For nearly a decade, ESPN has compiled annual lists of the best young MMA fighters in the world. That tradition continues -- but with a twist. Whereas for seven years we ranked the top 25 fighters under age 25, this year the list expanded to 30 fighters with eligibility extending to anyone under 30.
The rationale for the shift: In past years, many prospects aged out of eligibility even while still climbing the ranks. Expanding the rankings to 30 better reflects the landscape of prospects making their way to the big stage -- and even staking their claim to it.
That is not to say that young, emerging fighters are guaranteed a continual rise. The Nos. 1 and 2 fighters in the 2024 rankings made our list again this year, but they're well down the list. The expansion of our list to age 30 also allowed for the inclusion of a reigning UFC champion, a former titlist, a PFL champ and several who have competed for a belt.
This year's list features four fighters who will be in action at UFC 323 in Las Vegas on Saturday (10 p.m. ET on ESPN PPV; prelims beginning at 6 p.m. on ESPN+), including 24-year-old Joshua Van, who will take on men's flyweight title-holder Alexandre Pantoja in the main event.
Our panel -- Brett Okamoto, Andreas Hale, Dre Waters, Jeff Wagenheim, Marcus Vanderberg and Alecia Hamm -- selected fighters based on achievement and potential. Okamoto and Wagenheim provide breakdowns of the top 30 under 30.
Ilia Topuria defeats Charles Oliveira via knockout in the first round to win the UFC lightweight title.
1. Ilia Topuria
UFC lightweight champion
Age: 28
Potential: 10/10. Momentum: 10/10. Star power: 10/10. At any given time in MMA, there is always a short list of names that everything revolves around. Names that drive the sport's schedule and the fans' interest. Topuria is one of those names. At just 28 years old, Topuria has already established himself as one of the greats in MMA, winning the UFC featherweight and lightweight championships. The feat is even more impressive when you consider that his three title fights were against UFC all-timers Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, respectively. Following the last of those wins, Topuria occupied the No. 1 spot in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings for 20 consecutive weeks. When the UFC matchmakers sit down to plan anything, Topuria is one of the most important players in that conversation. Even news of him taking a personal break from fighting in early 2026 does nothing to lessen Topuria's star power. -- Okamoto
2. Dakota Ditcheva
PFL women's flyweight
Age: 27
Francis Ngannou hasn't been seen inside a PFL cage in over a year, and Kayla Harrison fled to that other MMA organization. So that leaves Ditcheva as the PFL's only draw. It didn't help that she fought just once in 2025, but a fan-friendly fighting style -- 12 knockouts among her 15 wins -- makes Ditcheva one of the fight game's rare don't-miss attractions. She is back in action on the PFL's opening card of 2026, taking on onetime Bellator title challenger Denise Kielholtz on Feb. 7. -- Wagenheim
3. Joshua Van
UFC men's flyweight
Age: 24
It's not a stretch to say Van checks every box when it comes to building a potential new star. He's a charismatic, confident (but not overly arrogant), high-action fighter who competes frequently and always throws down. He shares many similarities with a young Max Holloway. Van could close out 2025 with a UFC championship, which would put him in the running for Fighter of the Year. -- Okamoto
Jack Della Maddalena stuns Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 315 to become the new welterweight champion.
4. Jack Della Maddalena
UFC welterweight
Age: 29
One might be tempted to say Della Maddalena has had his moment and that's now over and done. His reign as UFC welterweight champion lasted just six months, and he was not merely dethroned by Islam Makhachev last month; he was dominated. But Della Maddalena had won 18 fights in a row going into UFC 322, and he's fully capable of going on another championship-level run. He's a finisher, with 12 knockouts and two submissions. Until his most recent bout, JDM had never appeared out of a fight, no matter the level of competition. -- Wagenheim
Michael Morales grabs the huge win in the main event of UFC Fight Night, beating veteran Gilbert Burns for the victory.
