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The UFC’s M.O. has always been to ensure that the best fight the best – boxing-style ducking matches is avoided, and for the most part – with the odd exception – the fighters on the UFC’s roster face whoever they’re told to by the UFC’s power-brokers.
The problem with that, of course, is that not all of the best fighters ply their trade in the UFC. With rival promotions like Bellator, ONE FC and the PFL capitalising on free agency and signing some of the world’s top fighters, the UFC can’t always make the best possible matches.
All contracts end eventually though, and with the UFC still the big dog in the MMA yard, no fighter is truly out of reach for them. Here are 5 top fighters outside the promotion that the UFC should look to add to their roster when they get the chance.
#1 Michael Chandler
The reigning Bellator Lightweight champion, Michael Chandler has had opportunities to head to the UFC in the past on a number of occasions but has always chosen to re-sign with Bellator, where he’s been one of the promotion’s poster-boys since 2011. Next time they have an opportunity though, the UFC should make Chandler an offer he can’t refuse.
Would Chandler be a title threat in the UFC? I’m not so sure, as 155lbs is the most stacked division in the UFC and with so many talented fighters around, it’s hard to truly make a mark – as former Bellator champ Will Brooks found out – but he’d undoubtedly add a lot of excitement to the proceedings.
Chandler is a great wrestler, hits like a truck, and he’s got a strong grappling game too, as evidenced by his nicely rounded record – 19 wins, 7 by KO, 7 by submission and 5 by decision. He’s also very willing to brawl it out with his opponent, as evidenced by his classic fights with Eddie Alvarez, as well as his fantastic fights with the likes of Patricky Freire and Dave Rickels.
Essentially, by signing Chandler, the UFC would add another exciting fighter to an already-packed division. You simply can’t tell me that fights between Chandler and the likes of Justin Gaethje, Al Iaquinta and Dustin Poirier wouldn’t guarantee fireworks – and that’s reason enough to bring him aboard.
#2 Kayla Harrison
The future of the UFC Women’s Featherweight division is up in the air right now, with legendary champion Cris Cyborg having been dethroned by Bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes, and Australian striker Megan Anderson being the only other true 145lber on the UFC’s roster. But if the promotion really wants to make a push with the division, they could do no better than to sign Kayla Harrison.
Harrison has been competing at 155lbs in the PFL organisation, but she has already mentioned a move to 145lbs – and that alone should ring alarm bells for the UFC as it’s unlikely that she’d drop to 135lbs any time soon like other Featherweights they’ve signed. She’s 3-0 in MMA thus far, and is obviously very inexperienced, but a glance at her background should tell you all you need to know.
Like the legendary Ronda Rousey, Harrison has an extensive background in judo – in fact, she’s even more credentialed in the sport than ‘Rowdy Ronda’, as she’s a two-time Olympic gold medallist in the sport. Essentially, she’d be arguably the most credentialed judoka to ever set foot into the UFC’s Octagon.
With the thin nature of the women’s 145lbs division right now – assuming she could make the weight limit – Harrison would probably be an instant title contender in the UFC. She already has links with the promotion as she is currently dating Welterweight contender Anthony Rocco Martin, and it’s a no-brainer that the UFC should push to sign her when they get the chance.
#3 Kyoji Horiguchi
Japanese Bantamweight Kyoji Horiguchi already has some history in the UFC – he competed there from 2013 to 2016 and had an impressive record of 7-1 with his only loss coming at the hands of then-UFC Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, one of the best fighters to ever set foot into the Octagon. In fact, it was a mystery when the UFC decided to release him in the first place.
Three years on, however, it’s pretty clear that Horiguchi belongs back in the UFC where the best fighters in the world reside. A dangerous fighter in all areas when he was in the promotion, Horiguchi has improved even further since leaving, particularly in his grappling, and his last win saw him choke out Bellator Bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell.
That win alone would probably be enough for the UFC to want to bring him back, but it’s not the only big one he’s picked up since leaving. Horiguchi hasn’t lost since his fight with Johnson in 2015, and he’s reeled off a massive 8 wins since leaving the UFC.
At 28 years old, there’s no question that Horiguchi is in his prime right now, and based on his win over Caldwell it’s likely that he’d be a title contender at 135lbs and could probably give the likes of Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Moraes and even TJ Dillashaw a good run for their money. If the UFC doesn’t look to bring him back, they’re insane.
#4 Ilima-Lei Macfarlane
As the reigning Bellator Women’s Flyweight champion and one of the poster-girls of that promotion, it’d probably be tricky for the UFC to prise Ilima-Lei Macfarlane away from their biggest rivals any time soon. But money talks – and the UFC have the most money – and so they should throw as much as it takes at her to bring her over when her contract comes to an end.
Why? Not only is Macfarlane a fantastic fighter; she’s unbeaten at 14-0 if you count her 5 amateur fights and is extremely well-rounded, with a solid striking game to go along with her very dangerous 10th Plane jiu-jitsu-based grappling, but she’s also highly marketable too and could help the UFC really make a push into the Hawaiian market.
The UFC has never really pushed into the islands before despite having top Hawaiian fighters like BJ Penn and Max Holloway on their roster, but Macfarlane has already proven herself as a popular draw there – her last fight at Bellator 213 drew a huge crowd to the Neal S Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, and she was clearly the most popular fighter on show.
The Women’s Flyweight division is the UFC’s newest, and despite champion Valentina Shevchenko looking set for a dominant reign, the rest of the division seems largely in flux. That means that Macfarlane could definitely make an impact if she were to come over – and she’d arrive as a ready-made star too, something the UFC would definitely love.
#5 Vitaly Minakov
The UFC is always looking to add talent to its ageing Heavyweight division, and while the boat has now sailed on the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, his fellow Russian fighter Vitaly Minakov is another story entirely. Minakov is almost certainly the best Heavyweight outside the UFC – he’s 21-0 and never lost the Bellator Heavyweight title he claimed by beating current UFC contender Alexander Volkov in 2013.
Minakov comes from a similar Sambo background to the afore-mentioned Fedor – as well as current UFC Lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov – and he’s got everything it takes to succeed in the UFC. He’s a good-sized Heavyweight at 6’2” and 250lbs, he hits like a truck, he’s got a solid chin and his grappling game is phenomenal, with brutal top control and ground strikes reminiscent of Fedor himself.
Most recently, Minakov re-signed with Bellator to attempt to regain the Heavyweight title he never lost, but nobody is really sure whether he had a lot of choice in the matter, as his initial Bellator contract prevented him from signing with the UFC for years.
Once his current deal is up, though, the UFC should make a huge push to bring him in – at 33 years old, he’s probably only just in his prime as a Heavyweight, and with the likes of Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum and Daniel Cormier getting no younger, Minakov would almost definitely be an instant title contender.
