Rodney Wallace

5 light heavyweight prospects the UFC should sign in 2017

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:02 p.m. ET

Fansided, Riley Kontek/Fansided

There are plenty of fighters throughout MMA who deserve a shot in the UFC. Here are the top five light heavyweight prospects for 2017.

Welcome to year six of my annual “prospects the UFC should sign” series, in which I examine five MMA prospects per division the UFC should sign this year. It’s a series that started during my time at Bleacher Report, continued with my tenure at Today’s Knockout and stays alive this year through FanSided.

Here, I examine the light heavyweight division, a weight class that desperately needs new, talented fighters on the roster.The division is aging and hasn’t brought many new, fresh faces into title contention for a while. Simply put, it needs a shake up, and quickly.

With that, I take a glimpse at the five light heavyweights the UFC needs to sign. I’ll try my hardest to stay away from fighters who are currently in top organizations (Bellator, WSOF, etc.), but a couple may pop up. In the past, I’ve had some great picks on the list and some that haven’t worked out. Below are the previous year’s selections, followed by the five men the UFC should offer roster spots to this year.

Previous Selections

2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Jimi Manuwa*	Jan Blachowicz*	Maxim Grishin**	Josh Stansbury*	Paul Craig*
Jan Blachowicz*	Linton Vassell	Viktor Nemkov	Maxim Grishin**	Ion Cutelaba*
Warner Prado*	Carlos Eduardo	Philipe Lins	Aleksei Butorin**(LHW & MW)	Joachim Christensen*
Tom DeBlass*	Angel DeAnda	Brandon Ropati	Stephan Puetz	Mikhail Mokhnatkin
Roy Boughton	Moise Rimbon	Marcus Vanttinen	Ken Hasegawa	Jiri Prochazka

*Indicates fighter was signed by UFC
**Indicates fighter is ineligible due to two years on the list

Magomed Ankalaev (8-0, Russia)

Coming into 2016, Magomed Ankalaev was just another light heavyweight fighter trying to make a name for himself in a shark tank of a regional scene. However, after a super successful year, Ankalaev has now become one of the most intriguing prospects in the sport.

Ankalaev entered the Akhmet Fight Show light heavyweight tournament as a dark horse alongside names like Saparbek Safarov (now in the UFC), UFC vet Rodney Wallace and Maxim Grishin, a two-time veteran of this prospect’s series. Ankalaev ran the table with ease, finishing Lloyd Marshbanks in 15 seconds, beating top Russian Artur Astakhov by decision and besting tournament favorite Grishin via TKO.

Ankalaev has never tasted defeat as a pro or an amateur. A majority of his wins come by decision, though he’s shown the ability to finish fights by knockout. He trains with the Gorets camp, which has produced many great fighters, including Rashid Magomedov, Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Ramazan Emeev, among others. Clearly, iron sharpens iron at that camp.

The best part about this undefeated fighter is that he’s just 24 years old, meaning he hasn’t even hit his peak yet. That’s a scary thought given his handiwork thus far in MMA. The UFC would be making a massive mistake for the future of the light heavyweight division if it doesn’t sign Ankalaev in 2017.

Jordan Johnson (6-0, United States)

The United States hasn’t produced many good light heavyweights in recent years, a shame given the country’s history in the weight class. Jordan Johnson could be the man to reverse that trend — the undefeated American has certainly caught scout’s eyes recently.

A veteran of the RFA organization, Johnson runs with the MMA Lab in Arizona, one of the most underrated gyms in MMA. They’ve produced many great fighters, and Johnson could be another. He’s yet to lose as an amateur or a pro, and has been taking on increasingly tough opponents, a positive sign as he looks to make the jump to the UFC.

His biggest two wins came in his last two bouts. In choking out Shaun Asher in the RFA organization, Johnson grabbed attention and put his name on the map. He followed that up by winning the vacant RFA Light Heavyweight Championship via decision, adding some serious hardware to his resume.

This submission wrestler has finished all but one pro fight by knockout or submission. At just 28 years old, he has some time to develop into a more well-rounded fighter, which would make him a major threat. If he continues down the path he’s on, he’ll drive his stock high enough to grab the UFC’s attention. He may be a fight or two off, though.

Mikhail Mokhnatkin (9-1-2, Russia)

Russian fighter Mikhail Mokhnatkin, on this list for the second year in a row, continues to be one of the top prospects in the light heavyweight division. Though he didn’t have a totally successful 2016, he’s still among the most intriguing 205ers outside the UFC.

At 26 years old, Mokhnatkin continues to grow as a fighter. He’s a combat sambo practitioner, and a Master of Sport at that, so clearly his wrestling and submission grappling is hard to match. Most of his wins come by submission, though a few have come by way of ground-and-pound. His striking is coming along nicely as well.

After going 2-0 with two finishes in 2015, Mokhnatkin ran into some trouble in 2016, drawing against Alexei Kudin. However, he came back in his next fight in a headlining role, besting Fabio Maldonado by decision in what was a good fight for the Russian.

Recently, he’s take part in heavyweight fights, but I think 205 is the best division for him. That’s especially true since Mokhnatkin comes in at a lowly 222 pounds when fighting in the heavyweight division. He runs with the Fight Nights camp, so a trip to the UFC, as well as improvements in his game, should come along soon enough.

Tomasz Narkun (13-2, Poland)

Tomasz Narkun, the KSW Light Heavyweight Champion, doesn’t get the attention he should, especially given KSW’s reputation for great fighters and competition.

At 33, Narkun doesn’t have as much time to make it to the big show as the other guys on this list. That said, his skills are still formidable and it’s not like he’s at the end of his career. That much was clear in 2016, when he defended his KSW Light Heavyweight Championship via knockout over Cassio de Oliveira and Rameau Soukoudjou.

Narkun runs with the highly respected Berserker’s Team in Poland, where many of the country’s best fighters train. He has a strong ground base, which explains the numerous submission wins on his record. However, his striking is improving. His ground-and-pound in particular has gotten better, and is now capable of inflicting serious damage.

As a KSW Champion, it’s likely Narkun will put off any negotiations with the UFC for a while. That doesn’t mean the UFC shouldn’t try to sign him. He’d be a massive addition to any company’s light heavyweight division, seeing how good he’s become.

Jiri Prochazka (18-3-1, Czech Republic)

The Rizin organization has brought attention to some great fighters over the years, including, now, Jiri Prochazka, a Czech fighter that has accumulated 22 pro fights since 2012. That means he’s been averaging roughly five fights a year, an incredibly impressive rate for a 24-year-old.

Prochazka’s striking is his best tool — he’s used it in many of his fights to finish opponents with punches, knees and elbows. He does so much damage he’s actually forced fighters or their corners to call it quits mid-fight.

After losing to King Mo Lawal in the tournament finals of Rizin’s New Year’s show in 2015, Prochazka took two fights with Rizin in 2016, knocking out Kazuyuki Fujita and besting Mark Tanios in the round of 16 in the openweight tournament. Unfortunately, Prochazka was unable to continue and had to surrender his spot in a tournament in which he could have contended.

He’s 6-foot-4 and doesn’t cut much weight to make 205, so he’s certainly primed for the division. His Rizin contract may create problems, but if he becomes available, the UFC should do its best to sign this exciting finisher. He’d add great depth to the 205-pound division.