GiGi Canuto (6-1) vs. Mackenzie Stiller (5-1) – Women’s Strawweight
With both of these girls currently booked, we’d likely need them to win those fights to make this matchup. Stiller, a black belt in judo, facing Canuto, a black belt in BJJ, would be a dream title eliminator matchup. The takedowns, scrambles, and overall level of grappling this fight could have is awesome to think about. Both girls could end up fighting Bertolso for the title if they win their next fights, but at 23 and 26, respectively, there’s no rush.
Canuto’s only loss comes against Natasha Kuziutina in a back-and-forth interim title fight. Canuto was just 21 at the time and has won two dominantly since. She also submitted UFC strawweight Denise Gomes at the UFC Fight Pass Invitational, showing the UFC is more than familiar with her already. With five first-round finishes in six wins, Canuto is no doubt one of the top WMMA prospects in the sport. However, she’ll need to get past Janaina Silva at LFA 224 first before this matchup can be thought about.
Stiller has already fought in a top promotion, going on a 2-1 run in Bellator. Her only loss came against Sumiko Inaba before she shifted to LFA after the promotion shut down. In LFA, Stiller picked up two impressive finishes against strong opponents, Cristina Brador and Sidney Trillo. With Stiller booked against Kendra McIntyre for LFA 226, another impressive win would throw her right into the mix of title contention. Seeing her test her Judo skills against Canuto’s BJJ would be extremely exciting.
Aline Pereira (2-2) vs. Bia Consuli (6-1) – Women’s Flyweight
Despite being just 2-2 in MMA, Pereira is already one of the more well-known women on the regional scene thanks to her brother Alex’s success. All of Pereira’s regional fights come with LFA, so staying with the promotion in 2026 and taking another step up in competition could be warranted. After dropping a Unanimous Decision to Cheyanne Bowers, Pereira has won four straight (three in Karate Combat), including an impressive performance over Nejra Repp in November. That win showed lots of improvement for Pereira and could enter her into the higher ranks of the division.
After dropping her LFA title fight against Shannon Clark, Consuli suffered defeat for the first time in 17 fights. Her win streak, dating back to 2019, and her amateur career were among the most impressive in the sport. Wins over Carol Foro, Giulliany Perea, and Eduarda Moura speak to the level of fighter Consuli is. While she should take a bit of time off, matching her against Pereira would give her an opponent with a big name and potentially allow her to test her striking some more.
Reginaldo Junior (11-1) vs. Gabriel Vinicius (6-0) – Welterweight
After taking his only professional loss against Martins, Junior has won five straight, including four finishes. Three of those finishes come within less than 90 seconds, a true testament to how dangerous Junior is. Despite struggling in his last fight with Natan Mota, Junior is still just 26 and trains with the Fighting Nerds. His 5-1 record in the promotion could be enough for a title shot next, but a step up in competition against a TUF vet would be a good test to gauge his skills.
A former WGP Kickboxer, Vinicius has taken LFA by storm, but not in the way expected. While his kickboxing background is evident, it’s his dangerous grappling and submissions that have stood out so far in his career. With wins by heel hook, RNC, and anaconda choke, Vinicius has shown a wide arsenal of submissions. He’s faced tough opponents so far, but his toughest fight may be in front of him. Vinicius faces Joel Salviano at LFA 225, and with a win, a step up in competition, and a potential fight against Junior would be action-packed.
Steve Collins (6-0) vs. Loai Abushaar (5-1) – Lightweight
“Scuba” Steve Collins may have a great nickname, but his fighting skills are even better. The lightweight prospect has racked up four wins in LFA, including three first-round knockouts. Despite having two fights fall through in 2025, he still managed to fight three times. One of those scrapped fights was against Abushaar, a fun stylistic fight that I would like to see rebooked this year. If Collins can get past a tough and lanky finisher like Abushaar, a title fight would not be far away.
Abushaar put himself on the map with a stunning 51-second KO over Edmund Kwan in July. Standing at 6’4, Abushaar is likely one of the tallest lightweights in MMA right now. All five of his wins and his lone loss come within Round 1, a testament to his exciting style. A car crash late last year was a big scare, but Abushaar is seemingly back in the gym already. Depending on how soon he could fight, rebooking the Collins matchup would be a great fight for both.
Marcelo Marques (12-0) vs. Nikita Kulshin (8-0) – Lightweight
Marcelo Marques has racked up a 4-0 record in LFA and an impressive, undefeated career to this point. Despite his success, his recent two showings have lowered overall perception, with some believing he should’ve lost his split decision win over Luann Sardinha in 2024. With only one fight in 2025 and just six since 2019, Marques’ issues with inactivity have halted most of his momentum. A decisive win over a young, promising prospect like Kulshin could give him a much-needed boost to get called up.
Kill Cliff FC’s Kulshin suffers from similar issues with a lack of finishes. Despite being 5-0 in LFA, his only finish came in his 2023 debut. While Kulshin’s level of competition hasn’t been bad to this point, there’s definitely a step up to be made. Facing a guy like Marques could give him the name on his resume needed to truly stand out and prove how good a prospect he is. Even without the finishes, Kulshin is a high-level talent who continues to show improvement.
