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Every year sees new prospects join the UFC, with some going onto major success and others heading towards failure.
Naturally, some of these prospects receive far more hype than others, largely because of their achievements prior to starting their careers with the UFC.
Ignoring fighters like Michael Chandler and Ben Askren, who found success and gained experience with rival promotions, who is the most hyped prospect of all time? Perhaps it’s one of these fighters.
Here are five of the most highly-touted prospects in UFC history.
#5. Bo Nickal – UFC middleweight
The latest prospect to arrive in the UFC with serious hype behind him is middleweight Bo Nickal. ‘The Allen Assassin’ was signed by the promotion a couple of weeks ago following his second win on Dana White’s Contender Series, a victory that took his MMA record to 3-0.
So why is Nickal receiving so much hype? Put simply, he’s one of the most accomplished amateur wrestlers to ever set foot inside the octagon.
‘The Allen Assassin’ is not only a three-time NCAA Division I national champion, but he also built a ludicrous record of 120-3 during his collegiate days. He probably would’ve gone onto success in the 2020 Olympics were it not for a loss to eventual gold medalist David Taylor.
Of course, having a stellar amateur wrestling background is no guarantee of success in the octagon – for every Josh Koscheck there’s a Jake Rosholt – but thus far at least, Nickal is making all the right moves.
Not only is he training with American Top Team, one of the best camps in MMA, but he’s also achieved a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He's also already made noise by calling out high-level contender Khamzat Chimaev.
Only time will tell whether ‘The Allen Assassin’ lives up to the hype, but we should learn a lot about his potential when he faces the far more experienced Jamie Pickett in December. For now, though, he’s definitely among the most highly-touted prospects to hit the octagon in years.
#4. B.J. Penn – former UFC lightweight champion
In the modern era, only two fighters have ever made their official MMA debut inside the UFC’s octagon. Both men came from the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu. However, it’s fair to say that B.J. Penn garnered more hype than Marcio ‘Pe De Pano’ Cruz, and lived up to it, too.
The Hawaiian wasn’t a legend in the grappling world, per say, but his nickname ‘The Prodigy’ came from the fact that it took him just three years to earn his black belt in jiu-jitsu, an unheard of feat even today.
After making waves when he became the first non-Brazilian to win the black belt division of the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, Penn found himself on the radar of the UFC. At the age of 22, he entered the octagon for the first time in May 2001.
Naturally, everyone was hyped to see the Hawaiian’s grappling skills in action. Sure enough, he thoroughly dominated opponent Joey Gilbert on the mat en route to a first round TKO win.
From there, though, it was Penn’s striking that opened everyone’s eyes. He stopped Din Thomas and Caol Uno violently to set up his first title shot. While he came up short against then-lightweight champion Jens Pulver, he would later claim gold in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions.
Penn’s career with the promotion came to an unfortunate end in 2019 on the back of a seven-fight losing streak. In his defense, he stuck around far too long and probably should’ve remained retired after he initially stepped away in 2011.
Overall, though, it’s safe to say that not only did ‘The Prodigy’ live up to the hype that he received when he first signed with the UFC, he actually ended up surpassing it, too.
#3. Alex Pereira – UFC middleweight contender
Over the years, a number of legends from the world of kickboxing have made their way to the UFC, from Gokhan Saki to Mark Hunt. However, it’s fair to say that Alex Pereira has received more hype than all of them since signing with the promotion in 2021.
There are largely two reasons why ‘Poatan’ received so much attention before he’d even stepped into the octagon. Firstly – unlike Saki, for instance – the Brazilian left kickboxing for MMA in his prime, with an insane record of 33-7 to his name, including 21 knockouts.
Secondly, and probably most importantly, Pereira holds two wins over reigning middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He’s also the only man to ever knock out ‘The Last Stylebender’ in either kickboxing or MMA.
Thus far into his tenure in the octagon, ‘Poatan’ has firmly lived up to the hype. He’s taken out three opponents, dispatching Andreas Michailidis, Bruno Silva and Sean Strickland with terrifying ease.
The most recent bout, in particular, was insane, as he needed less than three minutes to knock out ‘Tarzan’, who was riding a six-fight win streak at the time.
While it remains to be seen whether Pereira can defeat Adesanya in their upcoming middleweight title bout, it’s safe to say that the Brazilian is likely to remain part of the top 10 at 185lbs for some time, making him well deserving of the hype he’s received.
#2. Brock Lesnar – former UFC heavyweight champion
When former WWE champion Brock Lesnar signed with the UFC in late 2007, he instantly received far more hype than any other pro-wrestler to make the crossover into MMA had ever done before him.
The reason for this was clear. Lesnar wasn’t just any regular pro-wrestler. Prior to his WWE career, he’d been a standout amateur wrestler, winning an NCAA Division I national championship in 2000. That, coupled with his freakish athleticism, gave him a definite base to potential success.
‘The Beast Incarnate’ made his octagon debut in 2008. While he was submitted by former heavyweight champ Frank Mir, the damage he did in the early stages of the fight suggested that he definitely had a bright future ahead of him.
Few fans could’ve realized how bright, though. After easily beating veteran Heath Herring in his next bout, he was offered a shot at longtime heavyweight champion Randy Couture. H upset ‘The Natural’ by knocking him out to claim the gold.
Lesnar’s time at the top of the promotion was relatively short, as he made just two successful title defenses in a reign that was derailed by his battle with diverticulitis.
After losing his belt to Cain Velasquez, the former WWE star fought just twice more, first suffering a defeat to Alistair Overeem before retiring from MMA. He then returning briefly in 2016 to beat Mark Hunt.
However, it’s safe to say that he lived up to the hype he received during his brief run in the octagon. To this day, he remains one of the UFC’s most successful heavyweights.
#1. Cain Velasquez – former UFC heavyweight champion
Unlike some of the other names on this list, Cain Velasquez didn’t get hype as a prospect arriving in the UFC due to his past success in another combat sport like kickboxing or Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Sure, he had a successful background as an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, but even that wasn’t the reason everyone was excited. Instead, Velasquez’s hype came from his teammates at the famed American Kickboxing Academy, who insisted that he was the best heavyweight fighter they’d ever seen.
At that point, the big issue for Velasquez was reportedly that after beating two lower-level foes on the regional circuit, nobody was willing to step up and face him. That meant it was going to be hard for him to make it into the UFC.
With that considered, his trainers at AKA did something different. Supposedly, they invited Dana White to a training session, where he witnessed Velasquez dominate his teammates so thoroughly that he immediately signed him to a contract.
In the end, Velasquez made his octagon debut in early 2008. The MMA world waited with baited breath to see if he was really as good as his team had made him out to be.
The truth was that, incredibly, Velasquez was even better. He dominated every foe put in front of him after his debut, including fighters with far more experience like Cheick Kongo and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He eventually dethroned Brock Lesnar for the heavyweight title in his seventh bout for the promotion.
Injuries eventually wrecked him and basically prevented him from completely fulfilling his potential, but the fact that many fans view him as the UFC’s greatest-ever heavyweight says a lot. Essentially, he lived up to all of the hype he had, and then some.
