Some fighters burst onto the scene, establishing themselves with out-of-nowhere achievements and confidence beyond their years. Others build slowly and steadily from a young age. ESPN’s third annual ranking of the top 25 MMA fighters under the age of 25 features prospects who could define the sport’s future as well as some who are making the-future-is-now statements.
The No. 1-ranked fighter on last year’s list was Australian light heavyweight Jimmy Crute, who faces Jamahal Hill on Saturday’s Rob Font-Jose Aldo UFC undercard. But Crute turned 25 in March and is no longer eligible for these rankings. Just four of last year’s top 10 return, along with seven others who were ranked in the top 25 in 2020. Much has changed.
Edmen Shahbazyan, who was ranked second last year, is riding a three-fight losing streak, so while he still appears in this top 25, he has fallen a few notches. That made room for Song Yadong, last year’s No. 3, to rise to the top, right above a fighter who barely made last year’s top 20 (Ilia Topuria) and one who did not appear in the 2020 rankings at all (Casey O’Neill).
ESPN’s nine-person panel — Kel Dansby, Andrew Davis, Tim Fiorvanti, Jake Lebowitz, Carlos Contreras Legaspi, Phil Murphy, Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim — selected fighters based on both achievement and potential.
Okamoto and Wagenheim provide breakdowns of the fighters.
1. Song Yadong (18-5-1, 1 NC)
UFC men’s bantamweight
Age: 24 (turns 25 on Dec. 2, 2022)
Ranked No. 3 on ESPN’s 25-under-25 list in 2020
This year’s No. 1 fighter under the age of 25 has been on this list before — and…
Source : espn
