The Beaten Path: Top 25 MMA Prospects for 2015, Part 1

Another year, another set of potential big-show prospects are ready to make a run in a sport that has a seemingly endless supply of up-and-comers who keep promotions strong and stacked with talent.

The Beaten Path is back in 2015 to bring you the top 25 MMA prospects to look out for this year. These are fighters (men and women) who have yet to make the UFC or a Bellator tournament and are young either in age or in the sport (even though there may be an exception or two).

In evaluating these prospects, we looked for a combination of current ability and future potential that could carry them into the spotlight. Not only that, but we are using original prospects, so fighters who made last year’s list are not eligible for this one.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at Part 1 of this series. Counting down from 25, we will give you the first 13 fighters to make this year’s top prospects list. The second part, counting down the top 12, will come later this week.

2014 List

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

1. Holly Holm
2. Justin Gaethje
3. Marlon Moraes
4. Thomas Almeida
5. Henry Cejudo
6. Aljamain Sterling
7. Jim Alers
8. Goiti Yamauchi 
9. Alexandre Pantoja
10. Cathal Pendred
11. Volkan Oezdemir
12. Tyrone Spong
13. Sean Santella
14. Carlos Diego Ferreira
15. Michinori Tanaka
16. Pedro Munhoz
17. Steve Mocco
18. Lance Palmer
19. Scott Askham
20. Marat Gafurov
21. Anthony Hamilton
22. Ruslan Magomedov
23. Ashlee Evans-Smith
24. Carlos Eduardo
25. Jimmie Rivera

25. Tom Duquesnoy

Division: Featherweight

Promotion: BAMMA

Record: 9-1 (1 NC)

Age: 21

Country: France

The list kicks off with a real youngster, a guy who makes me look Jurassic. That man is 24-year old Tom Duquesnoy, who is one of the brightest up-and-comers in Europe right now.

It's not often that you get great prospects from France, considering that the country has a ban on MMA. However, despite all that, Duquesnoy has quickly shot up the ranks in European MMA, becoming a major player and champion in the BAMMA organization.

He made his splash in his BAMMA debut, defeating noted British fighter James Saville via brutal finish. Since then, Duquesnoy has thrived on the big stage, showing to be a well-rounded fighter and avid finisher.

His only loss in his career came in 2013 against Makwan Amirkhani, who was recently inked by the UFC and will debut in Sweden. Other than that, Duquesnoy has been superior, primarily using his top-notch ground game to earn seven stoppages.

24. Borys Mankowski

Division: Welterweight

Promotion: KSW

Record: 16-5-1

Age: 25

Country: Poland

Poland is home to a lot of great fighters who are currently looking for a bigger stage to hone their craft. However, the country does have KSW, which is huge over there, as well as a stud welterweight by the name of Borys Mankowski.

Like many Polish fighters, he has a grappling background and is a bully on the ground. Not only does he possess great submissions, but he isn't afraid to throw his hands of brick at the head of opponents.

He did go through a rough patch a few years ago, where he lost four straight to guys like Marcin Held and Mairbek Taisumov. However, since 2011, he has gone 7-1-1, with his only loss coming as a result of a leg injury to Aslambek Saidov. Since then, he has avenged that injury loss with beautiful triangle choke.

Over half of his wins come by submission, and since he competes in KSW, he gets good quality of opposition. Not only that, but he has snagged two Fight of the Night and one Submission of the Night bonuses in his last five bouts, showing that The Tasmanian Devil is not only skilled but a showman. 

23. Mateusz Gamrot

Division: Lightweight

Promotion: KSW

Record: 8-0

Age: 24

Country: Poland

Speaking of Polish fighters representing the KSW promotion, Mateusz Gamrot is one of the brightest young stars from both the country and the show.

He is a grappler who has worked his striking, but he definitely does his best work on the ground. He has only been a pro since 2012, and in that time, he has gone undefeated, winning half of his wins by finish. 

His coming-out party came in the form of a victory over UFC veteran Andre Winner; Gamrot came in as the underdog and walked out as a fighter to keep an eye on. Since that bout, he has continued to impress audiences, including a performance in Cage Warriors where he heel-hooked Tim Newman in just over 90 seconds.

Along with Borys Mankowski, who was previously mentioned in the 24th spot on this list, he could be signed by the UFC if the company ventures into Poland.

22. Mansour Barnaoui

Division: Lightweight

Promotion: BAMMA/M-1

Record: 11-2

Age: 22

Country: France by way of Tunisia

We had a Frenchman kick off this list, and now he is joined by Tunisian-French fighter Mansour Barnaoui, who is a young gun in the European circuit with a bright future in MMA.

