5 former M-1 Global champions currently competing in the UFC

#2. Movsar Evloev – UFC bantamweight contender

Movsar Evloev is one of the featherweight division's fastest rising stars

Right now, there are few hotter fighters in the UFC’s featherweight division than Movsar Evloev. The powerful wrestler has picked up a total of five wins in the octagon since his arrival in 2019 and could well break into the elite level when he faces Dan Ige this weekend.

Like many other Russian fighters to make their way into the world’s biggest MMA promotion, Evloev saw success in M-1 global prior to moving stateside – but fascinatingly, he didn’t actually claim gold there in the featherweight division.

In fact, Evloev was able to capture the M-1 Global title at bantamweight, first winning the interim title in the weight class before claiming the undisputed crown by beating Pavel Vitruk in 2017. He then took out future UFC fighter Sergey Morozov in his first defense before moving to the octagon following one more win in 2018.

Evloev’s first fight in the octagon, his win over Seung Woo Choi, was actually his first fight at 145 pounds, making him one of the few fighters to enter the UFC from the regional scene and move up in weight, rather than down, to hunt for success.

Given his current trajectory, there’s every chance that he could become the most accomplished M-1 Global fighter to hit the octagon yet.

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#1. Shavkat Rakhmonov – UFC welterweight contender

Shavkat Rakhmonov is currently ranked in the welterweight division's top ten

Back in 2016, Alexey Kunchenko claimed the M-1 Global welterweight title and went onto defend it four times before moving to the UFC, complete with a gaudy 18-0 record. However, once he arrived in the big leagues, he struggled, losing two fights in a row before being released in 2020.

To say that the man who claimed the M-1 Global title that Kunchenko vacated has had a more successful time inside the octagon, though, would be an understatement. That fighter is Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is currently one of the most highly-rated prospects in the entire UFC.

‘Nomad’ claimed M-1 gold by defeating Daniil Prikaza in his native Kazakhstan in 2019 and then defended it once before vacating to move stateside in late 2020.

Rakhmonov made an immediate impact in the octagon by winning his first two bouts by submission, tapping out a pair of highly-touted Brazilian jiu-jitsu artists in the form of Alex Oliveira and Michel Prazeres. But it was earlier this year that he really shot to fame.

Back in February, ‘Nomad’ used a spinning hook kick to take out Carlston Harris and found himself moving into the top 15 in the welterweight division in the process. Right now it seems like the sky is the limit for this former M-1 Global champ. If he can get past Neil Magny later this month, he’ll almost certainly move into title contention.