At the start of 2024, Carlos Prates was a 30-year-old UFC rookie coming off a quality win on Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series. He carried the intrigue of representing the Fighting Nerds squad from Sao Paulo, winner of The Gym Of The Year. Twelve months. Four fights. Four finishes. Four bonuses. Prates could have made the list of breakout fighters heading into 2024. As we start a new year, we tapped some friends from throughout the sport to help us compile a list of athletes that carry that Prates-energy in 2025. There are representatives from various divisions and a couple of names to track as potential UFC call-ups, including a pair of Cage Warriors standouts who feel on the cusp of taking the next step. These are who we expect big things from in 2025.
FATIMA KLINE
Aaron Bronsteter (Sportsnet): Kline was given a very tough assignment fighting up a weight class on short notice against Jasmine Jasudavicius in order to punch her ticket to the UFC, and despite losing that bout, she had some strong moments. Once she moves to her natural weight class at strawweight, I expect her to be a major problem for her opponents, and if she is active, I can see her rising into the division's top 10 by the end of 2025.
Ian O’Neill (Severe MMA): Even before Kline joined the UFC roster in July 2024, she had already caught my eye with impressive performances at Invicta FC and claimed titles at strawweight and flyweight in CFFC. Getting the call on six days' notice to take on a game opponent like Jasmine Jasudavicius is a huge ask. Kline took the opportunity in a heartbeat, and even though she lost, she put on a very competitive fight against an experienced opponent. She’s set to return against Victoria Dudakova on January 11, where she’ll be returning to strawweight and fighting with a full camp behind her. Kline has a full range of skills on the feet and is an excellent grappler with a massive ceiling at only 24 years old.
LONE’ER KAVANAGH
Paul Browne (Fighters Only, Severe MMA): The former Cage Warriors prospect has the potential to be a real force in the UFC flyweight division. Although relatively inexperienced, his spectacular striking skills combined with the type of devastating power rarely seen at 125 pounds could see him make his mark in the division sooner rather than later.
O’Neill: Kavanagh first caught my eye at Cage Warriors 134 in March 2022, where the Londoner took out Ryan Morgan with a ferocious combination that put everyone on notice. Three more big wins under the Cage Warriors banner earned Kavanagh his chance to impress on Dana White’s Contender Series last September, and he made the most of his opportunity. Kavanagh has the speed and power on the feet to cause serious problems in the 125-pound division and has not even come close to reaching his full potential.
PAYTON TALBOTT
Sayif Saud (Fortis MMA): Talbott is relaxed in the Octagon as if he has 20-plus fights in there. With that level of calm, an athlete can truly perform at their best. We have seen glimpses of that from him in his performances, and I expect we will see more.
E. Spencer Kyte (Fighters Only, Sportsnet, UFC): We talk about the ‘It Factor’ all the time, and Talbott has it, both in terms of his skills and abilities inside the Octagon and his magnetism outside of the cage. He wants to put on a show but never seems hurried, which, combined with his speed, power, and diversity of attacks, makes him very dangerous.
Eliot Marshall (Easton Training Centers): His poise and ability to flow inside the Octagon are impressive for someone with such limited experience overall. To already be showing what he’s shown at this point makes me believe the best is yet to come.
JAQUELINE AMORIM
Bronsteter: Amorim reminds me of a female Charles Oliveira from early on in his career. She is incredibly opportunistic, and if she can refine her striking and cardio in the same way Oliveira did when he entered his 30s. I expect her to continue racking up finishes as she climbs the ranks of the strawweight division.
YOUSSEF ZALAL
Kyte: ‘The Moroccan Devil’ won three straight (all by finish) on the regional circuit following his first go-round with the UFC. He looked outstanding, collecting a second-round submission win over Billy Quarantillo in his short-notice return in March. A dominant finish of Jarno Errens followed, but it was his second-round stoppage win over Jack Shore in Edmonton that really showed that the Factory X Muay Thai representative is ready to make a serious push in the 145-pound ranks.
MIRANDA MAVERICK
Eliot Marshall (Easton Training Centers): I’m biased because I coach her, but Miranda keeps improving every camp and continues to earn wins in the UFC. She’s a hard worker with all the tools to become a world champion, and I think it’s only a matter of time before she puts it all together and takes a massive leap forward.
CHASE HOOPER
Kyte: There are plenty of fighters that take a little more time to develop, and we think we’ve figured them out too soon, but they end up surprising us. Hooper looks like he’s trending in that direction. After struggling to find consistency at featherweight, “The Dream” has rattled off four straight wins and three straight finishes since moving up to lightweight, most recently tapping out Clay Guida at UFC 310. His focus on the early struggles and later success of former champs Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira indicates that his mind is in the right place.
OBAN ELLIOTT
Eliot Marshall (Easton Training Centers): There isn’t any flash to his game, but he’s got great fundamentals, showed a bunch of heart in his Contender Series win, and is only 26 years old. He’s gotten better each time out and should only continue to improve over the next couple of years, which should mean he ends up being a contender in the welterweight division at some point.
VINICIUS OLIVEIRA
Bronsteter: Oliveira put himself on the map with a win over the perpetually tricky Ricky Simon, and with his length and distance management, he will continue to make waves in perhaps the deepest division in MMA today. He is my dark horse to enter the stacked bantamweight rankings sometime next year, and with the UFC reportedly matching him up with Said Nurmagomedov in February, the matchmakers are putting him in a position to make that a reality.
Kyte: Another member of the DWCS Class of ’23, Oliveira burst on the scene with his March flying knee finish of Benardo Sopaj and then showed he’s the genuine article as a prospect with his win over Simon at UFC 303. Nurmagomedov is another stiff test, and bantamweight is flush with talent, but those two wins in his rookie campaign in the UFC were enough to make ‘Lok Dog’ someone to pay close attention to in 2025.
BIA MESQUITA
Marcos “Parrumpa” DaMatta (American Top Team): She’s one of the best grapplers of all time, a 10-time World Champion, and has won all three fights by submission.
LUKE RILEY
Browne: The unbeaten Englishman has been involved in some classic barnburners during his time with Cage Warriors. He always gets fans off their seats and looks certain to sign with the UFC in 2025.
PADDY MCCORRY
O’Neill: McCorry made it to the semifinals of the middleweight competition on Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, losing to Robert Valentin. He then returned to Cage Warriors and knocked out Tye Palmer in 46 seconds to move to 5-1 overall. He should fight for Cage Warriors gold in the coming year, and he’ll be difficult to beat as he hunts finishes and has an excellent mix of skills no matter where the fight goes. Because of his time on TUF, the Fight Academy Ireland man is already on the UFC radar, and another win should get him a call to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series or the opportunity to step into the Octagon straight away.
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