Defending welterweight champion Leon Edwards remains a prime example of a divisional dark horse who went largely unnoticed on his rise to the title. The world finally took notice when the quiet Briton beat champion Kamaru Usman last year.
And some of these fighters have what it takes to become eternal champions in the world’s premier MMA promotion.
Tatsuro Taira – UFC flyweight
The rivalry between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo has breathed new life into the flyweight division, and the emergence of rising stars such as Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev bodes well for the future of the division.
The dark horse of this division is Japan’s Tatsuro Taira, who is perhaps the best of them all.
Undefeated in his professional career, Tatsuro Taira is by far Japan’s brightest prospect in the UFC. At 23, Tyra posted a professional record of 13-0, including three knockouts and seven submissions. He already has three wins in the promotion.
While her flyweight peers are certainly in the spotlight, Tyra isn’t quite as visible, likely due to the language barrier. He is working on his English but currently fulfills all his media obligations in his mother tongue.
Taira is an extremely versatile fighter and arguably the most talented of the unranked flyweights. His skills far exceed his age, so he will only improve as he progresses through the division.
He is scheduled to face Claydson Rodriguez later this month in Jacksonville, where he will look to take his record to 14-0.
Movsar Evloev – UFC featherweight.
The featherweight division has no shortage of promising champion-caliber fighters. Among the most promising of these budding featherweights is Russian fighter Movsar Evloev, who has never lost in his professional career.
While Movsar Evloev clearly poses a threat to the featherweight champion, his lack of early wins has undoubtedly undermined his popularity. The 29-year-old fighter boasts a 7-0 UFC record but hasn’t won a fight since signing with the world’s top MMA promotion four years ago.
Evloev’s overall record is 17-0, with the first seven wins of his career coming outside of the UFC. The former U-1 world champion will need dramatic wins on the road if he wants to be in the big fights. Repeated cancellations of fights haven’t helped Evloev either, so he’ll also need a bit of luck.
The undefeated Russian is a tough opponent for any fighter, Evloev is not far from becoming a big player in the featherweight division.
Arman Tsarukyan – UFC Lightweight
The UFC lightweight division is arguably the most competitive and deepest weight class in combat sports. In this division, any fighter can defeat another any day, regardless of their ranking.
Number 8 Arman Tsarukyan has real championship potential and it’s only a matter of time before he fights for the lightweight title.
Just 22 years old when he made his UFC debut, Arman Tsarukyan impressed in his first fight, pushing Khabib Nurmagomedov protege Islam Makhachev to the absolute limit in no time. Their duel received the “Fight of the Night” award, Makhachev won with difficulty, and Tsarukyan’s potential was seen.
After losing to Makhachev, he had five straight wins and made it into the top 15, but his streak was interrupted last year by Mateusz Gamrot, something many in the MMA community weren’t with. All right. However, the Russian’s shares in the UFC did not drop.
Tsarukyan is now 26 years old, in his next fight he will face an unranked Joaquin Silva, and the win won’t really affect his popularity.
It looks like he will have to follow the same path as Leon Edwards, Belal Mohammed and Beneil Dariush, among others, and simply beat everyone the matchmakers put in front of him on his way to a title shot.
Jailton Almeida – UFC Heavyweight
The heavyweight division has never been more saturated with talent than it is today. Hall of Famer Jon Jones is the number one in the division, and alongside him are Sergey Pavlovich, Tom Aspinall, Cyril Gun and Curtis Blades.
Among the dark horses, Jailton Almeida stands out, having defeated his last 14 opponents in two rounds.
Jailton Almeida started his UFC career with two quick wins at light heavyweight before deciding to move up to heavyweight. Since then he has won 4 other fights, the most notable of them being the fight against Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Almeida is currently ranked 9th in the heavyweight rankings. His record is 19-2 with seven knockouts and twelve submissions.
Umar Nurmagomedov – UFC bantamweight
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov retired as the undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion in 2020 and has since dedicated his efforts to helping his brothers in Dagestan, following in his late father’s footsteps.
Khabib’s cousin Umar, who is also unbeaten, now wants to repeat Khabib’s success in the UFC.
Like all of his teammates, the Russian has great grappling ability which, combined with his unique set of striking skills, makes for a deadly combination.
His overall record is 16-0 and he’s already 4-0 in the UFC with three wins by stoppage.
His older brother Usman has already won the Bellator Lightweight Championship and his teammate Islam Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champion. The time has come for Umar Nurmagomedov.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
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I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
