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A string of English fighters continues to crack the UFC roster and turn a lot of heads. Michael Bisping is hailed as the best among them, but a good crop of talent can springboard from his legacy.
After retiring in 2018, Bisping set the bar high for English fighters coming to the UFC. He was part of many memorable matches inside the octagon and held the UFC middleweight title for 518 days.
Aside from Bisping, the UK has contributed MMA greats such as Brad Pickett, Dan Hardy, Joanne 'JoJo' Calderwood, Jimi Manuwa, Ross Pearson, and Liam McGeary to the UFC roster.
Leon Edwards is currently the best active English fighter in the UFC, and he has the potential to challenge Bisping's achievements.
Tom Aspinall is now a fast-rising star in the organization and continues to make progress. Darren Till has become a main event fighter, and at 28 years old, his best inside the MMA cage is yet to be seen.
But there are more British MMA fighters that are set to make their own mark.
Here are 5 English talents to put on your radar in the UFC:
#5. Cory McKenna - UFC strawweight
At 22 years old, Cory McKenna entered Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2020. ‘Poppins’ was able to hold her ground against Vanessa Demopoulos and earned a unanimous decision victory along with a ticket to join the UFC roster.
Before making the jump to the UFC, McKenna showed her potential at Cage Warriors. Her first professional match resulted in a corner stoppage victory, and her only loss was a questionable split decision.
Her debut match against Kay Hansen at UFC Fight Night 182 resulted in a unanimous decision. McKenna was worth the hype as she adjusted well inside the octagon.
It is interesting to monitor McKeena's progress from Cage Warriors to the UFC. She switched stables, and her MMA skills are currently being sharpened by the world-famous Team Alpha Male, led by Uriah Faber.
Every time she steps inside an MMA cage, she has something new to show, and it boggles the mind to think of how much her improvement will be before reaching her prime.
A handful of female English MMA fighters have come to the UFC, with Joanne 'JoJo' Calderwood and Molly McCann still active. McKenna offers something new on the table, and if she pushes the right buttons, her career definitely has a good trajectory.
#4. Lerone Murphy - UFC featherweight
Lerone Murphy is a 30-year-old featherweight fighter that came to the UFC with an unblemished record. Some may say that he came in too late but never doubt the heart of this man.
‘The Miracle’ earned that nickname after a near-death experience. At 21 years old, Murphy was shot three times, and two of those were in the neck in a drive-by shooting.
Murphy was an aspiring footballer and tried boxing before focusing on building an MMA career.
His debut in the organization did not turn out as expected, and he almost suffered his first professional loss against Zubaira Tukhogov in UFC 242. Thankfully for him, the fight was called a draw.
Murphy turned the tide with a first-round TKO over Ricardo Ramos in his next outing. He followed it up with a unanimous decision victory against Douglas Silva de Andrade in UFC on ESPN 20 on January 2021.
This fighter has yet to reach the peak of his powers, and we expect to see more from Murphy in the years to come.
#3. Jack Shore - UFC bantamweight
A lot of fighters that come to the UFC carrying an unblemished record fall short in their first match in the organization, but that is not Jack Shore. Like his ring name 'Tank', this fighter came into the UFC and barraged through the competition.
His first two matches against Nohelin Hernandez and Aaron Philipps both ended in rear-naked chokes. Those fights immediately showcased his ground skills, which caught the bantamweight division on alert about his potential.
Shore faced a real challenge as he came close to suffering his first professional loss at the hands of Hunter Azure in UFC on ABC 2. This made him realize that climbing up the division ladder would get more difficult. He came into UFC Fight Night 191 with a very cerebral approach to sealing a unanimous decision victory.
The adjustments that this 26-year-old made in his most previous match show that he evolved quickly as a fighter. The more experience Shore gets inside the octagon, the better he gets. With a perfect record of 15-0, it will be fascinating to see how his career progresses in the UFC.
#2. Arnold Allen - UFC featherweight
It is hard to imagine how most UFC fans know Arnold Allen as a veteran fighter, but he is just 27 years old. ‘Almighty’ has a lot of mileage in his MMA career, and he is now knocking at the door of the top featherweight fighters in the UFC.
Allen came to the organization in 2015 and has already won all eight matches given to him. Six of those victories came from decisions, while the rest were submissions. His most recent win was just this April against Sodiq Yusuff in UFC on ABC 2.
The eight-fight winning streak in the UFC pushed Allen to be the sixth-best contender for the title. This was deemed low as his victories, which mostly came from decisions, were not convincing.
Nonetheless, Allen’s resiliency and fight IQ is what kept him winning. A few more victories should pit him as a main event fighter, and we could see him compete for the championship after one or two more wins.
It feels like Allen is long due to getting recognition in his division, and we expect this to take place within this year.
#1. Paddy Pimblett - UFC lightweight
Paddy Pimblett is just entering his prime at 26 years old coming into the UFC and already seems to be the talk of the town after making his debut. As a standout fighter at Cage Warriors, there were questions of whether he would adjust well to competing inside the octagon.
Those doubts have been cleared after a thunderous debut against Luigi Vendramini at UFC Fight Night 191.
His opponent came in aggressively and controlled the match early. 'The Baddy' showed his fight IQ by keeping his distance and waited for a good chance to strike. Pimblett saw the opening in the final minute of the first round, used his length to keep Verdamini at a distance, and took him down with a barrage of punches.
Pimblett came in as the favorite to win, and he did not disappoint. It is very exciting to see how he will evolve in the UFC as his potential to become a top-five fighter in the lightweight division seems inevitable.
This is our list of upcoming British fighters to look out for. We are very keen to see how the careers of these fighters will pan out over the next few years.
Did we miss anyone? Let us know!