5. Michael Morales
UFC welterweight
Age: 26
He's undefeated and on a roll, with first-round knockouts in his past three fights. Last month's meeting with Sean Brady was expected to test Morales' mettle, but he barely broke a sweat in finishing the highest-ranked opponent he's seen. Morales is a fast, aggressive and pinpoint striker, and that skill set is bolstered by strong defensive wrestling that keeps fights in his standup wheelhouse. Whoever gets Morales next is going to have an unforgiving puzzle to solve. -- Wagenheim
Ian Machado Garry grabs another impressive win under his belt, with a unanimous-decision victory over Carlos Prates in the main event of UFC Fight Night.
6. Ian Machado Garry
UFC welterweight
Age: 28
Machado Garry has been building to this stage of his career since he took a now-infamous photo alongside Conor McGregor as a child many years ago. Machado Garry is, undoubtedly, one of the most skilled welterweights in the world. On paper, he has a shot to dethrone Makhachev. He's not afraid of a soundbite. In fact, he appears to invest a lot of time and energy into being ready to produce one whenever it might suit him. He's in the UFC's second-toughest division, but if he's able to string together the right wins, he has massive breakout potential. -- Okamoto
7. Usman Nurmagomedov
PFL lightweight champion
Age: 27
Nurmagomedov was the Bellator lightweight champion when the promotion was acquired by the PFL in 2023, and in October, he became his current fight company's first lightweight champion. He's undefeated, yet just getting started. Nurmagomedov, cousin of Khabib and younger brother of UFC men's bantamweight Umar, has not scored a finish since 2023, but he continues to get his hand raised. In his past two fights, he was pushed to the limit by Paul Hughes, but Nurmagomedov is 2-0 in the rivalry. Next up is a Feb. 7 title defense against another formidable United Kingdom fighter, PFL 2025 tournament winner Alfie Davis. -- Wagenheim
8. Umar Nurmagomedov
UFC men's bantamweight
Age: 29
Nurmagomedov fought for the UFC title in January and gave Merab Dvalishvili the toughest challenge of his title reign, especially early on. The champion's bottomless gas tank eventually drained his challenger, though. After Nurmagomedov took the first "L" of his career, he bounced back, cooling off red-hot Mario Batista in October. He fights again Jan. 24, 2026, against Deiveson Figueiredo, a two-time former flyweight champion who is 4-2 since moving to 135 pounds in 2023. Nurmagomedov is building back up toward Dvalishvili, and that's a rematch fans can get behind. -- Wagenheim
9. Natalia Silva
UFC women's flyweight
Age: 28
The UFC's 125-pound women's division can be broken down into two groups: Valentina Shevchenko and everyone else. But there's reason to believe Silva will be more than just another title defense on Shevchenko's legendary résumé. Silva has a unique, specialized standup fighting style that she has perfected. If there's one thing we can say about Shevchenko, it's that she's most likely going to be the more well-rounded fighter in the Octagon. Perhaps the best way to beat her is by being a specialist, and that's what Silva is. Her constant movement and feints on the feet have bewildered past opponents. If she beats Rose Namajunas at UFC 324 in January and eventually can beat Shevchenko, she'll be one of the biggest names in women's MMA overnight. -- Okamoto
Arman Tsarukyan puts Dan Hooker in an arm triangle and gets the tap out in the main event of UFC Fight Night.
10. Arman Tsarukyan
UFC lightweight
Age: 29
That Tsarukyan sits at No. 10 is symbolic of his career. He might be the best fighter on this list, maybe aside from Ilia Topuria, who, as the only current UFC champion under age 30, deserves the top spot here and was voted to occupy it. Tsarukyan, on the other hand, was passed over for two lower-ranked lightweights when the UFC matchmakers decided to put an interim title up for grabs next month. Tsarukyan has won five in a row and has all the makings of a No. 1 contender, except one vital ingredient: the enthused backing of his promoters. If the UFC isn't buying into Tsarukyan, his potential is limited. -- Wagenheim
Erin Blanchfield becomes the first woman to submit Tracy Cortez at UFC 322.
