Every fighter starts somewhere. Before the hype, before the Contender Series, before the UFC call — there’s the early grind. Before They Blow Up is my way of spotlighting prospects still in that stage.
In this third edition, I’m looking at a few rising talents with five fights or fewer that are on my radar. These aren’t fighters I expect to be making any waves anytime soon. These are fighters I have watched, and I think have a good future in this sport.
Flyweight, Bryce Woerner (2-0)
Bryce Woerner has been highly touted since his amateur days. As a testament to his upside, top management group Ruby Sports signed him while he was still competing as an amateur. Dating back to his ammy run, Woerner went 9–2 and won four separate regional titles.
Woerner trains out of Nashville, Tennessee, with Nashville MMA Training Camp under coach Dustin Ortiz, a UFC veteran, alongside striking coach Ronnie Lawrence, another former UFC alum. While Woerner hasn’t fought anyone truly notable yet, he was tested fairly well as an amateur.
Bryce grew up wrestling, and that foundation, combined with his comfort on the feet, has made him a well-rounded fighter. He fights out of a very loose, comfortable stance and is confident in his distance control and timing. He does a great job of dipping off to the side and attacking from both stances, mixing a variety of looks. As Woerner faces better competition, he could run into someone who makes him pay for keeping his hands low. It’s kind of like Lone’er Kavanagh — great distance control, but Charles Johnson didn’t respect it and eventually caught him.
Woerner uses his tools as you’d expect. He stays in his opponent’s face, throwing the jab, mixing targets, and staying light on his feet. For the most part, he’s defensively aware. He catches kicks and slips punches well, and often responds with combinations or dips under to mix in takedowns. He’ll throw from both sides while advancing and mix in elbows and knees on the inside.
He’s a tricky fighter to read and not one you can let set the pace. You almost have to risk getting clipped to step in and touch his chin. Not only can he snipe you on the entry, but he’ll also change levels and mix in takedowns. Woerner is a strong offensive and defensive wrestler. His control could be better, but he scrambles well, attacks the neck during transitions, and uses ground-and-pound as a notable weapon to open up dominant positions.
Lightweight, Shay Ingram (4-0)
Shay Ingram is undefeated as both a pro and an amateur, with a combined record of 13–0. He won three titles as an amateur and now has his sights set on the Cage Warriors lightweight title as a pro. Ingram has a bit of everything, which you just don’t see in every 22-year-old.
On the feet, he throws a popping jab and works in short combinations. He’ll walk guys down, use feints, and mix his hands and kicks well. While he can spend long stretches striking, he consistently circles back to his wrestling and ground game.
Ingram does a great job timing his takedown entries and chaining together attempts to get the fight to the mat. A lot of his success comes from the clinch, where he isolates a leg on the inside and hits trips. On top, Ingram is a big threat, and it starts with his ground-and-pound. No matter if he’s in full guard, half guard, side control, or mount, he stays active with his GnP. He applies that pressure while actively passing guard, and while he can be a bit overzealous at times, it usually works in his favor because he’s quick to re-wrestle and stay on top.
Ingram is one of the better prospects out of Cage Warriors, and with his activity, he could end the year with promotion gold around his waist.
Flyweight, Samba Sima (3-0)
The last two years have seen Samba Sima break out. He holds a spotless pro record and has extensive amateur experience, going 21–4. Sima was a silver medalist at the 2024 IMMAF Worlds and a two-time French Amateur MMA Champion. He’s nearing 30 total fights and is still only 23 years old.
Sima’s biggest weakness is his takedown defense, and even that isn’t glaring. Because he’s so dynamic on the feet, he’s going to be put in tough positions fairly often. Defensively, he has a strong base and sprawls very well. Where he can struggle is fighting wrists and digging underhooks, areas where a strong wrestler could get him planted. His last amateur fight against Jamshid Tilyaev is a good example. Tilyaev is a legit wrestler and was able to win minutes in the wrestling exchanges.
Even then, Sima is a dangerous opponent to shoot on. He’s a sniper at range, controls the cage well, fights long, uses plenty of feints, and switches stances smoothly. His kickboxing is his best weapon, attacking at all three levels while showcasing both power and a quick release.
Sima is big for the flyweight division, and I can’t imagine many fighters are eager to sign the dotted line to face him. Even though it’s still early in his career, I already view him as a top flyweight prospect — and that’s saying a lot.