrew, Antonio Trocoli.

However, instead of facing the journeyman, he found himself bounced up on short notice to face former champ Robert Whittaker in the headliner of the UFC's first trip to Saudi Arabia.

It always seemed like a step too far for the Dagestani, and sure enough, he was brutally beaten by Whittaker, who stopped him with a first round head kick.

Aliskerov has not fought since, and may well recover from the loss strongly. However, to be thrown in against 'The Reaper' in just his third octagon fight still feels insane, and so he stands as a fine example of a prospect who was pushed too hard.

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#1. Steve Erceg - UFC flyweight contender

Probably the best current example of a prospect who's been pushed far too hard for his own good is flyweight contender Steve Erceg.

'AstroBoy' is now riding a three-fight losing streak after suffering a defeat in Mexico City this past weekend. However, it's arguable that none of the three bouts he lost should ever have happened in the first place.

Erceg debuted in the UFC in 2023 with an upset win over David Dvorak, and followed that up with impressive wins over Alessandro Costa and Matt Schnell to climb into the top fifteen.

However, those three wins should never have landed him a title shot against flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja, with the feeling being he only got the shot because 'The Cannibal' needed a fresh foe.

When Erceg managed to last the distance and push Pantoja over five rounds, though, it felt like he'd become a staple of the flyweight title picture.

Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. 'AstroBoy' has since suffered a bad KO at the hands of Kai Kara-France, and then lost to Brandon Moreno this past weekend, taking a beating in the process.

Realistically, Erceg probably would've been better off losing via first round stoppage to Pantoja, as if that'd happened, he would likely have been moved down the card and matched with beatable foes.

As it is, based on what's happened to him, there's a chance his career will never fully rebound.