Revisiting Our 25 MMA Stars Under 25
Throw it back to September 2022, and MMASucka gave you 25 MMA stars under 25. We gave you 25 fighters in no particular order to keep an eye on going forward. Three and a half years on, we revisit that article and decide which were hits and which w...
Throw it back to September 2022, and MMASucka gave you 25 MMA stars under 25. We gave you 25 fighters in no particular order to keep an eye on going forward. Three and a half years on, we revisit that article and decide which were hits and which were misses.
Revisiting Our 25 MMA Stars Under 25
Anomaly
The one anomaly in our 25 MMA stars under 25 who, of course, won’t be rated is the late, great, Victoria Lee, who sadly passed away in December 2022.
25 Under 25
1 – Muhammad Mokaev – Hit
Since writing the original 25 MMA Stars Under 25 article, Mokaev has had quite a career. He went 5-0 in the UFC with three finishes, including a win over the highly ranked, Manel Kape. Deemed as difficult to work with, Moakev was cut from the UFC and has gone 3-0 outside the promotion. Still only 25 and boasting a 15-0 record, big things are still to come.
2 – Dakota Ditcheva – Big Hit
From 6-0 to 15-0, what more can we say? Dakota Ditcheva is a star. The PFL flyweight queen has outgrown the PFL and the UFC should put all their eggs in the Ditcheva basket.
3 – Maycee Barber – Hit
She’s gone 4-0 in the UFC since the prediction that she’d be a breakout star; however, injuries have hampered her true progress. Now at 27 and on a good run of form, it appears to be now or never for The Future.
4 – Edmen Shahbazyan – Miss
Our first ‘miss’. Edmen Shahbazyan is a good fighter. That’s it, good. He isn’t world class, won’t give anyone in the top 10 at 185lbs any issues and his run since the original article highlights that. He’s beaten guys you’d expect him to beat and lost when he’s taken the step up in class. Not everyone can be a world champion.
5 – Song Yadong – Miss (Narrowly)
Song Yadong, like Shahbazyan, loses to the elite of the division. Since predicting greatness, he’s gone 3-2, losing to Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley and picking up wins over Ricky Simon, Chris Gutierrez and Henry Cejudo (albeit via eye poke). He’s still got plenty to offer the 135lbs UFC division, however, it appears that he isn’t skilled enough to make it to the very top.
6 – Christian Lee – Hit
With only three fights since adding Lee to our list of 25 MMA stars under 25, it’s hard to judge him too harshly. After devastation in his family life, Lee still picked up the impressive win last time out against Alibeg Rasulov. Destined to fight out his career for ONE Championship, Lee will likely never break into the mainstream, which perhaps isn’t what he desires.
7 – Casey O’Neill – Miss
King Casey O’Neill has been hampered by injuries during her young career. Back-to-back losses and a lacklustre return fight suggest that, although talented, she may become more of a gatekeeper at 125lbs, a strange thing to be at just 28 years old.
8 – Ian Garry – Big Hit
Ian Garry, like Dakota Ditcheva, is a big hit. Going 7-1 since the original article, Garry is on the cusp of a title shot at welterweight. Still just 28 years old, the Irishman has a long future in the sport.
9 – Simeon Powell – Miss
Another narrow miss, Simeon Powell has been excellent in his young career. With an 11-2 record, the 27-year-old Brit has picked up some big wins, however, when push comes to shove, questions have been asked about his ability to truly beat the best.
10 – Khasan Magomedsharipov – Uncontrolled Miss
What is it with the name Magomedsharipov and not fighting? The younger brother of Zabit, Khasan Magomedsharipov, hasn’t fought since 2024. This one is being chalked down to a miss because, despite being 10-0, the 25-year-old needs to be more active if we are going to give him a fair judgment.
11 – Kay Hansen – Huge Miss
Kay Hansen has shelved an MMA career in favour of an OnlyFans career – Enough said. Huge miss.