11. Erin Blanchfield
UFC women's flyweight
Age: 26
Everything has happened so fast for Blanchfield. After signing with the UFC at 21 years old, Blanchfield was given a No. 1 contender opportunity seven fights into her campaign. She likely wasn't ready for it and suffered her only UFC loss to Manon Fiorot, who is nearly 10 years her senior. Still only 26, Blanchfield has a few years to go before she hits her prime, but her maturation is catching up to her raw talent in a way that makes her a real title contender. Her understated personality doesn't make her an obvious pick for "star" potential, but her no-nonsense approach pairs well with a ferocious fighting style. -- Okamoto
12. Nassourdine Imavov
UFC middleweight
Age: 29
Imavov's talent is obvious, so he's always carried a lot of potential to break through, but that breakout moment feels closer than ever now that his talent is being combined with real opportunity. He has headlined, and won, his two appearances in 2025 -- one in his home country of France and the other in Saudi Arabia against a living legend in Israel Adesanya. Now, he's looking at a possible middleweight title fight against Khamzat Chimaev, who is one of the biggest stars in the sport. You can't ask for more opportunity than that. Chimaev is a tough matchup for anyone, but the rewards of pulling off a win against him would be massive for Imavov. -- Okamoto
Brendan Allen wins a huge main event over Reinier de Ridder after de Ridder's corner stops the fight in between rounds.
13. Brendan Allen
UFC middleweight
Age: 29
Allen has really felt the highs and lows of MMA, all before his 30th birthday. He knows the high of a seven-fight win streak and the excruciating low of back-to-back losses in high-profile fights in 2024 and 2025. At the moment, he's back on a high after upsetting Reinier de Ridder in dominant fashion in a short-notice main event in October. Allen understands the game and he's comfortable in the limelight because of his six years of experience already in the UFC. He might be on the cusp of turning the corner and becoming a problem for the top of the middleweight division. -- Okamoto
14. Mauricio Ruffy
UFC lightweight
Age: 29
The Fighting Nerds finally hit a few road bumps in 2025, as Ruffy, Jean Silva, Caio Borralho and Carlos Prates all suffered losses within a short amount of time. And yet, it feels as if the sport is expecting a massive comeback out of the team from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ruffy remains a cornerstone of the team and will get every opportunity to re-establish himself in 2026. Next year will be a big one for The Fighting Nerds, one way or another, and Ruffy will be a big part of that. -- Okamoto
15. Jean Silva
UFC featherweight
Age: 28
Silva is coming off a humbling loss to Diego Lopes in September, but if you're going to take a loss, it might as well be to someone like Lopes, who could be a UFC champion come January, when he challenges Vokanovski in a rematch for the featherweight championship at UFC 325. Silva is another cornerstone of The Fighting Nerds, who will seek a bounce back in 2026. The talent and drawing power are there. This team, despite hitting a snag in 2025, finishes fights. It's a violent squad that isn't losing popularity or attention any time soon. -- Okamoto
16. Paul Hughes
PFL lightweight
Age: 28
Hughes came close to becoming a PFL champion in January, losing a majority decision to Usman Nurmagomedov. They met again in October, and Hughes came up short once more. But he elevated his standing in the sport even in two defeats, and it feels like there's still oxygen feeding into a rivalry with Nurmagomedov. Considering those two fights and Hughes' 2024 victory over onetime-hot prospect A.J. McKee, the road ahead still has an upward trajectory. Would the PFL allow that path to lead Hughes again to Nurmagomedov, if the champ holds on to the belt? -- Wagenheim
Benoit Saint-Denis' victory via rear-naked choke drives French crowd wild
17. Benoît Saint Denis
UFC lightweight
Age: 29
It felt like a lot of the MMA world gave up on Saint Denis after he suffered back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano last year, but that hype train is slowly starting to reload on passengers. Saint Denis has finished three opponents in a row since losing to Moicano, including legitimate names Beneil Dariush and Mauricio Ruffy. When he lost to Poirier in March 2024, the spotlight might have been too much. Everything seemed to go wrong. Now that he's felt that and bounced back from it, the best seems yet to come. -- Okamoto
Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes give the fans their money's worth in Baku in the co-main of UFC Fight Night.