Known as "Tarzan," Barnaoui is a grappler known for his voracious back control and ability to cut through guard like a wild man. And while he is more famous for his submissions, he has the power to put guys away with strikes as well, which shows he can improve fight by fight, an awesome trait for a young fighter.

He is also coming off the biggest win of his career a year ago against UFC veteran Colin Fletcher. That followed up a finish of another UFC veteran, Curt Warburton, showing that Barnaoui can hang with top talent.

His only two losses are against legit opponents in UFC employee Kevin Lee and top prospect Islam Makhachev. Other than those two decision losses, he has been incredibly impressive, finishing all opponents but one.

Expect to see this man in the UFC in the future.

21. Ken Hasegawa

Division: Light Heavyweight

Promotion: Titan Fighting Championship

Record: 9-0-1

Age: 27

Country: Japan

Japan's pipeline of prospects has seemed to slow down in recent years, but one of its bigger fighters in terms of size has burst onto the scene. That man is Ken Hasegawa, and he has a great chance at success in MMA. 

Think of Japan's best "big men" in the last few years—there's not a lot of them. Outside of Satoshi Ishii, Yushin Okami and Kazuhiro Nakamura, there really haven't been many Japanese fighters to keep your eye on outside of the lighter weight classes.

Hasegawa has been competing since 2011, and in that time he hasn't taken a loss. In fact, the only blemish was a draw three fights ago that failed to hurt his stock.

He made his American debut in his most recent fight, when he took on American veteran Matt Thompson in Titan FC. He looked solid in that bout, especially when fighting in new territory, taking a convincing unanimous decision over his gritty opponent.

He previously defeated the aforementioned Nakamura, who was long considered one of the best light heavyweight and middleweight fighters in Japan. That distinction now belongs to Hasegawa, who seemingly has a bright future ahead of him.

20. DeAnna Bennett

Division: Women's Flyweight/Bantamweight

Promotion: Invicta FC

Record: 6-0

Age: 30

Country: United States

The first American to appear on this list, DeAnna Bennett has quietly become one of the best women's MMA fighters that you may not have heard about. That's because despite the fact she has fought at 135 pounds, the division the UFC hosts, she is currently banging at 125 pounds in pursuit of Invicta gold.

Bennett, who trains at the Pit Elevated, is a cardio machine with a well-rounded game. She has good wrestling, but it has been her kickboxing lately that has been carrying her in the cage.

Her start with Invicta has been especially impressive. After her utter domination of Michelle Ould, whom she finished with a vicious liver kick, she took out Jennifer Maia in a great performance that may catapult her into a title bout with Barb Honchak.

Further than that, she has earned wins over The Ultimate Fighter 18 vets Colleen Schneider and winner Julianna Pena. The win over Pena is the most impressive, as Pena has looked like one of the rising stars in women's MMA.

If she chooses to move back up to 135 like Leslie Smith did, she has a chance to be a top bantamweight with the UFC if given the opportunity. 

19. Alberto Uda

Division: Middleweight

Promotion: XFC

Record: 7-0

Age: 30

Country: Brazil

These days, it's tough to find good middleweight prospects in MMA. However, Alberto Uda is one of the few who stand out in this day and age. 

Representing Nova Uniao, Uda is a typical fighter in that gym in that he is aggressive and tough to deal with on the ground. Of his seven wins, he has six finishes, including four submissions by way of rear-naked choke, triangle choke and triangle armbar. Not only that, but he can open up submission attempts with his ground striking.

His 2014 was especially impressive as he went 3-0 in the XFC, including a win over Thiago Rela. Furthermore, he finished current UFC member Richardson Moreira with a first-round rear-naked choke.

His skills are superior to most outside the UFC middleweight division. In fact, he could be competitive with most guys outside the top 15 right now.  

18. Toni Tauru

Division: Bantamweight

Promotion: Cage Warriors

Record: 10-1-1

Age: 29

Country: Finland

If there is an underrated country for MMA in Europe, it has to be Finland. We always think of the U.K., Poland and Sweden, but we never consider that Finland has provided some quality fighters in its regional scene such as Cage Warriors champ Toni Tauru.

He debuted in 2011, going 1-1-1. Since then, he has not lost a fight, going 9-0 in that stretch. That is impressive considering he has gone from a decision-based fighter to a guy who finishes consistently via submission.

His ground game is very refined. Seven of his 10 wins come by way of tapout, including six by way of rear-naked choke and a rarely seen gogoplata win over TUF 18 veteran Emil Hartsner. 

