5 middleweight prospects the UFC should sign in 2017
There are plenty of fighters throughout MMA who deserve a shot in the UFC. Here are the top five middleweight 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 middleweight division, a weight class in which the title has been passed around like a hot potato recently. The increase in competition has led to some great fights and introduced new faces to the scene, which is why the division has become so popular. That said, more talent is always welcome.
With that, I take a glimpse at the five middleweights 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
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| Uriah Hall* | Sean Strickland* | Scott Askham* | Jack Hermansson* | Khalil Rountree* |
| Tom Watson* | Marcos Rogerio* | Ramazan Emeev** | Alberto Uda* | Alberto Uda* |
| Elvis Mutapcic* | Elvis Mutapcic* | Slava Vasilevsky** | Slava Vasilevsky** | Phil Hawes* |
| Jake Rosholt | Michal Materla | Max Nunes | Anatoly Tokov** (MW & WW) | Aleksei Butorin** (LHW & MW) |
| Chaun Sims | Wes Swofford | Ben Reiter | Igor Svirid | Ramazan Emeev** |
*Indicates fighter was signed by UFC
**Indicates fighter is ineligible due to two years on the list
Trevin Giles (8-0, United States)
2016 may not have been better for any middleweight outside the major three MMA promotions than it was for Trevin Giles. The Houston native went 4-0, and was the main event in two of his most recent bouts in the Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Legacy Fighting Championship promotions, which are now merging into one company.
At 24 years old, Giles is the definition of a prospect. A young, up-and-comer with a strong record and good skills, even though he definitely has room for improvement. Seeing how he’s developed, there’s no doubt he can get even better.
Giles is a very well-rounded fighter who can submit opponents on the ground or tag them on the feet. He has some great natural gifts as well — good size, strength, speed and athleticism. He used all those strengths to win his two most recent fights, which came against TUF veteran Josh Clark and Ike Villanueva.
He’s already scheduled to main event a Resurrection Fighting Alliance card in 2017 when he takes on fellow prospect Ryan Spann. It will be a tough fight, but if Giles can succeed, he’s a shoe-in to join the UFC. That said, since there’s a UFC card in Houston in early February, Giles could be on speed dial for a late replacement shot in the event of an injury or the opening of another fight on the dais.
Rafael Lovato Jr. (4-0, United States)
Generally, only fighters under 30 qualify as prospects. But there are exceptions when it comes to inexperienced fighters with high ceilings. One of those exceptions is 33-year-old Rafael Lovato Jr., a 4-0 fighter who has just taken to MMA, but already looks like a guy to watch.
Lovato is a high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner — a third-degree black belt, to be exact. He’s a multiple-time world champion in BJJ, meaning that any man who goes to the ground with him is either foolish or unwillingly in trouble. When he’s able to achieve a takedown, be ready for a clinic on the mat.
As far as MMA, Lovato has finished all four of his opponents. Three of those wins came by submission, while the other was a TKO. His most recent win was also his biggest, and came against TUF and Bellator veteran Cortez Coleman, whom he tapped with a beautiful armbar.
Lovato is likely a win or two away from being signed by the UFC. Obviously, the more experience he gets, the more likely he is to catch the promotion’s eye. Given his BJJ credentials, though, it would be crazy not to give him a chance.
Oskar Piechota (7-0-1, Poland)
Poland has become a major hotbed for MMA talent around the world, producing great, tough fighters that have graced numerous top MMA promotions. One of those fighters is Oskar Piechota, who is undefeated in eight fights, including one draw.
Piechota is 26 years old and is a prospect still gaining experience. Like many fighters from Poland, he comes from a judo background. That is reflected in the way he competes in the cage — he grapples a lot is constantly attempting submissions.
Most of his wins have come via choke on the ground. He’s finished every single one of his fights, showing that he prefers to keep the judges out of it. And while he owns a win over another man on this list, Mattia Schiavolin, inactivity has hurt Piechota greatly — he’s competed just twice since 2015.
The key to Piechota taking the next step will be fighting more regularly. Catching the eye of large MMA promotions requires a tough, multiple-fight-per-year schedule, something the Pole hasn’t been able to do thus far in his career. If can increase his work load and continue winning, it’ll be tough to deny him a spot in the UFC.
Mattia Schiavolin (14-2-2, Italy)
Until recently, Italian MMA wasn’t on the map at all. Now, there are multiple Italians in the UFC and even more are finding their way into the bigger promotions. One of the most exciting Italian fighters in MMA is Mattia Schiavolin, an 18-fight veteran hitting his peak as a mixed martial artist.
Schiavolin is 32 and had to pay his dues fighting on the regional circuit before making good on a big opportunity. He fought a lot of low level talent early on, taking on tougher guys as his career came along. He was eventually given the opportunity to fight for the Venator FC title, which he won, before later dropping the belt to UFC vet Luke Barnatt.
He has a lot of wins by submission and knockout, which shows he can hurt you in multiple ways. His two biggest wins to date came in his last two bouts, as he choked out Jason “Mayhem” Miller before scoring a decision win over UFC vet Goran Reljic.
The UFC has done a good job of signing European middleweights, especially during their many trips overseas. If they’re looking for one this year, they should take a good look at Schiavolin.
Rob Wilkinson (10-0, Australia)
Australia has always been a consistent producer of MMA talent, even though not many Australians have ended up in the championship picture of the larger organizations. Their production of top-level prospects has fallen off a little in the last couple of years, but one of their best fighters in recent memory could be Rob Wilkinson.
A 6-foot-2 middleweight, Wilkinson doesn’t have a marquee victory on his resume, which could hold him back a bit. He needs to fight higher level opponents, something he’s tried to do in his last two or three bouts. That said, when he does fight, he finishes. All of his wins are by knockout or submission, with four KOs and six SUBs. He’s only left the first round once, which demonstrates his killer instinct.
The UFC usually makes its yearly trip down to Australia, so it only makes sense for them to get Wilkinson on the roster. An undefeated Aussie with all finishes is a tough fighter to pass on, especially in front of his home Australian crowd. He has the potential to be a solid roster member.
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