10 Light-heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2026

A highly credentialled finisher with Cage Warriors Academy titles at both light-heavyweight and heavyweight. Berisha stands to arguably be the top unsigned prospect in the world at 205lbs.

 

 

Vosgröne is raw, but unquestionably exciting in a weight class that admittedly lacks excitement. He still has areas in his game he’ll need to improve. Even on the ground, you can see that his GnP is pretty green with technique. Vosgröne’s style has proven to be unquestionably effective because of how relentless he is in grounding the fight.

 

Being signed to Oktagon, the UFC couldn’t just straight up sign Vosgröne and would need to buy him out of his contract (or wait for it to end). In a weight class that’s desperate for more talent and fun faces, Vosgröne would prove to be a valuable addition for his exciting style and the inevitable theatrics it would provide.

 

Think of a grappler’s version of Jiri Prochazka when you think of Vosgröne. He’ll be guaranteed entertainment, win, lose, or draw and is undoubtedly a potential star in the making. A unique fighter with a punishing, grinding, and relentless ground game, Vosgröne would make for a worthy addition to the UFC at 205lbs.

Having moved up to 205 as a former LFA middleweight champion, Fernando captured the LFA light-heavyweight title last August. A former DWCS fighter, Fernando’s only losses come to Azamat Bekoev, Cesar Almeida, and Diego Dias, all of whom are good competition.

 

Fernando is a dangerous striker with genuine knockout power. He has a strong kickboxing foundation, having been a member of the Brazilian Kickboxing Team. As expected, he has a nasty array of kicks at his disposal that he utilizes to great effect. He’s also built further upon that by adding in knees that can be debilitating for opponents. In particular, I really love the way Fernando brutalizes the body. Overall, on the feet, Fernando is highly problematic to deal with, given his ability to brutally inflict damage to his opponents. This is all, not to mention Fernado’s underrated grappling game, which helps to keep him safe defensively and allows him to keep the fight standing where he wants it.

 

Fernando, at least to me, seems like someone the UFC should be looking very closely at. A sneaky, well-rounded prospect with an exciting fight style and finishing upside. While I do want to see him get more experience at 205t having spent most of his career at Middleweight, a 12-3 record stands to be the most experienced and arguably UFC-ready fighter on this list.

 

All things considered, in a shallow division like light-heavyweight, Fernado has the opportunity to really shine as a prospect and be a legitimate prospect in the UFC.

 

Muhammad Said, formerly known as Magomed Saidov, is an impressive striker with knockout power who possesses good TDD and overall defensive grappling fundamentals.

 

Said has a nasty arsenal of strikes that can inflict serious damage and an overall dangerous striking game. In particular, he possesses impressive kicks, really whipping his leg and digging his shin into his opponent’s legs, body, and head. In the clinch, Said will fire knees at will when in the position to do so. I also like how he disguises small tricks like feinting that opponents often bite on. Said employs more of a karate stance on the feet, bouncing in and out with his hands mostly low and chin up, which may be an issue in the future, but to date hasn’t.

 

His recent fight against Valmir da Silva proved to be a step-up in competition. It was good to see Said maintain relative dominance over the course of 15 minutes, given he hadn’t gone to a decision before. Even though he looked increasingly tired as the fight went on, it was valuable for him as he climbs through the rankings.

 

Overall, Said is not only very effective as a striker, but highly entertaining with finishing upside. In a weight class desperately needing excitement and talent, Said shapes to be a worthy inclusion to the UFC’s light-heavyweight roster.

 

Ford is a smart grappler with strong ground control, pop in his hands, and finishing ability. Ford has finished fights both on the feet and on the ground, and sports an impressive 100% finishing rate. Only one fight of his made it to round two.

 

Ford’s only professional loss came against recent DWCS contract winner Donte Johnson. That is hardly a disqualifying loss for Ford, who has shown enough in his other fights to still warrant consideration.

 

Ford has shown composure on the feet, peppering his opponents with teep kicks and punches while pressuring them towards the cage. He clearly has pop in his hands, having won two of his professional fights by KO in impressive fashion.

 

On the mat, we’ve seen Ford be able to control and submit opponents when he’s been able to get it there. He showcases strong grappling fundamentals. He will actively look for and shoot both double and single leg takedowns, both out in the open and against the cage. As well as a variety of body locks, to ultimately ground the fight and secure top position where he can go to work.

 

Primarily having fought against less experienced opposition, Ford will need to test himself against stronger opposition. What he’s shown so far has been impressive, and he’s good enough to get some UFC wins, given some of the names at light-heavyweight. Ford has a strong fundamental skillset that is relatively rounded and will give guys problems. He’s someone who, with further skill development, could prove to be highly problematic to deal with at 205.

