Paddy Pimblett and 4 Other UFC Fighters Who Have Superstar Potential

The UFC always enjoys itself in London. The United Kingdom has some of the most dedicated fight fans in the world, and there will once again be fun and meaningful bouts up and down the slate when the company returns to the city by the Thames on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 208.

Although he hasn’t quite reached headliner status just yet—and still has plenty to prove in the cage before he does—Liverpudlian Paddy Pimblett is already a fan favorite in Europe and well beyond. He’s got the X-factor, as people like to say. And more on him momentarily.

But what about other fighters—and that goes for Saturday's slate and well beyond—who have that special blend of talent and chutzpah? Let’s take a look at five fighters with superstar potential.

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Paddy Pimblett

Tom Aspinall is further along than Paddy Pimblett in his development as a fighter—so it’s no wonder the English heavyweight’s battle with Curtis Blaydes sits atop Saturday’s card. Still, Pimblett’s charisma is enough to put him in the conversation and keep him there.

That’s not to say Pimblett can’t walk his talk; far from it. The blonde 27-year-old has two bouts to date in the UFC, both of which were bonus-winning, first-round victories. But there are questions in his game. His stirring come-from-behind knockout win over Luigi Vendramini in his UFC debut had people believing he has standup chops to complement his vaunted ground game. But Pimblett still has big holes in his striking, or more specifically, his striking defense. The young man is hittable.

His opponent Saturday, Jordan Leavitt, is a ground specialist himself and likely won’t be the one to test Pimblett’s chin. The UFC knows what it has, and it doesn’t want to throw him in with a threat too quickly. A win over Leavitt, even if not the greatest stylistic test, should be plenty to keep the hype train rolling.

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Said Nurmagomedov

Russia’s North Caucasus region just keeps cranking them out.

Khamzat Chimaev appears poised for a main event with Nate Diaz. Islam Makhachev is set to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. The list goes on. And you can now add Said Nurmagomedov to the list.

Nurmagomedov (no relation to retired lightweight GOAT Khabib Nurmagomedov) is 2-0 in 2022, thanks to a bonus-winning, 47-second submission of the well-regarded Cody Stamann in January and a sparkling striking performance earlier this month in a decision win over Douglas Silva de Andrade.

Nurmagomedov has contender written all over him and has said he wants to get in the cage one more time this year. At 30 years old, he’s still a youngish guy who can finish in all phases. The lone blip on his UFC record—a 2019 loss to Raoni Barcelos—is firmly in the rearview, and there are much better days ahead.

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Jack Della Maddalena

The Australian Jack Della Maddalena first turned heads last year during his time on Dana White’s Contender Series.

His debut in the UFC proper came in January with a first-round knockout of Pete Rodriguez. He followed that up at UFC 275 with a brutal first-round liver-shot KO of Ramazan Emeev, whose game plan—neutralize Della Maddalena’s hands by getting him on the ground—was quickly turned back.

Della Maddalena is extremely fun to watch. And his name is fun to say. What else do you need in a superstar? In all seriousness, he has very heavy hands, terrific heart and comes off as a likable, gregarious guy in interviews. He has a lot of the ingredients needed for a superstar recipe.

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Erin Blanchfield

Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield has announced her presence in the UFC women’s flyweight division with authority.

She’s 3-0 since joining the UFC. Most recently, she handled JJ Aldrich with a guillotine choke to notch her first stoppage under the UFC banner. In all three cases, she has dominated her competition. I mean, she just mauls these other girls. She doesn’t yet have the minimum five UFC fights to qualify for the official leaderboard, but as it stands, her 56 percent striking accuracy would tie her for the division lead with champ Valentina Shevchenko, while her 66 percent takedown accuracy would have her second to Shevchenko.

Her talent has landed her on plenty of radars, and the 23-year-old knows how to handle it. Before her bout with Aldrich, who went out of her way to call out Blanchfield, she addressed her fast-rising status, according to Nolan King of MMA Junkie.

“I’ve only had two fights in the UFC, so it’s kind of quick for a callout,” Blanchfield said. “It’s good, though. It means people are paying attention and people want to fight me and they want to see me fight. I’m excited about it. I love being called out. It kind of keeps your name out there. … I think it’s funny because they think they’re going to beat me. It never really works out for them.”

Cold-blooded indeed. Not to mention prescient.

In a top-heavy division, Blanchfield is a new talent infusion who is quickly climbing the ranks. No telling where her ceiling is. She’s still a ways from challenging the great Shevchenko for the title, but another win or two would quickly change that equation.

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Ian Garry

Earlier this month at UFC 276, the Irish prospect ran his perfect record to 10-0 by defeating a tough Gabriel Green. Although he didn’t get the stoppage, his superior kickboxing was on full display as he landed 116 significant strikes in three rounds against Green, compared to 90 for his opponent.

He’s a very talented fighter, and he knows it. He can finish you with his hands or his feet. Why else would you nickname yourself “The Future”? At 24 years old, the future is indeed bright for Garry.

Mic skills also help when you’re trying to make a name for yourself, and Garry has shown plenty of that as well. “One day, everybody is going to see the growth of my career from my debut until the day I become a champion and no one will be able to argue that I’ve grown every single performance, and that I’ve improved myself every single time,” Garry told reporters. “And they will have no choice but to say I am one of the best fighters MMA has ever seen.”

Do you think he’s seen a Conor McGregor tape or two? There are levels to this game, and this young man knows that perfectly well. He’s playing self-promotional chess, and it’s something the king-makers love to see.