18. Ignacio Bahamondes
UFC lightweight
Age: 28
Bahamondes saw a three-fight winning streak come to an end over the summer, losing a decision to Rafael Fiziev in his first time facing top-10 competition. Bahamondes previously had shown himself capable of hot streaks, building himself back up after setbacks. Can he do it again? His 2026 will be a defining time, determining whether Bahamondes can take the next step toward the top echelon. -- Wagenheim
19. Youssef Zalal
UFC featherweight
Age: 29
Zalal joined the UFC in 2020 and won his first three fights, but then he ran into some guy named Ilia Topuria and that started a skid that made him winless in four straight and out of a job. After finishing three opponents on the regional circuit, Zalal returned to the Octagon in 2024 and did so with a vengeance. He has won all five of his fights and scored submissions in four of them. His two 2025 wins, over top-10 fighters Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett, opened lots of eyes. All those eyes will be on Zalal in the coming year. -- Wagenheim
20. Payton Talbott
UFC men's bantamweight
Age: 27
MMA has a way of humbling everyone, and Talbott's moment came earlier this year, losing to Raoni Barcelos as a near 12-1 betting favorite. The 27-year-old roared back, however, with a three-round decision win in his next bout and will now meet former two-weight champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 323 on Saturday. The UFC is clearly back on board in fast-tracking Talbott, who can stand out with his quirky personality and confident fighting style. If he beats Cejudo, he's right back on a rocket ship to the top. And if he proves ready this time, he's going to draw a lot of eyeballs along that route. -- Okamoto
Gabriel Bonfim wins the main event of UFC Fight Night with a beautiful knockout of Randy Brown.
21. Gabriel Bonfim
UFC welterweight
Age: 28
The UFC's welterweight division is as crowded as it gets right now, especially with the addition of Islam Makhachev. That said, Bonfim might be a dark horse to truly shake it up in 2026. Youth is very much on his side at 28 years old. He's not as recognizable as some of the others in his class -- Ian Machado Garry, Michael Morales and Carlos Prates -- but don't be surprised if that changes next year. If Bonfim is to break out, it will be by simply winning. And he might have the tools to do that. -- Okamoto
22. Tatsuro Taira
UFC men's flyweight
Age: 25
A year ago, Taira stood at No. 1 in ESPN's ranking of the best 25 fighters under age 25. Since then, he's gotten lost in the crowd by fighting only once. He won by submission, but it was in a low-profile matchup with HyunSung Park (after a higher-level opponent, Amir Albazi, withdrew). Taira has a chance to regain momentum this weekend when he faces two-time former champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 323. A win would boost Taira back onto the upward trajectory he had before his only career loss, to the other Brandon at flyweight, Royval, in 2024. -- Wagenheim
Quillan Salkilld drops Nasrat Haqparast with a vicious leg kick for a first-round knockout.
