UFC: Jon Jones, Jose Aldo and the 5 UFC Fighters Under 25 Years of Age

As the top stars in the mixed martial arts world continue to grow older, the sport evolves to a younger generation of fighter that will lead the UFC into the future.

Every now and then some of these younger fighters show the promise to become the next Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre, but are they the ones that will eventually dethrone these great champions?

Some have already captured a championship as others continue to climb the ladder, but one thing is for sure, these five fighters will be the cornerstones of the UFC for quite some time. 

The list is comprised of five of the best fighters that have yet to reach their 25th birthdays and will be presented from oldest to youngest. 

So please sit back and I hope you enjoy! 

Honorable Mentions

There are a few names that really came close to making this list but failed to make the cut.

Those fighters include but are not limited to:

• Chang Sung Jung - Age 24
• Alexander Gustafsson - Age 24
• Michael McDonald - Age 21

Jose Aldo

One fighter who just makes the requirements for this list and is also the oldest is the UFC's Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo.

At 24 years of age with an upcoming birthday in September, Aldo has comprised a professional record of 19-1 to date.

Aldo is the last WEC Featherweight Champion and was awarded the UFC Featherweight Championship when the WEC merged with the UFC in late 2010.

Aldo is considered a top pound-for-pound fighter in the world and is still improving his all-around game. He has top-rated striking ability that he has utilized to defeat some of the world's best featherweights.

His toughest test might be his next opponent as he prepares to face Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian at UFC 136 in October.

John Hathaway

The 24-year-old British import has had a very successful career since joining the UFC in 2009, earning himself an overall record of 15-1.

What most people tend to forget about Hathaway is that he has defeated fighters such as Rick Story, Paul Taylor and Diego Sanchez.

After a setback against Mike Pyle, Hathaway has since redeemed himself and is back on the winning path.

Another fact about Hathaway is that possesses a trait that most British fighters lack. Not only only does he have good teeth but he is a British fighter that can wrestle.

The next opponent for Hathaway will be Pascal Krauss at UFC 138 in November.

Jonny "Bones" Jones

Another 24-year-old fighter on this list may have the most hype but might also be the most dominant of the future superstars.

Jon Jones is currently the UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion after destroying the legendary Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on short notice. Prior to that, just barely under a month before, he defeating another rising star in Ryan Bader.  

The sky seems to be the limit for this kid as he has looked unstoppable in his career. His record is 13-1, with his lone defeat being a disqualification as he was dominating the recently-retired Matt Hamill.

Along with Jose Aldo, Jon Jones is another fighter on the top pound-for-pound list of fighters and is already being compared to the likes of Anderson Silva.

Next up for Jones is another Light-Heavyweight legend, Quinton "Ranpage" Jackson at UFC 135 in September.

Rory MacDonald

Rory MacDonald has certainly garnered a lot of attention thus far in his career with big wins over Nate Diaz, Mike Pyle and coming ever-so-close to defeating Carlos Condit.  If not for a poor stoppage that occurred when Condit was laying on top of MacDonald, judges would have awarded MacDonald the victory as he was ahead on their scorecards.

Having his first professional fight at the ripe age of 16, MacDonald has soared, turning in a professional fight record of 12-1 and it doesn't appear that he is going to slow down.

The Canadian fighter, who also trains at Tristar gym with Georges St-Pierre, appears to be a future foe for the current welterweight champion if he continues to display his dominating skill set.

Thus the reputation he is beginning to earn is that of being the next Georges St-Pierre, but only time will tell if MacDonald will ever achieve that level of success. So far though, it appears that he is on the right path.

Charles Oliveira

The final and youngest fighter rounding out the top five is none other than 21-year-old Charles Oliveira.

Oliveira has posted a record of 14-1 with one no-contest and has been one of the Lightweight division's most explosive fighters.

Oliveira has shown the ability to pull off impressive submissions to go along with his overall game. His win/loss record shows that he has six wins by form of knockout and seven wins by form of submission.

He has also earned himself a lot of extra cash thus far under the UFC banner as he has collected two Submission of the Night bonuses and one Fight of the Night Bonus.

Up next for Oliveira will be Donald Cerrone. A win over Cerrone will result in an immediate rise up the rankings ladder and into title contention among the very clustered lightweight division. 

Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!