 

While there isn’t a ton of tape on Gasanov, what’s out there shows he’s a quick, powerful striker with good grappling fundamentals. Gasanov has finished opponents with strikes, submissions, and GNP, as well as winning by decision. Finishes in all three rounds, Gasanov has shown he’s not only dangerous throughout the fight, but at the very least has the cardio to hold him through 15 minutes.

 

I would like to see how Gasanov would fare against stronger, more established opponents, as he’s been can-crushing on the Russian regional scene. It’ll be important for him to get at least some higher-level looks before fighting in the UFC. With that said, Gasanov is 27, so I’d expect to still see improvements in his game, and he has the tools to be able to make a quick impact in the UFC if he can translate his skillset up in competition.

 

In what is a thin division, Gasanov could prove to be a fun addition that, at the very least, could serve as a fun hometown fighter to put on any future cards in Azerbaijan.

 

Aly is coming off a 20-second KO loss to Iwo Baraniewski in the recent season of DWCS. Still, Aly shapes as someone worth a second look in a thin weightclass lacking depth.

 

Aly is a decorated BJJ black belt with IBJJF World Championships in both Gi and No-Gi. Despite this, we’ve primarily seen him lean on his striking, with all three of his finishes coming via KO. Aly is a dangerous kickboxer with powerful kicks, sharp elbows/knees, and creative techniques that can catch opponents off-guard. He’ll also often throw in large volume and mix his targets well to confuse opponents. Aly did show a susceptibility in his striking defence even before the Baraniewski loss, and that will need improvement if he wants to be successful at the higher levels of the sport. Still, Aly is tall, strong, and has an overall well-rounded skillset that makes him a headache to deal with.

 

It will be interesting to see if getting knocked out so quickly impacts Aly’s willingness to stay on his feet, given just how good he is on the ground. Either way, there’s a good reason for fans to still be excited about what Aly can achieve at 205 as he continues to gain more MMA experience, given everything he’s shown to date.

 

Magomedov is far from what you’d expect from your typical Club Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov prospect. He’s much more of a standout on the feet than on the ground. Magomedov has a diverse and damaging kicking game that brutalizes his opponent and has earned him stoppages before. While his boxing isn’t quite as sharp comparably, it’s still good enough that it can act as a base for him to build upon as he further develops his skillset.

 

Magomedov has decent enough offensive grappling, but has struggled with TDD and general defensive grappling. Being at Club Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, these are areas in his game I would imagine he makes large strides in as he continues to mature as a fighter. Nonetheless, these still prove to be weaknesses in Magomedov’s game, at least at the time of writing.

 

Abramovic is a heavy-handed striker with devastating power and defensive sensibilities both on the feet and his TDD. He throws a vast majority of his strikes with fight-ending intentions, winging wild overhands in an effort to catch his opponents off guard.

 

Abramovic uses his punches as his weapon of choice, as well as knees in the clinch. He doesn’t throw many (if any) kicks or elbows from the tape I’ve been able to see of him. That said, it would hardly be surprising to see Abramovic take further strides in his striking given his age. If Abramovic can round out some of the technical aspects in his stand-up, he would be an even more highly dangerous prospect to deal with and a serious threat at 205 in the UFC.

 

Although it’s still early in his professional career, Abramovic holds a 10-1 amateur record that includes the 2024 IMMAF European title. While he hasn’t necessarily faced the stiffest of competition to date, at a young age, he’s shown he has the raw skills and athleticism to cause problems in a shallow division. A division where you can often get away with a bit more than you can compared to the lighter classes.

 

If he can continue on the type of trajectory he’s on and win a couple more fights against more established competition, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a guy like Abramovic signed to the UFC in 2026, even despite his lack of professional experience.

 

Anvarjonov had an impressive 6-1 amateur career as a heavyweight. He was an IMMAF Asian and World Heavyweight Champion. Anvarjonov moved down to light-heavyweight for his professional career and now finds himself 3-0.

 

A grinding and relentless grappler with devastating GnP, Anvarjonov is a genuine nightmare to deal with on the ground because he (at least to date) has showcased that he can win in practically any position. That said, this shouldn’t undersell the power he possesses in his hands. He set an IMMAF Asia record for fastest finish in his 2022 first-round matchup. He is also dangerous in the clinch, able to fire off knees to the body that have opponents questioning their desire to stay in the fight.

 

In particular, Anvarjonov’s win over Bafode Gassama in the IMMAF World Heavyweight Final was impressive and stands as his only real, credible win. I’d like to see Anvarjonov fight more seasoned competition and continue to round out his skillset on the fee,t as there are defensive holes in his game. With nothing but time on his side, there’s no reason that Anvarjonov couldn’t make something of himself if he can continue to develop.