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#4. Ian Garry - UFC welterweight
Ian Garry’s UFC debut had many comparing him to Conor McGregor after the Irish prospect delivered a huge knockout punch to earn a first-round victory. European MMA fans have been aware of Garry for some time as he stormed to the Cage Warriors welterweight title without tasting defeat.
Garry followed up his high-profile debut with a more measured performance that saw him defeat Darian Weeks via unanimous decision on April 9. While the hype surrounding ‘The Future’ appears to have calmed down in the wake of that bout, at just 24 years of age, he has plenty of time to improve.
Garry currently trains at one of the elite gyms in the sport in Sanford MMA, so he appears to have a good shot at reaching his potential. He also appears to have the right attitude and has stated he is in no rush to climb the rankings which shows maturity beyond his years.
#3. Alexander Romanov - UFC heavyweight
Typically, the UFC pushes heavyweight prospects very quickly but Moldova’s Alexander Romanov appears to be the exception to this rule. While he is the oldest name to feature on this list, he has more competitive experience than most and has passed every test he’s faced thus far.
Of his 15 professional fights, Romanov has defeated every opponent inside the distance. Romanov first competed in the UFC in 2020 where he earned an impressive second-round submission win over Roque Martinez.
He followed that up with a technical submission win, a technical decision win and most recently a TKO victory over Jared Vanderaa. Now that he’s on a four-fight win streak inside the octagon, it may not be long before he finds himself in the rankings.
He will have a particularly good opportunity to do so should he win his next bout, which is scheduled for April 23 against Tanner Boser. Boser, who has previously been ranked himself, will provide the toughest test Romanov has faced thus far.
Should he pass that test, it will be time to start taking the Moldovan fighter seriously as a big-time threat in the heavyweight division.