23. Quillan Salkilld
UFC lightweight
Age: 25
Salkilld has been in the UFC only since February but is already 3-0 -- a gaudy 3-0 at that. He has earned a pair of performance of the night bonuses, including for a 19-second knockout of Anshul Jubli in his debut. Salkilld's other bonus came in his most recent win, a first-round head-kick knockout of a streaking Nasrat Haqparast in the feature prelim of UFC 321 in October. That one secured his status as a prospect to watch. -- Wagenheim
24. Bo Nickal
UFC middleweight
Age: 29
Nickal was a rising star with a UFC push behind him before suffering the first defeat of his career in May by collapsing to the body attack of Reinier de Ridder in a second-round knockout. It was a big step up in competition for Nickal, as de Ridder is a former two-division One Championship titlist with three times Nickal's MMA experience. Nonetheless, the Nickal hype train took much mockery -- until he got back on track last month. After a head-kick knockout of Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 322, Nickal leaped atop the cage and flashed two middle fingers at the Madison Square Garden crowd. Instant antihero. -- Wagenheim
Baisangur Susurkaev sends opponent to mat with epic KO
25. Baisangur Susurkaev
UFC middleweight
Age: 24
The whole point of "Dana White's Contender Series" is to build, um, contenders. It's not a success-maker all by itself, though, just a springboard in a building process that's supposed to take time. Susurkaev is challenging that notion. He appeared on "DWCS" on Aug. 12 and scored a first-round knockout, making such a strong impression that matchmakers booked him for his UFC debut four days later. Susurkaev won that fight as well, then added another win in November. Fast starts can be deceptive, though. Is he just gearing up, or has he already reached maximum speed? Buckle in and let's find out. -- Wagenheim
26. Maycee Barber
UFC women's flyweight
Age: 27
Barber is the hardest name on this list to assign a rank, given what happened in her last scheduled appearance. Barber was supposed to face Erin Blanchfield in May but was pulled at the last second for medical reasons. And this was after she had missed weight for the bout. She has dealt with numerous medical issues in recent years, some of which have not come with an explanation as to exactly what was wrong. These aren't good signs. Then again, the last time Barber's stock appeared to dip after she lost back-to-back fights in 2020 and 2021 and tore her ACL in the process, she responded with a six-fight win streak. -- Okamoto
27. Muhammad Mokaev
Brave CF men's flyweight champion
Age: 25
Somehow, Mokaev is still only 25 years old. That seems unbelievable, considering he's already had an undefeated seven-fight career in the UFC, alienated UFC brass to the point CEO Dana White has expressed a lack of interest in working with him again and won a title in the Brave Combat Federation. That's a lot of accomplishments (and drama) to fit into a five-year professional career. The talent is undeniable. His name is recognizable. And sometimes, the UFC can change its mind and forgive and forget. There are a lot of possibilities at play for Mokaev, and plenty of time for him to explore each of them. -- Okamoto
28. Song Yadong
UFC men's bantamweight
Age: 28
Song has fought twice in the past two years, but they were big-time fights against former UFC champions. After losing a decision to Petr Yan in 2024, Song scored a finish against Henry Cejudo in February. Next up is another ex-champion and an even higher-profile opportunity, as Song faces Sean O'Malley on Jan. 24 at UFC 324. Song is a veteran with 15 UFC fights, and it's about time he made his presence felt -- starting by ramping up his activity to simply be a presence. -- Wagenheim
29. Iasmin Lucindo
UFC strawweight
Age: 23
Lucindo was scheduled to be in action this weekend at UFC 323 but is dealing with a temporary suspension for a failed drug test. However, her team is confident the positive test came from a tainted supplement. If that's the case, she won't be out for an extended period. Whenever she comes back, she's in a terrific spot. She's already ranked No. 9 in the ESPN strawweight rankings. If she can get back to work relatively quickly, she's a candidate to break out in 2026. -- Okamoto
30. Raul Rosas Jr.
UFC men's bantamweight
Age: 21
Rosas just recently turned 21, so we'll likely be seeing him on this list for most of the decade to come. As a teen, he was not shy about his ambition to become the youngest champion in UFC history. However, his climb toward that goal has been negligible. Rosas has fought once in 2025, with an injury forcing him out of what would have been the most notable fight of his career, a matchup against Rob Font at Noche UFC in September. Rosas was No. 2 on ESPN's list of the top 25 fighters under age 25 a year ago, but he enters 2026 in rebuild mode. -- Wagenheim