The Beaten Path: 5 Bantamweights the UFC Should Sign Now
We left off with the featherweights. It's time for the "Prospects the UFC Should Sign" series to continue—this time with the bantamweights.
The bantamweight division is stacked with prospects. The weight class has some great fighters, but it could use some new guys to keep the talent pool full.
A ton of bantamweights would have made this list, but the UFC has already snagged them. This includes Cody Garbrandt, Rob Font, Yuta Sasaki and Michinori Tanaka.
With that, let's take a look at five bantamweights the UFC should ink.
Below are the previous installments of this series.
Memory Lane
1 of 6
With all of the great prospects in the division, we have seen four men from this series go to the UFC. We've had our hits and misses, and the company should still take a look at a few guys.
Josh Hill, Kyoji Horiguchi, Thomas Almeida and Anthony Birchak all signed with the UFC to mixed results thus far. Hill took The Ultimate Fighter 18 by storm but sputtered out quickly. Birchak is 0-1 in the UFC and has yet to spend a sufficient amount of time in the Octagon.
Then you have Almeida, who was successful and acclaimed in his UFC debut against Tim Gorman. As for Horiguchi, he is the best of the bunch thus far, going undefeated in the UFC and becoming a top contender at 125 pounds.
Others such as Jimmie Rivera and Leandro Higo should still move onto the UFC but haven't. Here is the full rundown of guys who made this series previously.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| Josh Hill | Josh Hill | Thomas Almeida |
| Jimmie Rivera | Kyoji Horiguchi | Anthony Birchak |
| Yusup Saadulaev | Gustavo Falciroli | Leandro Higo |
| Nick Mamalis | Jonathan Mackles | Zeilton Rodrigues |
| Matt Smith | Rodolfo Marques | James Brum |
Luke Sanders
2 of 6Home Country: United States
Team: The MMA Lab
Record: 9-0
Last Fight: Knockout win vs. Jarred Mercado
Luke Sanders has been my top bantamweight prospect outside the UFC from the minute he stepped into the RFA cage. His impressive win over Dan Moret, another good prospect, was enough for me to buy into him, based on his current skill set.
The scary thing is that Sanders has gotten better. He now runs with The MMA Lab in Arizona, where he has improved quickly, especially in striking, which was somewhat lacking before. That makes Sanders so much more dangerous.
He is first and foremost a grinder with excellent cardio. He wants to wear you down and break you down before hurting you. He's almost a cerebral assassin.
He then looks to hurt you with his striking from top position. You can give up your neck, but Sanders will only ignore it while he plows into your head with massive punches from atop.
Sanders is kind of like Cain Velasquez in that regard, in that he prefers to beat the hell out of you rather than let you escape with a submission loss. That type of attitude is almost as intimidating as anything else I can think of in MMA.
Don't be surprised to see Sander sporting Reebok fight gear in the Octagon in 2015. He's a fingertip away as it is.
Toni Tauru
3 of 6Home Country: Finland
Team: MMA Utti
Record: 10-1
Last Fight: Submission win vs. Cory Tait
Cage Warriors has found a diamond in the rough with Toni Tauru. This Finnish savage is skilled, mean and full of aggression.
Tauru went winless in his first two pro fights, fighting to a draw and losing to Mikael Silander. Since then, he is 10-0, finishing seven of those opponents in a row in the process. In fact, all seven finishes came via submission.
There is no secret here. Tauru loves to grapple and for good reason. He is highly successful at it, especially when he gets the back, where he can latch onto his favorite submission technique, the rear-naked choke.
Not only that, but he is the owner of a rare gogoplata submission, a feat he accomplished against TUF 18 participant Emil Hartsner. That is just another example of how dangerous Tauru is on the mat.
His striking could use a bit of work, but it's not bad. If he tightens that up, guys in the UFC should take notice of this potential beast.
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Brett Johns
4 of 6Home Country: Wales
Team: Chris Rees Academy
Record: 10-0
Last Fight: Unanimous decision win vs. James Brum
I'll be honest with you: I have watched Brett Johns compete a couple of times and was not overly entertained. He's a grinder who is going to frustrate you with his approach to fighting.
That's why he's so damn good.
Johns is a rare top prospect out of Wales, and in his brief time in MMA (pro since 2012), he has gone a perfect 10-0. He is aggressive about closing the distance, preferring to clinch and secure takedowns as opposed to engage in striking.
That's why half of his wins are by decision. He rides on you like a pony on a carousel and wears you down. There's nothing you can do about it; Johns imposes his will, and you are helpless to resist.
Like I said, Johns is not going to be confused with Melvin Manhoef's philosophy of "kill or go out on your shield." It's quite the opposite. But Johns is talented at what he does and will continue to be a top prospect despite being boring.
Julio Arce
5 of 6Home Country: United States
Team: Team Tiger Schulmann
Record: 7-0
Last Fight: Knockout win vs. Thomas Vasquez
In my opinion, Team Tiger Schulmann is one of the most underrated teams in MMA. They have a solid stable of fighters and a good coaching staff. This is why guys like Julio Arce have such a bright future in MMA.
Arce, who is just 25 years old, is undefeated through all his pro fights and has looked astounding in all of them. Though he is not the most prolific finisher, he is impressive and dominant nonetheless, which is why hardcore MMA fans have salivated over his potential.
Like others in this series, he has cut his teeth in the Ring of Combat promotion, which shows not only the prestige of that show, but the fighters who go through there.
Jonas Bilharinho
6 of 6Home Country: Brazil
Team: Team Nogueira
Record: 5-0-1
Last Fight: Split-decision win vs. Mario Israel
Another dark horse in this series, Jonas Bilharinho is still young in his MMA career, but he has a bright future if he stays the course. He is just 24 years old, possesses just six pro fights and has already caught talent scouts' eyes throughout MMA.
A member of Team Nogueira, Bilharinho has a fundamentally sound ground game. However, his striking is what really has gotten fans giddy, as he kicks like a mule and has great power.
Bilharinho is quick and athletic, both of which serve him well. He is able to move in and out on opponents when need be, picking his spots for when to establish dominance and when to go for the kill.
It probably won't be immediate, but Bilharinho will remain one of Brazil's top prospects. Time is on his side, and the longer he stays in the gym, the better he will get.
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