Featherweight is a tricky division to pick prospects in. The UFC has already plucked many exciting prospects from the regionals over the last couple of years. They’ve signed notable fighters like Kevin Vallejos, Luke Riley, Austin Bashi, Kurtis Campbell, Tommy McMillen, Ramiro Jimenez, Marcio Barbosa, and Jose Delano, among others. However, despite all these signings, there are still some promising prospects on the regional scene who are pushing for a call-up in 2026, and I’ve highlighted ten of them below.
Before we get to the Featherweights, check out what we did for Heavyweight, Light-heavyweight, Middleweight, Welterweight, and Lightweight.
Icaro Brito
26 years old – Brazil – Centurion FC – 8-1
The toughest opponent for Icaro Brito so far seems to be the government employees who seemingly refuse to issue his visa. Twice, he’s been booked to show his skills in front of Dana on DWCS, and had to pull out due to the vissa issues.
Hopefully, 2026 is the year the stars (and paperwork) finally align for Brito. The Fighting Nerds product would almost certainly be right up Dana’s alley if the boss ever got to see him. He’s quite similar to his teammate Mauricio Ruffy. The way he bounces around the cage while applying pressure and unleashing a variety of exciting strikes. He’s also shown he has the cardio to keep doing it against an opponent with a tough chin. That alleviates some of the fears about how flashy, explosive guys will do once they meet resistance in the UFC.
Icaro should absolutely be close to the top of the list at 155 to join his Fighting Nerds brothers in the big show.