Ansar Khamzaev (5-0) vs. Eduardo Dutra (6-0) – Featherweight
20-year-old Khamzaev has made waves recently, being featured on Neon’s streams and gaining popularity with impressive performances. As one of the youngest fighters in LFA, Khamzaev stands at 6’0 and has already made his mark with a 3-0 record. Two of those wins come within the first 80 seconds of the fight, including a devastating first-round KO over Edens Charles in his latest fight. His three opponents in the promotion combined for a record of 9-1, so the competition has been solid and fitting for a prospect of Khamzaev’s caliber. In a tough training room at Kill Cliff FC, Khamzaev has stood out as a rising star, and his performances only back that.
At 21 years old, Dutra shares a similar level of age and experience as Khamzaev. His 4-0 record in LFA and 12-fight win streak dating back to his amateur days make his résumé tough to ignore. The submission specialist is a black belt who shows his grappling skills in every fight. While Dutra’s faced a solid level of competition to this point, Khamzaev would be a sizable step up and a marquee opponent. Dutra could truly test Khamzaev’s grappling at this point and give a very tough fight to the Russian.
Kasey Tanner (9-1) vs. Mitchell McKee (10-0) – Bantamweight
The bantamweight fights on this list could all shift around due to the nature of talent in the division. This matchup feels like it makes sense more than most, though.
At 34 years old, Tanner is in a tricky spot at this point in his career. His 2023 loss to Jean Matsumoto on DWCS stands as the lone blemish on his record, and he’s since rebounded with three wins in LFA. Tanner’s latest wins over Michael Cyr and Micais Urena stand out as the most impressive of his career. Despite struggling with injuries and inactivity, Tanner has solidified himself as one of LFA’s best at 135 pounds. While I’m unsure if the UFC is still interested, he still could be on the radar for other major promotions looking to bring in a top bantamweight on the regional scene. At the very least, he serves as a massive test for any blooming prospect in LFA.
Another product of Kill Cliff FC, McKee has been a rising prospect in the sport for years. While he hasn’t been inactive, the level of competition he’s faced could improve. Nearly all of his career has been in LFA, making up eight of his ten fights. In his last fight, he rallied from a knockdown to finish Pedro Nobre by TKO in Round 2. With that being his second finish in his past six fights, McKee could be on the way to getting more attention from a major promotion. A tough test against a veteran like Tanner would really show where McKee is in his development.
Rafael Pereira (14-4) vs. Daniel Araujo (8-0) – Bantamweight
After a 5-4 start to his career, Pereira has turned a page and won nine straight. Since coming to LFA, “Mini Man” is 4-0 over opponents whose records combine to 47-7-2. Pereira has already called out champion Artem Belakh for a fight, but instead faces Lionel Abojer at LFA 225 later this month. A finish would likely push Pereira over the edge, and he’s someone I expect to see in a major promotion by the end of the year. If he gets past him, there are many options for what’s next for Pereira in the loaded bantamweight division.
Araujo also competes at LFA 225, one fight after Pereira, in the Co-Main event against Derick Borges. The 24-year-old comes from a boxing background, which is evident when you watch him fight. His quick hands and footwork allow him to bounce in and out while landing punches effectively. With just a 2-0 record in LFA, he has an explosive knockout and an impressive decision over an undefeated prospect already. His most recent win showed how explosive he can be when his combinations are flowing, and his potential is very high if he can round out his game.
Christian Natividad (8-0) vs. Phumi Nkuta (10-0) – Flyweight
With all eight of his career fights in LFA and a brother who fought in the UFC, it’s surprising that Natividad hasn’t received a call-up already. The main culprit behind that is likely his lack of finishes, with just one in his last six fights. That finish came by TKO in his last fight against Jostin Quilca, the perfect kill-or-be-killed opponent to produce a finish. While he hasn’t finished fights at a high rate, Natividad is always entertaining to watch. His boxing-heavy style and strong grappling make him a well-rounded threat, and his cardio has been great throughout his career. While this matchup isn’t likely to produce a finish, a win over Nkuta would surely guarantee a UFC signing.
Hailed as one of the best prospects in the sport for years, Nkuta has seemingly been shunned by the UFC. It’s a shame, too, because talent-wise, he is one of the best prospects outside of the promotion. Nkuta is the former CFFC and Peak FC champion, joining LFA last year and going 2-0 in the promotion over two strong opponents, including former champion Cody Davis. Despite Nkuta’s impressive skill set, his future remains uncertain. A win over Natividad would no doubt help push his career along and potentially put him in the sights of a major promotion.
Bonus Matchup
Arslan Bilalov/Matt Adams vs. Gable Steveson – Heavyweight Championship
This matchup would need an asterisk next to it for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Bilalov and Adams are fighting this week at LFA 224 for the Heavyweight Belt. The winner of that matchup would be who fights Steveson next in this hypothetical. Secondly, Steveson may not fight with the promotion again since they parted ways with Fight Pass. However, Steveson debuted with the promotion and could look to add a title around his waist before a UFC signing. Adams or Bilalov would have something to say about that, though. Bilalov is 5-0 and came over to the US recently, looking to prove himself as a top heavyweight. With four finishes in those wins, his wrestling-heavy style leads to finishes, which are needed at Heavyweight.
Adams sits at 5-1, dropping his debut against Cameron Kinzig but winning five straight since. While his level of competition was on the weaker side, his latest win over Ben Wunder was pivotal. Wunder is an interesting prospect at 265, and Adams made easy work of him, showing off strong wrestling and GNP. While he will likely be the underdog in his upcoming title fight, he’s made it hard to count him out.