We are at a very interesting stage in the short history of MMA. In the past the majority of fighters would enter the sport on the back of a successful career in another sport, be it amateur wrestling, boxing, karate, or numerous more, and then cross-train to fill the gaps. The way to beat a wrestler was to keep the fight standing and beat him there. While that same wrestler's aim were to take his fights to the mat to preserve his advantage.
Nowadays, however, the new generation of fighters are training wholly in mixed martial arts and are learning every facet of the sport from the first day they step foot into a gym.
The future is very bright for MMA and here are ten of the best prospects in the world.
Tom Duquesnoy (13-1)
It's really only a matter of time before 'Fire Kid' Tom Duquesnoy showcases his skills at the highest level of the game. The Frenchman currently holds both the bantamweight and featherweight titles in BAMMA but if rumours of his contract having just one fight remaining are true, you can expect to see this hugely exciting fighter in the UFC before the year is out.
Duquesnoy has trained in martial arts since he was a child but now calls the famed Jackson-Wink gym in Albuquerque his home where he trains alongside a who's-who of the MMA world and his game has flourished since. A martial artist since childhood, Duquesnoy now tests himself on a daily basis on the mats at the famed Jackson-Wink gym in Albuquerque alongside the likes of Jon Jones and Holly Holm.
Dylan Tuke (2-0)
Dylan Tuke is the latest impressive fighter to be taken from the seemingly never-ending production line at SBG Ireland and though it is still early in his career, 'The Nuke' already looks like one of the biggest prospects to emerge from the Irish MMA landscape in some time.
Tuke's amateur career signposting him as being an incredible threat on the ground but his striking game has improved extensively recently, as showcased with the laser-guided knee and subsequent punches he used to dispatch Mark Andrew in his most recent fight for BAMMA.
Frans Mlambo (2-1)
Like Tuke, featherweight prospect Mlambo calls SBG Ireland his home and it is there, with John Kavanagh as his tutor, where he has emerged as one of the top MMA prospects in the game. Mlambo won gold at the IMMAF international amateur championship last summer and though he dropped his second pro bout in Japan (in a fight he was sick going into), that loss hasn't done much to diminish the hype around this flashy striker.
Darrion Caldwell (9-0)
It may seem strange to list Darrion Caldwell in an article like this considering he is undefeated and has six victories under the Bellator umbrella but it is really worth underlining exactly how good this bantamweight fighter could be.
Caldwell is about as good an amateur wrestler as has compteted in MMA and was considered a strong contender for the US Olympic team in 2012 if injury hadn't hampered his performances. Caldwell turned his attention to MMA shortly after the London Games and has been on an impressive run ever since.
His last victory over former Bellator champion Joe Warren was about as impressive as it gets. The sky really is the limit for this guy.
Lando Vannata (8-1)
Most MMA fans hadn't heard of Lando Vanatta until recently but the Jackson-Wink prospect firmly placed himself into the MMA spotlight when he made his UFC debut last weekend. Vannata was brought in as a short notice replacement to fight top lightweight contender Tony Ferguson, a fighter who has looked practically unbeatable recently, but it was Lando who looked the more likely to finish the fight early.
Showcasing the sort of 'flowy' movement that would make Conor McGregor happy, Vannata bamboozled his opponent early and was close to bringing an end to the fight on more than one occasion before Ferguson rallied in the second round and ended the fight with a brabo choke.
This loss did nothing to hurt the debutant though and a return to his more natural weight class of featheweight could signify another new contender in that already stacked division.
Jonas Bilharinho (8-1)
As with anyone who is a training partner of a certain Jose Aldo, Jonas Bilharinho is a very good fighter. Though he is coming off the first loss of his career in April, the fighter they called 'Speed' was the simultaneous Jungle Fight bantamweight and featherweight champion and considered a future star of the sport.
The recent loss to Valdines Silva is a bump in the road and, hopefully from his point of view, not a roadblock and while it might delay his arrival to a major MMA promotion, you can expect to see 'Speed' on much bigger cards in future.
Christian Lee (5-0)
Singapore's Christian Lee's pro career has been brief. Five fights, five first round finishes. And all before his 19th birthday.
Lee is currently signed up to ONE FC and, while questions remain about the quality of his opponents, these are still his formative years in the sport. Exactly how far he goes in MMA is up to him but all indications imply that the sky is the limit for him.
Though, somewhat interestingly, Christian might not even be the best prospect in the Lee household...
https://youtu.be/eTgnmp8lr_w
Angela Lee (6-0)
Angela Lee, Christian's older sister, is the 115lb champion at ONE FC and recently earned the strap in a wildly exciting grappling display with Mei Yamaguchi which you should watch above (trust us, it's something else...).
Lee is considered to be the top female prospect in the entire sport today and would be a fantastic addition to the UFC's female straweight division which has seen a massive surge in popularity since the emergence of Joanna Jedrzejczyk's emergence.
Michael 'Venom' Page (10-0)
There is a strong case to be made for MVP being considered the most entertaining fighter in mixed martial arts today. The Londoner has become one of the top stars in Bellator since debuting for the company and most recently fought just last weekend where he put veteran Evangalista Santos away with a second round flying knee.
It's clear to see that MVP is one of Bellator's most potentially lucrative prospects which explains why they have been slow to throw him in with the big dogs but, judging my how he outclassed and ultimately injured his opponent on Saturday night, a step-up in competition is the right thing to do for MVP.
Phil Hawes (4-0)
His coaches at Jackson-Wink compare Phil Hawes to Chris Weidman and Cain Velasquez who, like Hawes, were able to parlay a successful collegiate wrestling career to MMA in no time at all. Teammate Jon Jones says that Hawes' potential is "limitless". His record at the moment shows less than five victories but the reason for that, according to his coaches, is that no one wants to fight him.
Usually at this point in a fighter's career they would be paired up with similarly experienced foes. No one wants to fight Hawes, they claim, and his management team are being forced to look towards opponents with much more respectable records though, if the praise from Greg Jackson and Mike Winklejohn is legit, Hawes will be tested before long - and he has all the tools to pass with flying colours.
