The Top 5 British MMA Fighters Most Likely To Challenge For UFC Gold

The Top 5 British MMA Fighters Most Likely To Challenge For UFC Gold

By Jack Maher

British MMA has taken somewhat of a hit on the big stage over the past year and a half, with big names like Michael Bisping, Jimi Manuwa and Ross Pearson all retiring after lengthy spells in the UFC. Although to some it may seem like British MMA is on the downslope, that is definitely not the case, as there are some very exciting and talented contenders from the British isles keen to show that this is most certainly not the end of the road for British MMA, and instead just a changing of the guard.

There are many British fighters climbing up the rankings of the UFC, so let’s take a look at the top 5 British fighters who might challenge for world titles in the UFC in the next year.

Nathaniel Wood

Having watched Wood back in his Cage Warriors days, it was his punching power, striking technique and durability. That stood out for the Brad Pickett protégé, and his last Cage Warriors bantamweight title defence, a one-punch KO over Luca Iovine confirmed to everyone that he belonged with the best.

If the only fight of Wood’s you watched prior to his UFC debut was his one-round war with Josh Reed, you may have developed the opinion that he was your typical British slugger – a tough, durable, hard hitter but nothing more. But since joining the UFC, Wood has shown to the world that he has a brilliantly well-rounded skillset which has seen him pick up 3 stoppage wins from 3 fights.

His UFC debut win, a bonus-winning D’Arce choke over Johnny Eduardo was followed up by 2 rear-naked choke wins over Andre Ewell and José Quiñónez, where Wood was impressive on the feet and on the ground in both contests. It would be unfair to give Wood another unranked opponent in his next bout and hopefully it’s nothing but top 15 ranked fighters from here on out for Wood.

If he keeps up his winning ways against the divisions top 15, then don’t be surprised to see ‘The a Prospect’ contending for UFC gold in the not too distant future.

Arnold Allen

Allen’s talent has been obvious to see for a while now, and in my opinion inactivity is the main reason why the Suffolk-born featherweight isn’t a lot closer to UFC gold. Allen made his UFC debut back in June 2015, but he’s still only 25 and has his best years ahead of him. Training under Firas Zahabi at Tristar Gym out in Canada, the famous MMA gyms influence has been obvious on Allen as he is maturing in to a very technically sound fighter with a wide array of skills. Allen picked up his biggest win to date when he dominated former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez where Allen seemed a step ahead of the veteran all fight long on route to a decision win.

I don’t expect featherweight champion Max Holloway to stick around at the weight too much longer as a move back up to 155lbs is inevitable, but Allen is now ranked #12 in the division and will hopefully be given the opportunity to climb the ranks against other top contenders, potentially leading to a shot at the featherweight championship , whether that be against Holloway, a new champion or for a vacant belt.

Molly McCann

The Liverpool born flyweight has became a fan favourite of sorts this year, putting in two brave performances to earn 2 wins as well as the hearts of many fans so far this year. Training at Next Generation MMA in Liverpool, a gym known for its Jiu-Jitsu specialists. McCann channels the underdog spirit of her city brilliantly and refuses to back down no matter what the challenge.

She earned her first UFC win earlier this year when she beat Priscilla Cachoeria despite suffering a heavily swollen eye, demonstrating heart and toughness like Bisping and Dan Hardy did in their careers.

In the same way those before her pioneered British MMA, McCann is making some history of her own by being the first English woman to win in the UFC. She made her US debut back in June, travelling to Greenville South Carolina to beat Ariana Lipski by unanimous decision. ‘Meatball’ is brash and aggressive and it makes me proud to a see a fellow Scouser performing well on a big stage.

The women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko is moving through contenders quickly, and if she is successful against Liz Carmouche then the UFC will again have to look down the rankings to find her next opponent, and while McCann is currently unranked her recent performances combined with the fact the division isn’t the thickest means that throwing McCann in with one of the divisions big names isn’t really out of the question.

If McCan can beat one of the divisions top 10, then the UFC could choose to take advantage of her popularity and hand her a shot at UFC gold before too long.

Jack Shore

The second bantamweight on this list, I feel like ‘Tank’ has all the ability to go to the top. The 24 year old Welshman became a star in Cage Warriors, winning the bantamweight championship that was vacated by the aforementioned Wood in the main event of Cage Warriors 100.

His last 2 wins have been in big domestic showdowns, winning the vacant belt against England’s Mike Ekundayo before defending it against Scotland’s Scott Malone earlier this year. Shore was signed to the UFC after beating Malone but has not had a fight in the organisation yet, meaning that if he is to contend for UFC gold it will take an almost meteoric rise up the rankings. I believe Shore has the ability, whether the promotion will back him in this way is yet to be seen. Shore’s strength is on the ground, he battered Ekundayo with ground and pound to win the belt, and 6 of his professional wins have came by submission. Once Shore has hold of you, good luck getting him off.

Not only is Shore undefeated as a professional, he also went undefeated as an amateur, going 12-0 as an amateur before joining the professional ranks in 2016. Hopefully Shore will be handed his UFC debut soon, and he can get to work on trying to become Wales’s first ever UFC champion.

Leon Edwards

Out of all the names on this list, I believe Leon Edwards definitely stands the best chance of competing for UFC gold in the next year. It’s possible Edwards could fight for the belt in his next fight, but Colby Covington looks the frontrunner to face champion Kamaru Usman next.

Edwards is on an impressive 8 fight win streak, and has picked up notable wins over Vicente Luque, Gunnar Nelson, Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos. The UFC are clearly keen on Edwards, as he has twice been in a main event, most recently against Dos Anjos were Edwards won on decision.

Fighting out of Birmingham, ‘Rocky’ now finds himself ranked #4 in the division, and if he doesn’t face Usman next, you’ve got to believe one more win would earn him a title shot, especially if that win comes against his rival Jorge Masvidal.

Edwards last loss came against Usman, a decision loss back in 2015, both men have improved since their first clash and it would be interesting to see how a fight between the two would play out 4 years later, although both men will likely have challenges to overcome before then.