5 best PFL/Bellator fighters that the UFC should sign

This week has seen the major news announced that the PFL promotion had purchased rival Bellator MMA in an attempt to challenge the UFC’s stranglehold on the sport.

The PFL-Bellator merger is big news for MMA, but the UFC remains the big dog of the sport – and they may well look to sign some of their rivals’ top fighters in the near future.

So, with stars in almost every division, which PFL/Bellator fighters could make their way into the octagon in the future?

Here are the five best PFL/Bellator fighters that the UFC should sign.

#5. Jason Jackson – Bellator welterweight champion

Had someone put together a list of Bellator or PFL fighters seemingly destined for the UFC a week or so ago, Yaroslav Amosov would’ve been near the top of the list.

After all, the Russian was riding a ridiculous 27-fight win streak, had never lost a fight, and seemed almost unstoppable.

However, that was until this past weekend, as Jason Jackson dispatched him in the third round in what was a truly remarkable showing.

Jackson stuffed all of Amosov’s takedowns, hurt him with strikes, and eventually put him away with a violent combination in the third round.

Essentially, then, ‘The Ass-Kicking Machine’ has largely stolen Amosov’s hype, and it’s rightfully deserved.

Sure, he doesn’t have the gaudy record of the Russian, but Jackson is riding a seven-fight win streak, holding victories over the likes of Paul Daley and Benson Henderson. More importantly, his explosive style would likely fit in well in the UFC’s welterweight division.

Could Jackson succeed in the octagon? Absolutely. In fact, in a parallel universe, he’d already be there, as he only lost a fight on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2017 due to an injury.

Overall, then, ‘The Ass-Kicking Machine’ is definitely a Bellator/PFL fighter who should head to the octagon in the future.

#4. Johnny Eblen – Bellator middleweight champion

For the last few years, the UFC’s middleweight division has been largely ruled over by strikers, with the likes of Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, and Alex Pereira sitting at the top.

That’s why Bellator middleweight kingpin Johnny Eblen would be such an intriguing signing for the promotion if they could ever bring him in.

Unlike those aforementioned fighters, ‘The Human Cheat Code’ comes from a high-level wrestling background, becoming a Division I All-American at the University of Missouri in his collegiate days.

Unsurprisingly, Eblen has parlayed that wrestling skill into plenty of success in the Bellator cage since signing for them in 2019. He took his overall record to 11-0 before upsetting Gegard Mousasi for the middleweight title in 2022 and has since defended it twice.

More intriguingly, though, Eblen seems to be beginning to round out his game, as his last fight saw him knock out Fabian Edwards – the brother of UFC welterweight champ Leon – with a standing right hand.

With that considered, there’s no doubt that ‘The Human Cheat Code’ could do some damage at 185lbs in the octagon, and hopefully, he gets the chance to do so in the future.

#3. Patchy Mix – Bellator bantamweight champion

The UFC’s bantamweight division is certainly not short on talent right now. Champion Sean O’Malley has a number of potential challengers, with names like Marlon Vera, Cory Sandhagen, Merab Dvalishvili, and Henry Cejudo all chasing him.

However, Bellator’s new bantamweight kingpin Patchy Mix could almost certainly slot right in with the top fighters at 135lbs inside the octagon and certainly belongs on this list.

A high-level wrestler in his youth, ‘War Ready’ made his Bellator debut in largely disappointing fashion, dropping a decision to Juan Archuleta in 2020.

Since then, though, he’s reeled off six straight wins, including victories over the highly-rated Kyoji Horiguchi and Sergio Pettis, finishing five of those fights before the final bell.

A high-end athlete, Mix’s grappling is probably the strongest aspect of his game, with 13 of his 19 wins coming via submission. Based on what we’ve seen, though, he’s also more than capable of holding his own standing.

Essentially, he could go right into the UFC’s bantamweight division and compete with the very top fighters there, and his charisma could make him a star, too. Dana White and the company should definitely look to sign him up if they can in the future.

#2. Vadim Nemkov – Bellator light-heavyweight champion

Bellator’s top pound-for-pound fighter right now is their light-heavyweight champion, Vadim Nemkov. Therefore, it stands to reason that the UFC would probably love to bring the Russian to the octagon.

Unbeaten since 2016, Nemkov has ruled over Bellator’s 205lbs division since August 2020, when he dispatched Ryan Bader with a violent head kick. Since then, he’s taken out a number of highly respected veterans, including Yoel Romero, Corey Anderson, and Phil Davis.

A sambo artist with excellent grappling and a brutal striking game, Nemkov is clearly one of the world’s best 205lbers. With size, athleticism and experience on his side, there’s absolutely no doubt he’d do well in the UFC.

Whether he’d be willing to join Dana White and company, given his relationship with legendary former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko, who famously stayed away from the UFC, is a fair question to ask.

However, if he were to step into the octagon, then he’d almost definitely be capable of mixing it with the likes of Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill.

Essentially, Nemkov would likely be an instant title contender if he were to move to the biggest promotion in the world, and so fans will hope he does so in the future.

#1. Francis Ngannou – former UFC heavyweight champion

In all honesty, the PFL’s roster leaves a lot to be desired right now, which is why their recent buyout of Bellator MMA is such a big deal for them.

However, the promotion does have its own crown jewel in the form of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Earlier this year, ‘The Predator’ became the first reigning champion to walk away from the UFC since BJ Penn back in 2004, and while Dana White might claim to be cool with this, in reality, it’s likely that isn’t the case.

Sure, Jon Jones is a living legend, and Tom Aspinall might be the top heavyweight prospect on the planet right now, but realistically, MMA’s best big man no longer competes inside the octagon.

Whether Ngannou’s move was the right one for his career remains to be seen, but at this stage, the signs look good. After all, despite losing to Tyson Fury in their recent boxing match, the Cameroon native made a lot of money and is now seen as a bigger star than ever.

There’s no doubt that Ngannou will dominate any fighter the PFL – or Bellator – can put against him. So, could he return to the octagon at some point in the future?

Right now, it seems unlikely, but in MMA, you can never say never. Regardless, ‘The Predator’ stands as the best fighter outside the UFC right now, and so it shouldn’t be surprising that he would be considered the Bellator/PFL fighter that White and company would most love to sign.