12 – Cory McKenna – Big Miss
Back-to-back UFC losses saw Wales’ Cory McKenna cut from the UFC. Since then in 2024, she hasn’t competed in MMA. She joined the infamous GFL roster and as we know, nothing came of that. At just 26, she can still have a good career in MMA.
13 – Erin Blanchfield – Hit
Erin Blanchfield is one of the most dangerous women at 125lbs and at just 26, she will be a world champion in her career. With a record of 14-2, Cold Blooded has gone 5-1 since our original prediction, including picking up the scalps of two former champions.
Chase Hooper burst onto the UFC scene with his boyish looks and fun persona; however, after a 12-fight UFC career, he’s never threatened the top 15. He’s picked up some big wins but is destined to live out his career on the prelims.
15 – Lone’er Kavanagh – Hit
You’re welcome. The original piece was written when Lone’er Kavanagh was just 4-0. He recently beat former champion Brandon Moreno on short notice in his own backyard. Now 10-1, Kavangh is just 26, ranked #6 in the flyweight division and will, inevitably, hold UFC gold at some point in his career.
16 – Tereza Bleda – Miss
Tereza Bleda has shown in her three-fight UFC career that she doesn’t have the potential to trouble the rankings any time soon. The Czech flyweight is still just 24 years old, so she could make vast improvements, but as things stand, this one is a miss.
17 – Luke Riley – Hit
Although just one fight into his UFC career, Luke Riley will be the co-main event at UFC London later this month. As one of the more unknown picks of our original 25 MMA stars under 25, Riley has made huge progress. The Liverpool man has gone 8-0 since the first article, notching five finishes.
18 – Seika Izawa – Big Hit
Not the most well-known on this list, Seika Izawa is potentially one of the most talented. Since the original article, she’s gone 10-0 with seven finishes. She’s the Rizin atomweight champion, but unfortunately for her, the biggest Western promotions don’t have a 105lbs division. She is another highly skilled fighter who is destined to stay in a smaller promotion until her retirement.
19 – Michael Morales – Big Hit
Michael Morales is a lot like Ian Garry. Not only are they both highly skilled strikers who both happen to be welterweights. Morales is now 19-0 with three straight finishes, including a huge knockout win over Sean Brady last time out. He’s on the cusp of a title shot and is likely just one win away from fighting for gold.
20 – Maheshate – Big Miss
Ah Maheshate. Since we wrote our original article, he’s gone 1-4. It’s safe to say he hasn’t lived up to the hype that we expected.
21 – Yazmin Jauregui – Miss
Yazmin Jauregui began her UFC career in an odd fashion. She was handed a main card slot for her debut, and despite winning, that seems to have been the highlight of her short career so far. The Mexican is 3-2 in the UFC, however, both of her losses have come via finish, not a accolade you want to carry, especially at strawweight and especially when you were a -380 and -500 favourite in both bouts. She hasn’t competed since 2024, so we’re chalking this one down as a miss… for now.
22 -Tatsuro Taira – Hit
The Japanese star has gone 7-1 since our original article and is the pinnacle of a 25 MMA stars under 25 list. Still just 26, the flyweight is on a tear as of late, beating six of his last seven via finish, something that isn’t often seen at 125lbs. He will compete for the flyweight title at UFC 327, and if he wins it, he could be the biggest hit on our list.
23 – Diana Avsaragova – Miss
The Bellator starlet just hasn’t lived up to the expectations many had of her. At 6-0, she looked solid, but back-to-back weight misses and back-to-back losses have nullified any hype she had. The PFL will continue to back her, but her trajectory isn’t looking positive.
24 – Usman Nurmagomedov – Huge Hit
Picking Usman Nurmagomedov was perhaps cheating a little. At the time of writing the first 25 MMA stars under 25 article, he was 14-0; however, he hadn’t fought anyone of note. Fast forward to today, and he’s a legitimate main event star for the PFL. With names such as Patricky Pitbull, Benson Henderson and Paul Hughes (twice) on his resumé, hopefully it won’t be long until we see him in the UFC, mixing it with the best in the world at lightweight.