He also has solid kicks, which he uses to soften up opponents before shooting on them. There, he can work his ground game, which has to be feared by anybody who has Tauru on top of him.

When the UFC signed a Finnish fighter for its Sweden card, I assumed it was Tauru, but it wasn't. However, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets in the UFC with another win or two under his belt.

17. Cody East

Division: Heavyweight

Promotion: Legacy FC

Record: 9-1

Age: 26

Country: United States

The UFC is constantly in need of new heavyweights, as the division is pretty thin on talent. A guy like Cody East could fill that need.

East, who has been training with Greg Jackson and Co. lately, is a medium-sized heavyweight with good athleticism and power. He has spent most of his time in the King of the Cage promotion but moved to Legacy FC for his last fight in an attempt to make a run in the UFC.

He comes from a wrestling background but has sharpened up his striking as he has progressed in his career. He has finished all but one of his wins, 75 percent of which are by strikes. 

It also helps that he is riding a six-fight surge. That, in combination with his skills and background with Jackson, could fit in well with the UFC. He seems to be a finger's reach away.

16. Pannie Kianzad

Division: Bantamweight

Promotion: Cage Warriors

Record: 7-0

Age: 23

Country: Sweden

Right now, Pannie Kianzad may be the best female bantamweight not in the UFC. If she continues to fight the way she is fighting right now, it won't be long until she arrives in the company.

The current Cage Warriors champ, Kianzad is undefeated in her career. She only has three finishes to her credit, but she has been pretty dominant in all seven bouts. 

She is primarily a boxer who can grapple has well. That kind of well-rounded game has led to wins over Bellator roster member Annalisa Bucci and current UFC fighter Milana Dudieva. 

The UFC should constantly be signing new women to bolster the division, and Kianzad can truly be a contender if she joins. She is big (5'7", 137 lbs), rugged and technical—three things that will make her an instant success in the company.

15. Denis Goltsov

Division: Heavyweight

Promotion: Tech-Krep Fighting

Record: 13-4

Age: 24

Country: Russia

In terms of the best pipeline for heavyweight prospects, Russia may be at the top with the most depth. One of the area's brightest prospects is 24-year-old Denis Goltsov.

A well-rounded fighter, Goltsov is more memorable for the fact that he is a knockout artist with creative striking. He is highly powerful and uses great techniques, including a backfist knockout of Konstantin Erokhin and a head-kick KO of Yuri Gorbenko.

His submission defense has been the subject of most of his losses, though he has good offensive submissions of his own. That said, keeping the fight upright is Goltsov's best move.

Hovering around the sub-230-pound range, it's possible that he could drop to the light heavyweight division. There, he could be a terror with his brute power and aggressive nature.

The UFC should have him on its radar, as he is riding an eight-fight winning streak over guys like Roy Boughton and Brett Rogers. He would be an excellent addition to the ranks.

14. Maxim Grishin

Division: Light Heavyweight

Promotion: Fight Nights/NAAFS

Record: 18-6

Age: 30

Country: Russia

Like the middleweight division, the light heavyweight division is lacking a plentiful amount of prospects. That said, Maxim Grishin is definitely one of the best outside the UFC and has the skills to hang with high-level opposition. 

Grishin, who has spent time training in the United States, is a striker who has good kicks and knees that complement his educated hands. He is a finisher as well, with only four of his 18 wins going the distance.

He is currently riding a six-fight surge, with most of those wins coming against tough opposition. In addition to taking out top European prospect Joachim Christensen, he has won three in a row against UFC veterans Mario Miranda, Rodney Wallace and Trevor Prangley.

His submission defense and ground game still need a bit of a tune-up, but he isn't horrible on the ground. Regardless, his presence in the UFC would be a positive, as he could definitely get some big wins in the division.

13. Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Division: Strawweight

Promotion: Invicta FC

Record: 6-0

Age: 29

Country: Poland

Potentially the top women's prospect in MMA, Karolina Kowalkiewicz is skilled and exciting. That's the type of recipe it takes to gain a fanbase in MMA.

A well-rounded fighter, Kowalkiewicz has shown to be both an aggressive striker, as well as a terror on the mat. She got her start in KSW, where she took progressively harder fights before landing in Invicta, where she snagged the biggest win of her career.

In Invicta, she took on top 115-pound prospect Mizuki Inoue in what was a strong performance. She came in as an underdog but outworked the Japanese star with relentless pace, clinch work, ground work and underrated striking exchanges. 

She should be on the UFC roster after that win. Regardless, she is definitely the top 115-pound prospect in the world right now.