No one stays on top forever. This truism fits anywhere, but there are few places it fits better than the sport of mixed martial arts, where physical strength and durability play such a critical role, and constant evolution is a necessity.
Eventually, all fighters drop off—some abruptly, some slowly. But they are always replaced by new competitors.
Here we will take a look at the next wave of UFC fighters that will soon begin to replace the older, outgoing names that currently form the promotion’s crop of top-tier competitors.
We are not necessarily looking at fighters who are likely to win a UFC title, but rather fighters who will soon emerge as contenders in their division and earn an impressive ranking.
List inclusions must either be young in age or MMA experience, or both, and cannot currently figure into a division’s top tier at this point. So no Rory MacDonald, Phil Davis, Michael McDonald, etc.
Basically, we are looking at fighters signed to the UFC who are about to enter their prime.
Some inclusions fit this mold only just barely, but where there was a gray area, it simply came down to the author’s discretion.