The Prospect of the Year award was one our staff really struggled to pick in 2021. One thing pretty much everyone agreed on though, is that it’s been a good year for young European talent with all but one of the nominees coming from the UK or Ireland. Before we announce the winner let’s take a look at the fighters who just fell short of claiming the top prize.
#3 Muhammad Mokaev
The 21-year-old Dagestani who fights out of Manchester, England has been making waves in MMA since he was a child.
Muhammad Mokaev amassed a 23-0 amateur record and claimed gold at the IMMAF on four separate occasions.
Mokaev turned pro in 2020 and has been steamrolling through the competition, quickly making a name for himself under the Brave CF banner.
In 2021, he has stepped up his level of competition and has still been as dominant as ever. Big wins over Abdul Hussein and Blaine O’Driscoll secured Mokaev a UFC contract.
‘The Punisher’ is currently the youngest fighter on the roster and will make his debut against Cody Durden at UFC London in March.
#2 Ian Garry
‘The Future’ has been in fine form throughout 2021 and has been ticking big goals off all year.
In March, Ian Garry picked up the biggest win of his career when he knocked UFC veteran Rostem Akman out with an epic high kick.
Next up, Garry became the Cage Warriors welterweight champion with a dominant decision win over Jack Grant in June.
Naturally, the UFC quickly came calling after that one. Garry made his promotional debut at UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden. Ahead of the bout, the Irishman told LowKickMMA about his excitement for his fight with Jordan Williams, performing at MSG and taking things to the next level in MMA’s premier promotion.
On fight night, Garry started slow and seemed to be in for a tough bout before he uncorked a shot that sent his man crashing to the canvas towards the end of round one. Statement made! Ian Garry is a legit welterweight prospect.
#1 Jack Shore Is LowKickMMA’s 2021 Prospect Of The Year
The former Cage Warriors champion, Jack Shore, has been slowly creeping towards the UFC’s bantamweight top 15 in 2021 and there’s no reason why he can’t go even further in 2022.
Shore picked up the biggest win of his career back in April when he beat Hunter Azure over three rounds at UFC Vegas 42.
The Welsh fighter followed that up with a dominant display over late-replacement opponent Liudvik Sholinian in September.
The 26-year-old has been linked to a fight with fellow prospect Umar Nurmagomedov for some time now. Shore and Nurmagomdeov were supposed to meet in March 2022 in London but the Russian recently withdrew from the fight and was replaced by Timur Valiev.
Full List Of 2021 Prospect Of The Year Votes
Jordan: Paddy Pimblett
Lewis: Ian Garry
Michael G: Jack Shore
Curtis: Jeff Molina
Ross: Jack Shore
Ian: Muhammad Mokaev
Michael C: Muhammad Mokaev
Abhinav: Jack Shore
Ryan: Ian Garry
Keelin: Ian Garry
Patrick: Casey O’Neill
Murdo: Jack Shore
Who do you think should be named the Prospect of the Year for 2021?