Ultimate Fighting Championship

5 flyweight prospects the UFC should sign in 2017

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:22 p.m. ET

Fansided, Riley Kontek/Fansided

There are plenty of fighters throughout MMA who deserve a shot in the UFC. Here are the top five flyweight prospects for 2017.

Welcome to year six of my annual “prospects the UFC should sign” series, in which I examine five MMA prospects per division the UFC should sign this year. It’s a series that started during my time at Bleacher Report, continued with my tenure at Today’s Knockout and stays alive this year through FanSided.

In this piece, I examine the flyweight division, a weight class that is dominated by one champion, but full of some very good, young talent. Demetrious Johnson has a stranglehold atop the division, but that doesn’t mean the UFC shouldn’t go out and find the best fighters available to deepen the division.

With that, I take a glimpse at five flyweights the UFC needs to sign. I’ll try my hardest to stay away from fighters who are currently in top organizations (Bellator, WSOF, etc.), but a couple may pop up. In the past, I’ve had some great picks on the list and some that haven’t worked out. Below are the previous year’s selections, followed by the five men the UFC should offer roster spots to this year.

Previous Selections

2013	2014	2015	2016
Sergio Pettis*	Henry Cejudo*	Hiromasa Ogikubo*	Hiromasa Ogikubo*
Josh Sampo*	Alexandre Pantoja*	Alexandre Pantoja*	Adam Antolin*
Alptekin Ozkilic*	Sean Santella**	Pietro Menga**	Bruno Menezes
Darrell Montague*	Pietro Menga**	Allan Nascimento	Nick Urso
Sean Santella**	Czar Sklavos	Nildo Nascimento	Rany Saadeh

*Indicates fighter was signed by the UFC
**Indicates fighter is ineligible due to two years on the list

Deiveson Alcantra (10-0, Brazil)

Brazilian fighters haven’t featured heavily in this series, but Deiveson Alcantra, a member of the underrated Marajo Brothers camp, is a very promising flyweight prospect.

A veteran of Jungle Fight veteran, a promotion that has provided the UFC with many fighters, Alcantra is a well-rounded fighter who has finished fights by both submission and knockout. That makes him an all-around threat against all his opponents.

The undefeated Brazilian went 2-0 in 2016. This came after a 2015 in which he didn’t fight at all. He opened 2016 by choking out Henrique Miranda and finished off the year by knocking out formerly undefeated Denis Araujo.

Seeing as the UFC only has 30 fighters in the flyweight division, they need guys like Alcantra to help keep the weight class competitive. Alcantra could compete right out of the gate.

Askar Askarov (8-0, Russia)

Another weight class, another Russian. Askar Askarov is one of the best flyweights outside of the UFC.

A 24-year-old blue chipper, Askarov is a member of the Fighting Eagle camp, which is home to another prospect that made this list, Muslim Salikhov. Askarov has good striking, but he’s also a good submission fighter, making him an all-around threat.

Askarov is the Absolute Championship Berkut Flyweight Champion, something he won in 2016. He was 3-0 in 2016, beating highly talented fighters such as Marcin Lasota, Ruslan Abiltarov and Jose Marie Tome, the latter of whom Askarov beat to win the flyweight championship.

There’s no doubt Askarov could compete in the UFC, as he has the skills and the resume to perform against better fighters. Should he get signed in 2017, there’s no doubt he’ll make an immediate impact.

Bruno Azevedo (15-2, Brazil)

Brazilian fighter Bruno Azevedo has established himself as one of the best prospects coming out of Brazil and is making his second appearance in this series. The 17-fight veteran takes big fights whenever he steps into the cage, earning big experience in process.

A 26-year-old representative of Nova Uniao, Azevedo is a classic stylist of that gym. He has a grinding style with a strong grappling base, which explains why most of his wins come via submission. That style has been on display in the Shooto Brasil organization, as well as XFCi.

Azevedo went 2-0 in 2016, continuing his successes from recent years. He scored a huge decision win over Lincoln da Sa, who was a fellow prospect at the time. Then, he scored a submission of William Nocato, capping off his year of success.

When the UFC touches down in Brazil, it should take a serious look at Azevedo. Given the UFC’s history of signing Nova Uniao products, Azevedo is probably among the top guys it would look at. Either way, he’s clearly good enough to be in the UFC.

Jarred Brooks (12-0, United States)

Jarred Brooks is probably the best prospect in the flyweight division right now, and it’s shocking he still hasn’t inked a deal with the UFC. He could be a potential title challenger in the future and can help anchor a division that’s not overflowing with talent.

Known as “The Spider Monkey,” the 23-year-old blue chipper has a fighting style that perfectly justifies his nickname. He’s an aggressive submission wrestler who showed off his underrated knockout power in 2016, as his latest win was a one-punch finish. His style is hard to deal with, which is why he’s undefeated in a dozen fights.

A Pancrase, Akhmet Fight Show and WSOF veteran, Brooks went 5-0 in the year of 2016. That’s a lot of fights, especially considering the level of talent he’s been fighting. Some of his victims included top British prospect Chris Miah and Jun Nakamura, the latter of whom Brooks knocked out in one punch.

There’s no tip-toeing around this. Brooks should be in the UFC right now. If the company fails to sign him in 2017, it will be a major mistake, especially since the flyweight division needs more bodies.

Yuki Motoya (18-4, Japan)

This spot was reserved for Magomed Bibulatov, but the UFC signed him before this series was released. That leaves room in the top five for Yuki Motoya, a Japanese fighter with great experience and some recent successes that have really put him on the radar of many scouts.

At 27 years old, it’s amazing to think he already has 22 fights under his belt. Not only that, but he’s fought good levels of competition in organizations such as Deep and Rizin in his native Japan. There, he’s shown his well-rounded style, even though most of his wins do come via submission.

In 2016, Motoya had a strong year, winning all three of his fights. After tapping out a scrub to start the year he scored two big wins by decision over Daiki Hata and Allan Nascimento. The win against Nascimento was probably the biggest of his career.

A guy with the experience and skill of Motoya should not be overlooked. If the UFC is in need of a good flyweight that will put on exciting, fun fights, then it should look no further than this Japanese fighter.